FINISH LINE Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club Magazine Time Waits for No Man CONTENTS
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February 2015 FINISH LINE Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club magazine Time waits for no man CONTENTS Editors introduction 3 Guest column: Paul Kealy 4-5 Paddock watchers club night 6-8 Club news & forthcoming events 9 Jessica Lamb column 10-11 Edward Gillespie OBE column 12 Tipster competition 13 Richard Davis award 13 John Hales column 14-15 Liam Treadwell column 16-17 Richard Hoiles column 18-19 Kim Bailey column 20 Chepstow competition 21 Jo Collinson column 22-23 Tony Coleman’s trip to Meydan 24-27 2 WELCOME… Overall my emotions feel like I’ve a nagging can forget the Mullins horses, all Festival betting sense of loss. I don’t know a racing season markets will now be affected by whatever horse without AP, I do know I’ll never see anyone AP McCoy gets on board, would you forgive remotely like him ever again. yourself for not backing AP in his final Gold Cup? If he wins, will Prestbury Park ever have I’m so glad I chose at the last moment to go witnessed a reception like it? to Newbury. I didn’t know I’d literally be stood alongside Rishi Persad as he dropped his We may have AP for just 11 more weeks, no bombshell, I was simply intending to say well doubt wherever he rides during this swansong done to AP for bagging his 10th season with 200 winners, but there it was.....”I’m going to tell you something else, Rishi. It’s going to be the last time I ride 200 winners....I’m going to be retiring at the end AP gathers himself to give Rishi AP embraces the applause – will there be one last hurrah of the season”. Persad the world exclusive in the Gold Cup? And so the racing he will fill racecourses as he goes on his farewell world was shook to the core, suddenly we’d all tour, go see him, you will never see the like of forgotten Sire De Grugy’s tumble and we were him again. coming to terms at life without AP. As if we needed more drama, the champion was then So, to our February magazine, I’m delighted to dumped on the floor by Goodward Mirage in advise of the return of Jessica Lamb on pages the very next race.... a reminder of the inherent 10-11 and our special guest columnist, the dangers he has faced day in day out for 20+ Racing Posts betting editor Paul Kealy, who gives years. us four to follow at the Festival. Don’t forget our Clubs AGM at 7.30pm on February 18. I normally 24 hours later McCoy sent the Leopardstown sign off saying enjoy the crowds into delirium saying “you can’t fight racing, this month, like never fate and it was obviously meant to be the before we really should. way things happened,” as under a trademark driving finish he took Carlingford Lough to a JP Enjoy the racing McManus inspired double when landing the Steve Ennis Irish Hennessy Gold Cup for the first time, he’s now 10/1 for the Gold Cup. For a moment you 3 replays (sometimes with an online stopwatch on the go) and researching quotes, but I wouldn’t swap it for GUEST the world. As in everything you do, you get out what you put in, COLUMN and by the end of those two weeks I feel incredibly well prepared, not only for what will be a roller coaster CTCRC have extricated Paul Kealy from a four-day battle with the bookmakers but also for the darkened room to undertake this months few Cheltenham preview nights I’m lucky enough to guest column. Paul has been working be asked to take part in. around the clock to support the Racing Post’s preparations in compiling the 2015 I am not particularly confident when it comes to Cheltenham Festival Guide. talking in front a large room of people and if the subject was anything other than racing I’d be THIS magazine’s members hardly need reminding completely lost, but it’s amazing how the nerves that the focal point of the entire jumps season is the evaporate when you know exactly what you need Cheltenham Festival and it will come as no surprise to say. the story is the same at Racing Post HQ. In Galway last year I was doubly nervous as I was part Everything cranks up a gear straight after the of the panel for Barney Curley’s preview night run Christmas festivals at Kempton and Leopardstown, in aid of his charity, Dafa, and earlier in the year I’d and for me it starts with a weekly ante-post column criticised him in print for the methods used in pulling for the Weekender in the first week in January. off an almighty gamble. But February is when the pace really begins to When the great man was asked what he thought of quicken and I spend the first two weeks of this month my views I wanted to make myself as small as possible locked away at home preparing comments for all the (not easy at the best of times). And when he began his contenders for the Grade 1 races for our Cheltenham response by saying: “I think most journalists are very moderate human beings,” I really wanted the ground to swallow me up. However, he quickly moved on to declare he thought that, year in, year out, I was always the best prepared person on the panel. You can imagine the waves of relief pouring over me. We went on to have a great night full of banter. I’ll be back in Galway on March 2 and it will then be Barney Curley & Ruby Walsh – neither man suffers fools onto Dublin two days later, where the reception is sure gladly when being a panellist at the preview nights to be hot when I start pulling apart some of the claims of the Willie Mullins-trained horses, especially as Ruby Festival Betting Guide, which will be out later this Walsh, not a man to suffer fools, will also be on panel. month. Still, as a tipster who is supposed to concentrate on This is not exactly a glamour job as it revolves around value, how can you tip every Mullins-trained favourite sitting at my computer for hours on end studying going? Take Douvan, the opening Irish banker in the form on Racingpost.com, watching countless race Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. 4 He is a 2-1 shot having beaten a 136-rated three-miler for the Supreme. over two miles by just three and three-quarter lengths Forget worrying over whether Sprinter Sacre or Sire De last time out. Okay, he did it with ridiculous ease, but Grugy can bounce back and instead back Champagne last year’s winner Vautour went into the race following Fever for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. a ready victory over a 150-rated rival in the Grade 1 He comes alive at Cheltenham and has already come Deloitte at Leopardstown and he went off at 7-2 at within a head of winning three 2m championship Cheltenham. races there. If there’s one downside to working at the Post, it’s Vautour will be all the rage for the JLT Novices’ Chase, that come the big meeting itself I’ll be stuck in the but his form is nothing like as strong as that of Ptit Zig, office, putting the finishing touches to all the tipping who is by some way the best British novice chaser this pages, including Pricewise, instead of soaking up the season. If Paul Nicholls doesn’t get the monkey off his atmosphere at Prestbury Park. back sooner, Ptit Zig can become his first festival chase In 27 years at the Racing Post I have never managed to winner since Kauto Star in 2009. make it to more than one day a year and often don’t go Finally, No More Heroes is too big at 10-1 for the Albert at all. Still, there’s a buzz around the office that makes it Bartlett. He scoped badly after his recent defeat and is all worthwhile - not to mention two massive TVs on the a Gold Cup horse of the future. wall and another two on my desk. Still, the completion of day one of the guide made me realise just how wonderful it would be to be there on a most fascinating opening day. Will Mullins make it three in a row in the Supreme? Will he make it three in a row on the day? Left: Ptit Zig – will he be Paul Nicholls’ first Festival chase winner since After Douvan it will be Un De Kauto Star? Right: Un De Sceaux.....”he is bombproof” Sceaux in the Racing Post Arkle Good luck and I hope you enjoy a great festival. (and he is bombproof, by the way) followed quickly by Faugheen and the remarkable Hurricane Fly in the I’m ready. Are you? Stanjames.com Champion Hurdle. Paul Kealy Is Faugheen a machine? The jury is out for me until he The 192 page 2015 Cheltenham Festival comes up against something that can be remotely Guide is on sale from February 20, it can be considered as Champion Hurdle class. pre ordered for £12.99 on 01933 304858, As for bets, I’ll be taking on every short-priced favourite quote FBCH15, or via racingpost.com/shop other than Un De Sceaux and here’s one a day for you to consider.