Cheltenham Festival 2017

The 2017 Cheltenham Festival took place between March 14 and March 17, 2017 and resulted in something of a novelty, insofar as Willie Mullins, leading trainer in each of the previous four years, did not defend his title. Indeed, Mullins did not saddle a winner until Yorkhill in the opening Golden Miller Novices’ Chase on day three, ‘St. Patrick’s Day’, but quickly added three more later on the card and two more on day four, ‘Gold Cup Day’, for a total of six altogether.

Mullins’ staunch rearguard action actually gave him the same number of winners as compatriot Gordon Elliott, but the latter edged the leading trainer award on countback. Ruby Walsh, who rode a memorable four-timer for Mullins, on the aforementioned Yorkhill, Un De Sceaux in the Ryanair Chase, Nichols Canyon in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Limini in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, all on day three, won the leading jockey award for the eleventh time in his career. Not altogether surprisingly, with Elliot and Mullins contributing six winners apiece, the final result of the Prestbury Cup was a rather one-sided 19-9 in favour of the Irish.

The Mullins camp did suffer a major reverse in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when Douvan, unbeaten in 13 starts for the yard and sent off at prohibitive odds of 2/9, trailed in seventh of the nine finishers and was subsequently found to be lame behind. Victory went to Special Tiara, trained by Henry De Bromhead and Noel Fehily, who finally landed the £208, 300.32 first prize after finishing third in both 2015 and 2016.

Of the other ‘feature’ races, the Champion Hurdle went the way of Buveir D’Air, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup the way of Sizing John, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Robbie Power. Indeed, having won the ‘Blue Riband’ event with her first ever runner, Mrs. Harrington finished the week as the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history, with 11 winners to her name.