Cheltenham Festival

The 1997 Cheltenham Gold Cup once again featured Imperial Call, Barton Bank and One Man, first, fourth and sixth in the 1996 renewal, plus Dublin Flyer, who failed to finish on that occasion. Defending champion Imperial Call had fallen in the Punchestown Chase, with the race at his mercy, on his reappearance in December and finished a distant third, when favourite, in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. He was again sent off favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but ran a lifeless race and was tailed off when pulled up five fences from home. One Man, who had weakened so dramatically in the closing stages in 1996, did so again and, once again, finished a tired sixth.

Mr. Mulligan, trained by Noel Chance, had fallen at the final fence, when beaten, in the King George VI Chase at Kempton when ridden for the first time by Tony McCoy, but the partnership proved a different proposition at Cheltenham. Belying odds of 20/1, the nine-year-old led heading down the back straight for the final time, went clear at the third-last fence and, despite edging right on the run-in, was driven out to win by 9 lengths. Barton Bank stayed on for second, with Dorans Pride a further half a length back in third place.

Mr. Mulligan became a first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for McCoy and, in so doing, completed a notable double for the Northern Irishman, who had won the Champion Hurdle on Take A Stand, trained by Martin Pipe, two days earlier. McCoy later said of Mr. Mulligan, “When I gave him a little smack, he warmed up and I knew when I let him stride on that he was warming to his task.”

At the time of writing, nine of the last 10 renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, including the last seven in a row, have been won by horses trained in Ireland. However, believe it or not, there was a time, not so long ago, when the concept of an Irish ‘drought’ in the steeplechasing showpiece was a real possibility. Indeed, such a paucity of Irish-trained winners had existed for the decade prior to the 1996 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Nevertheless, that all changed on March 14, 1996, when Imperial Call, trained by Fergus ‘Fergie’ Sutherland in Co. Cork and ridden by Conor O’Dwyer, saw off the British-trained hotpot, One Man, and eight other rivals to win the ‘Blue Riband’ event. Trained by Gordon Richards in Cumbria, One Man was sent off 11/8 favourite to follow up his easy, 14-length win in the rearranged King George VI at Sandown Park in January, but stopped as if shot approaching the final fence and eventually trailed in a tired sixth of the seven finishers.

Imperial Call, though, took over from the weakening Couldnt Be Better at the fourth-last fence and, thereafter, never really looked in danger of defeat. Indeed, Sutherland said later, “In the last mile, I must confess I had a feeling of inevitability about it. I just knew he was going to win.” Rough Quest, trained by Terry Casey and ridden, stealthily, by Mick Fitzgerald, chased the winner from two out, but could only find one pace in the closing stages and eventually finished second, beaten 4 lengths. The first two pulled 19 lengths clear of the third horse home, Couldnt Be Better.

Run on soft going, the 1995 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured 15 runners, including the second, third and fourth from the 1994 renewal, Jodami, Young Hustler and Flashing Steel. Victory, though, went to the favourite, Master Oats, trained by Kim Bailey and ridden by Norman Williamson, who was not entirely foot perfect at his fences, but was, nevertheless, ridden clear approaching the final fence and stayed on strongly to win by 15 lengths. Dubacilla, trained by David Nicholson and ridden by Dean Gallagher finished second, a similar distance ahead of the 1994 Grand National winner Miinnehoma, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Richard Dunwoody.

Master Oats became the first winning favourite since Desert Orchid in 1989 and his winning margin was the widest since Alveston beat Royal Mail by 25 lengths in 1979. Moreover, he completed a rare Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double for Bailey and Williamson who, two days earlier, had teamed up to win the two-mile hurdling championship with the former high-class Flat performer Alderbrook, who was having just his second start for the yard. In fact, the last trainer and jockey to achieve the feat were Vincent O’Brien and Aubrey Brabazon who, in 1950, won the Champion Hurdle with Hatton’s Grace and the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Cottage Rake, both of whom started favourite.

Reflecting on his finest hour at Prestbury Park some years later, Bailey said, “Alderbrook was my first Cheltenham winner and you never forget the first and last of anything you do.” However, he was affectionately ambivalent towards Master Oats, saying, “He would run through a brick wall for you and he was not a good jumper; his brain wasn’t quite quick enough for his feet.”

The 1994 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured 15 runners, including the reigning champion, Jodami, the 1991 winner, Garrison Savannah, by now an 11-year-old, and the subsequent Grand National winner, Miinnehoma. Jodami was, understandably, sent off favourite at 6/4 after hacking up in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown, with the Mackeson Gold Cup winner, Bradbury Star, at 5/1, The Fellow, who had finished second, second and fourth in the last three renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 7/1, and 10/1 bar that trio.

When push came to shove, it was The Fellow, who, at the fourth time of asking, lifted the spoils and, in so doing, became the first French-trained winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Ridden, as in previous years, by Adam Kondrat and racing on slightly slower, good going, The Fellow turned around his 1993 form with Jodami to the tune of 11 lengths, running on well to win by 1½ lengths. Young Hustler, the winner of the Sun Alliance Chase at the 1993 Cheltenham Festival, led on the approach to the final fence, but could find no extra in the closing stages and eventually finished third, beaten 5½ lengths by the winner.

Reflecting on his success, winning trainer Francois Doumen said later, “I learnt that you needed to put a lot of work into the horses if you were going to take on the English because the trainers there are not idiots.”

Three weeks later, The Fellow tried his luck in the hugely eventful Grand National won by Miinnehoma. On heavy going, only six of the 36 runners finished and, sadly, The Fellow was among those that did not. Sent off 9/1 co-third favourite, he was in fourth place when falling at the Canal Turn on the second circuit.

After being agonisingly beaten a short-head in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the last two seasons running, by Garrison Savannah in 1991 and Cool Ground in 1992, The Fellow was sent off 5/4 favourite for the 1993 renewal, as he attempted to make it third time lucky in the ‘Blue Riband’ event. It was not to be for the French-trained eight-year-old, who, never having previously raced on the prevailing good to firm going, was outpaced when the race began in earnest before staying on again for fourth place, beaten 9½ lengths by the winner.

Victory went, for once, to the North of England, courtesy of Jodami, trained by Peter Beaumont in Stearsby, North Yorkshire and ridden by Mark Dwyer. Having justified favouritism in the Mandarin Handicap Chase at Newbury, the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock and the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on his last three starts, was sent off 8/1 second-favourite to make it four in a row at Cheltenham and did so in gutsy fashion.

Patiently ridden early, the eight-year-old drew alongside the long-time leader Rushing Willd, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Richard Dunwoody, at the second-last fence, led over the last fence and was driven clear on the run-in to win by 2 lengths. Rushing Wild kept on to hold second place, 7 lengths ahead of future Grand National winner Royal Athlete, who, in turn, finished just half a length ahead of The Fellow. As a sombre footnote, Cherrykino, who was fatally injured in a fall before halfway, was the last living descendant of the legendary Arkle.