whoosh! and cheltenham is over already.

As expected, Willie Mullins trained more losers than winners at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival and in the main the unexpected failed to occur. All over for another year. Yes, compared to the golden years of long-living memories, it was an ordinary Cheltenham, yet I believe most of the outstanding questions were answered.
Thoughts: I believe one of the achievements of the meeting that was glossed-over a little was in winning the Champion 2-mile chase on Captain Guinness, Rachel Blackmore joined the very rare assembly of jockeys to have ridden the winner of all 3 of the Cheltenham Festival’s blue-riband races + a Grand National winner – Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, A.P. McCoy and now Rachel Blackmore. Some achievement for a female who arrived on the scene rather late in the life of a jockey. What would she have achieved by now if she had been able to take the more recognised career route of 7Ib professional attached to a major yard, rather than unsung amateur who struggled to get a ride, her talent only recognised by Eddie O’Leary and who had the foresight to suggest to Henry de Bromhead that he give her a try?
Galopin Des Champs is the best 3-mile chaser since the era of Kauto Star and Denman, though he would be a furlong in arrears, I suggest, of those two equine mega-stars as, unfortunately, he does not have a horse of their calibre to inspire him to greater heights. As I have said before, for a horse to be referred to as a truly great they must beat a horse as good as themselves and it is rare for horses of the calibre of Paul Nicholls’ two mega-stars to come along at the same time. Let’s hope Fact To File achieves the heights his raw ability suggests and that Willie Mullins has two goliaths of the sport in his stable as Paul Nicholls had the good fortune to have, as did Tom Dreaper. Never forget or underestimate Flyingbolt.
State Man was unimpressive in winning the Champion Hurdle, though only Paul Townend knows how much in reserve he had at the winning line. I believe the form is not to be sneezed at in one way as Irish Point is a strong stayer, even though he never gave the impression he was ever going to get past State Man, and on the other hand the form is diminished by Luccia finishing so close, especially considering the wretched form of her stable companions during the past three-weeks. It must be admitted that the overall standard of Grade 1 hurdlers, both in Ireland as well as Britain, is poor, with this year’s Triumph Hurdle winner unlikely to be campaigned next season in that sphere or perhaps over hurdles at all. Oh, for the days when we had Sea Pigeon, Monksfield, Night Nurse, Birds Nest and then the era of Hardy Eustace, Brave Inca, etc and etc!
Captain Guinness was a fortunate winner, though the game is about jumping and both El Fabiolo and Edwardstown failed the gold standard test. I just wonder if the connections of Boothill regret not allowing him to take his chance as a clear round would have given them, at least, third-place prize-money. Though relieved El Fabiolo was unharmed by his demonstration of the splits at the fifth-fence, I admit to being amused by his departure given that everyone who is everyone in the sport, including Luke Harvey, had absolutely no concerns about his ability to negotiate the fences. He had no flaws, they said, the biggest certainty of the meeting, they said. When he reappears, be that at Aintree or Punchestown – I did think he was slightly lame behind – everyone will be saying ‘if he jumps, he wins’. For the rest of the season until Cheltenham next March he will be a horse with a flaw.
On the domestic front there is much to cheer, despite the score-line by day 4. The surprise, of course, is that Dan Skelton came away from the Festival as the leading trainer in this country, usurping his former boss by deed of 4-winners to 1, with Grey Dawning looking the best home-trained prospect for glory next season. As Ruby Walsh, the voice of common-sense, said, year-by-year the score-line is closing and if you took Willie Mullins out of the equation, there is little between the other Irish trainers and their British counterparts. It is the Closutton operation that is tilting the slope to outrageous proportions in favour of Ireland.
Although Ballyburn bears all the hallmarks of an outstanding prospect, be that as a Champion Hurdle horse next season or a novice chaser heading towards a tilt at the Gold Cup as a 7-year-old, I can easily imagine Slade Steel getting closer to him if Henry de Bromhead decides to go chasing next season.  With having the reigning Champion Chaser and Lossiemouth in his stable, I suspect Willie Mullins will go chasing with Ballyburn, if for no other reason than Galopin Des Champs will be reaching the end of his career in 2-seasons time, though, perhaps as that rare thing - a 3-time Gold Cup w