cheltenham: Day Two.

​Day two of the Cheltenham Festival will live long in the memory. Firstly, Altior equalled the achievement of Big Buck’s in winning his eighteenth race in a row and secondly, somehow, given the cross-country chase is possibly the weakest race out of the twenty-eight that comprise the meeting, Tiger Roll eclipsed in brilliance both the Champion Hurdler and the Champion 2-mile Chaser. Has the Glanfarclas ever been won in such a fashion? Rarely is any race at the Festival won in such a style, with the jockey hardly moving a muscle from flag-fall to finishing post. Has there ever been a horse like Tiger Roll? Bred to win a classic, he has won the Triumph over hurdles at the Festival, the 4-miler over the park fences, the Glenfarclas, twice, over the cross-country fences and if that was not enough versatility a Grand National as well. A star today, a legend for all time. Look after him, Gordon, you’ll never have another like him.
I am often disappointed by the conservatism of trainers and I hope Nicky Henderson doesn’t add to my personal list of woe by recanting on the suggestion, or was it a ‘promise’, to run Altior in the King George next Boxing Day. I agree with Matt Chapman that Altior’s official rating belies his true ability and with scant opposition around to test him over 2-miles we will only get a true measure of his brilliance when he steps up in trip. All the top-rated chasers are 3-milers and it is only in beating the likes of Clan des Obeaux will Altior receive a rating that befits his standing in the sport. Nicky Henderson’s big heartache next season will be, after winning the King George, whether to enter Altior in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
It has to be regretted that the B.H.A. managed to take the gilt from the gingerbread of a great day’s racing by making yet another foot-in-mouth calamitous for the sport ruling. I have to admit I did not see the 4-miler on Tuesday and as I.T.V. are unlikely to show highlights of the race, bar the first and second jumping the last fence, my comments are second-hand. The bans given to Noel McParlan and Rob James may, in the present P.C. climate, be justified. If either of the horses they were riding had suffered a fatal injury when falling the furore would be heard from here to the Moon, with their decision-making very difficult to defend. Declan Lavary’s ban is, as I see the matter, hard to justify. He was in an impossible situation as whatever he decided he would have been wrong in somebody’s eyes. If he had pulled-up, as the stewards deemed was the correct decision, punters who had backed his mount to finish in the first three would have wanted to lynch him. There is also the pool money that goes to the stable staff to consider. Jerrysback did not fall at the last and according to A.P. McCoy’s testimony, the horse was fine the following morning. For the good of the sport, Lavary should appeal the decision. To witness the level of A.P.’s discontent with the ban and his obvious frustration at how the sport is being governed made for good television and one must assume that nobody connected to Jerrysback thought Lavary was in any way in the wrong.
In recent months the B.H.A. have become apologists for the sport. Nick Rust may suggest that the stewards panel made the decision to ban Lavary, and that it was comprised of two former professional jockeys, but they almost certainly acted on B.H.A. guidelines for the meeting. To my mind we have got to a situation with racing’s governance whereby the tail is wagging the dog. They might be improving the sport’s image with the public by experimenting with hands and heels races for professionals but instead they make knee-jerk rulings that the anti-brigade can turn against us. If in their review of the National Hunt Chase they decide that the problem lies with the distance then every 4-mile chase will come under scrutiny. As I said yesterday, restrict the race to professionals.
Resolute horse welfare is without doubt the most important factor going forwards. But over-zealous veterinary inspections, suggesting to the ignorant foe that trainers are in the habit of sending unfit horses to the races, smacks of seeing it done in 3-day eventing and instead of applying deep thought they make-up new stipulations copy-cat style. By the way, there is another welfare issue here. What if a horse is just cultivating the flu virus; wouldn’t a vet going from horse-to-horse be contaminating each horse in turn. Just a thought. Not that even the most scrupulous of equine inspections will prevent a horse falling and suffering a fatal injury. The B.H.A. is simply conducting a window-dressing exercise. The sort of procedure that a regulatory body would organise in light of its own ignorance and relying on the advice of others to form its regulations. And why are the vetting procedures for correct for Cheltenham but not for, example, Uttoxeter on Saturday or any other race meeting?
It is time for reform. It is time the B.H.A. board-members were replaced by professional racing people. I would go as far as to suggest we need to return to the days of the National Hunt Committee when National Hunt was governed by people with an intimate knowledge and love of the sport.