Cheltenham Festival
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Let's look back at some of the kicks in the balls we've had and hope it can't get any worse than these memories!
Mine has to be the first ante-post bet I ever had, it was on Boston Bob in the RSA (from about 10s downwards), had been topping up the bet for months before the off. Was all looking good as Townend got to the front before the last but then fell at the last, I was gutted!!! Thinking back the horse should probably have been asked to mount his challenge later than he was as he loved to attack horses. The race was won by future gold cup winner Lord Windemere having said all that, still didn't take my disappointment away at the time.
How about everyone elses?
Mine has to be the first ante-post bet I ever had, it was on Boston Bob in the RSA (from about 10s downwards), had been topping up the bet for months before the off. Was all looking good as Townend got to the front before the last but then fell at the last, I was gutted!!! Thinking back the horse should probably have been asked to mount his challenge later than he was as he loved to attack horses. The race was won by future gold cup winner Lord Windemere having said all that, still didn't take my disappointment away at the time.
How about everyone elses?
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Foot n mouth
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Annie Power tipping up at the last , cost me £40 million , took some getting over .
With no money involved , Pendil , Wayward Lad , One Man(twice) , Bula and Lanzarote killed in 77. I was a huge fan of Comanche Court and backed him almost every week over winter e/w for the Gold Cup. Had a good win , but when he misjudged the second last handing the race to Best Mate was a bitter blow. |
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2006 - pretty much all of it
It was absolutely baltic, Denman got beaten by Nicanor, Kauto Star fell in the Champion Chase and Moscow Flyer was past his best, Inglis Drever missed the festival and results generally stunk (well for me anyway) and my get out of jail bet on Golden Cross really should have won I felt. |
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Ah yes sixwosix Annie Power was the last of my multi that day as well, was there too, haven't been back since and not going this year either haha
Nothing worse than having a bad year, some times at least a bad day is sorted out later in the week, but a bad year and you're left waiting 12 months until you feel justice can be done |
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Sizing Europe cantering away coming down the hill in the Champion Hurdle then going wrong at the 2nd last.
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Ending up in huntingdon the year all the tents got blown down
Three pound a can of tescos lager and they ran out |
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Peddlers cross losing his unbeaten record to The Fly, im a massive fan of McCain and this was MY horse. It was the first festival i went to and had been chipping away at him since he won the Neptune.
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Ten Plus falling fatally three out in the Gold Cup.
While most found it the best race they'd ever seen, I found it the worst. |
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I had backed Whisper for the RSA at 80s off the top of my head on here which was pretty tough to take
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Had a few, but one recently springs to mind......Cue Card falling in the Gold cup won by Don Cossack.
Always hate the not knowing what would have happened, and standing to win a nice wad of cash as well!!  |
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Jakeybeany, you are a massive fan of McCain? Any particular reason, he's completely useless and has been on the way out for the last couple of years.
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Punting wise - when Briar Hill came down in the Albert Bartlett - had a monster double on Faugheen in the Neptune and him in the AB at around 225/1 - laid a bit off but felt sick. Champagne Fever getting chinned by Western Warhourse seriously hurt my pocket too, as did Annie falling - bloody Mullins
 Worst non punting moment was when Kauto fell in Imperial Commander's Gold Cup in 2010. Tipping with rain, freezing cold, wet feet, and a gang of muppets around me cheered when he came down that took all my energy not to lamp one of them - all in all a bad day all round. |
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maam8mandingo with me being a northerner he was a trainer ive always followed and he was sending out winners left right and center not so long ago. also its probably helped that hes given me some decent winners at the both the spring festivals over the years. He has had a couple of quiet years but has found his feet again and is on the up. Waterlord would interest me this weekend in the Betfair Hurdle and Testify looks a very good novice chaser
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a couple of mine already mentioned - Nicanor beating Denman from a punting perspective and the year the winds led to racing being cancelled on the Wednesday (was going that day) resulting in a packed programme on the Thursday and the Friday (could n't go).
The other one would be Rhinestone Cowboy (sung the Neil Diamond song on the bus from the train station to the racecourse) - I was n't singing on the way back, too busy trying to work out how the sweet travelling soon to be superstar had been absolutely pulverised by the glorified handicapper (in my eyes) Rooster Booster. Learnt a lot about the value of substance over style that day. |
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Pendil being chinned by The Dikler in 1973 Gold Cup.
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@jakeybeany89 a few nice winners go a long way for creating a soft spot for trainers! He seems to have picked up abit recently! He was stuck in the doldrums for a while! I agree with testify, I think he will be put away for Aintree now, McCain has a habit of popping up at his local festival!
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Two stand out for me.
The first is similar to Wellchief's. In 2014 I'd backed Mullins' novice hurdlers ante post, all at double-figure prices. The main bet was Vautour for the Supreme, but I also had various doubles and trebles combining him with Faugheen and Briars Hill. I was convinced that Faugheen was going for the the AB and Briars Hill for the Neptune, so stakes were geared that way, but I did have 'saver' bets on them running the other way around (as happened). I was a good few grand up by the time of the AB, but I had a small stakes treble involving Vautour (Supreme), Faugheen (Neptune) and running on to Briars Hill in the AB which would've netted £20K+. Needless to say, I spent most of Thursday shovelling funds into my BF account in efforts to hedge BH at about 2/1 for about £1500 profit on the bet. However, the one that REALLY sticks in my craw is lumping on Valiramix ante-post for the 2002 Champion Hurdle after he'd dotted-up in the Bula. He was going to absolutely HOSE UP in the big one when AP got too close to the horse in front and he tripped up ("slipped up" is the RP's generous interpretation). RIP Valiramix. |
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foot and mouth obviously and any getting killed but one that springs to mind and i had not had a bet in the race was long run coming to spoil the denman kauto finish many had wanted to see for a few strides we looked like it would be a fantastic duel.
well chief i had the two of them with vautor all around 8s. |
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Foot & Mouth as had a few nice vouchers on Best Mate at double figures for The Arkle. Also had double figure vouchers on Kauto for the Champion Chase the year he fell.... (but thankfully kept the faith and immediately got some big prices for him to win the Gold Cup the following year). Funnily enough the windy day when it was called off actually turned in to a great day.... the crack in town as everyone made the most of it was brilliant fun... and then the resulting cards for the next few days were fantastic.
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It has to be said that although everyone has a hard-luck story or disappointing memory (financial or otherwise), the beauty & success of the Cheltenham Festival lies in its ability to generate more positive memories than negative. Financial gain isn't the be all & end all, there is great pleasure to be derived from the pure sporting thrill that the festival has to offer.
I've had a few too many Jamesons tonight, so forgive me, but two races stand out for me: The first is Burrough Hill Lad's Gold Cup in '84 (An absolute class horse - he, Provideo & El Gran Senor are the principal reasons why I got involved in racing. Don't even get me started on the '84 King George - the best 3-runner race of all time. When was the last time you saw a horse wearing an oxygen mask? Combs Ditch we love you - RIP). The other is the '94 Queen Mum when the ultra-likeable Deep Sensation (3rd, aka Tommy Hearns) somehow managed to finish behind Travado (2nd, aka Sugar Ray Leonard) and the hardest-horse-that-ever-set-foot-on-a-racecourse Viking Flagship (winner, aka Marvelous Marvin Hagler). |
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2008 - Watching Binocular come 2nd in the Supreme in only his 3rd start after having punted him AP for the Triumph following his debut at fancy prices. Binocular then slammed the Triumph Hurdle winner Celestial Halo by 7l at the Aintree Festival (and became Champion Hurdler subsequently)
AND: Nick Dundee hacking along in the 1999 RSA when fell 3 out (Future GC winner Looks Like Trouble being the beneficiary). You could hear a big gasp and a pin drop followed by the bookies giving it large. Those were the days. My uncle was a flat racing fan and took to sulking under the stairs in the main stand for the remainder of the day; constantly reminding himself why he didn't 'touch the jumps.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVvVVkDGCw |
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Also when the whole place fell silent in shear disbelief when Annie fell at the last, think everybody on track had backed it in the mullins multiples. the group i go with was stunned as we were all on it and remember some bloke moonwalking past us waving his slip in the air because he had a fiver on Glens Melody.
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mystic wind
i think your jamesons made you get hagler and duran mixed up. |
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Yeah Bigfield, Boston Bob most recent. Festival been lucky for me really with plenty of well fancied winning. Mainly avoid big fields
Seem to remember being disappointed when Desert Orchid went backwards and tailed off in the Champion Hurdle Wasn't it Browns Gazette who ran round in a circle at the start, 20 lengths down and only narrowly beaten? |
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see you thens first champion hurdle that was not sure brownes got that close ridden of course by db
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Champagne Fever getting chinned by Western Warhorse without doubt. I was also on course for Annie Power falling at the last but that wasn’t disappointing as such, it was more just sheer disbelief
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Psycho - County Hurdle
I wanted to strangle Carberry. Worse still he was beaten by a 50/1 shot.  |
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^^^ Silver Jaro, my first ever festival winner
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Well i'm glad somebody had back it. Congrats!!!
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Bet Silver Jaro myself. Don't think it won a race after it :-0.
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was three figures on here
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Latalomne - Queen Mother 2002 & 2003.
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Cima getting beaten by Dawn Run in the CH and Nina falling off Karanja (who was favourite for the bumper) at the start!
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Native Dara 2000 Coral Cup Got beat a neck by Whats Up Boys who jumped the last in about 14th place at least a dozen lenghts behind Native who was 4 clear halfway up the run in
That was bad enough but still struggle to talk about Merchants Friend in the 2004 Kim Muir |
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Direct Route getting caught by Edredon Bleu.
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Foot and Mouth is the worst memory! Don't EVER EVER want that to happen again, we'll all be queuing at the Firing Squad practice session if that happens :-) Horsewise, Rhinestone Cowboy getting robbed by that cheating bar.steward Jamie Spencer in the Bumper! I STILL haven't got over it :-D
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worst
Fidway unseating rider at the 2nd last when cruising in the 1990 Champion Hurdle Sybillin losing the Arkle when odds on. Passed my driving test that day though. Ryde Again letting me down for a yankee on the first day in 1989 i think. best Forpaddydeplasterer winning the Arkle War of Attrition's gold cup win Klairon Davies Queen Mum win when he appeared out of the blue because the cameraman was con centrating on the first 2. Oiseau De Nuit at 40s in the Grand Annual |
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Two worst moments were Brown Gazzete facing the wrong way in the Champion Hurdle when the tape went up and No More Heroes suffering a fatal injury after taking it up 2 out - the latter would have been an able and ideal successor to Don Cossack and probably a cash cow for me.
Best moments were the amazing run of the Dickinson Five and the triumphs of Desert Orchid and Burrough Hill Lad. |
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getting so pissed on tuesday night i never made the wednesday .. pathetic
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