Name 3 Festival performances that left you stunned..........................................

rooster booster (twice) 2003
sublimity 2007
granville again 1993

all champion hurdle and all because i won money on them

rooster won county hurdle as well

Dunguib: supreme novices

Moon over Miami : Grand Annual 2nd.  Small fortune looked probable for most of the race

Faasel :  Triumph hurdle.  How he did not win that race, I'll never know. Felt physically sick after that race

Still new festival this year

One and only for me, Dawn Run winning the Gold cup, I backed Wayward Lad.

Valiramix
Forgive n Forget
Ten Plus.

All for the same reason and ALL would have won.

sorry about aftertming
not enough room on thread for my losers

Look at this race on youtube, Wayward Lads jockey would have been banned under yesterday's amended whip rules although the horse was responding to the whip.

A simply sensational performance from MASTER MINDED in what had been one of the most keenly anticipated races of the festival, the five-year-old, the first of his age to succeed in the race's 49 runnings, trouncing last year's winner Voy Por Ustedes by the sort of margin not seen in this event since the days of Badsworth Boy, who won the first of his three successive 2m Champion Chases at the age of eight way back in 1983.

                                    Good Luck All

Montelado ( Both the Bumper and Supreme Novices ..what a hoss ).
Direct Route in the photo with Edredon Bleu
Hill Society in the photo with Champleve

Browne's Gazette in the 1985 Champion Hurdle was another stunner for me.  Had a decent bet on that - I'm still gutted today whenever I think about it.

I was convinced Alderbrook would win his ch hurdle but it's always pleasing
when they arrive swinging off the bridle.

I thought (forget which year) one ch hurdle was wide open and was stunned to see
Valiramix hosing up and further stunned when he fell

Monsignor.

Actually the most stunned I've been was deffo
Masterminded.

kauto star when he fell in imperial commanders gold cup ,remember the the gasps of shock from the crowd as the commentator announced and kauto has fallen ,surreal .

masterminded champion chase

dunguibs bumper is also sensational to watch. cantering turning is and then sprouts wings up the straight, ridiculous!

denmans GC... insane!

goldon cygnets supreme win .....unbelivable then ..........and still stunning now . how good would he have been ?
punjabis win in champion beating celestial and bino in a photo , was watching the race with my mate jerry the bock (he can get any horse beat ! fecking jinx )and he was asking me who i had backed, coming to the last had to bite my lip and say nothing  couldnt even cheer it on till after the winning line ........i was on at 33s and it set me up for a blinding festival .

I often watch Golden Cygnet's win on youtube FOYLESWAR and Im still staggered more than 30 years on.  He made a very good field look like selling platers in a matter of strides.

JP 5K EWAY 66/1 (WINNER),JP EVEN 250K ISIBRAQ(WINNER),JP 200K AT 9/4 ISTIBRAQ(WINNER)AS USUAL THE ONLY ONES THAT WERE STUNNED WERE THE BOOKMAKERS

NORTONS COIN - Gold Cup 1990.

Left the whole crowd stunned.

The whole day of Gold Cup 89. With the weather and the joy of Dessie winning, only to be marred by the news of Ten Plus

Ten Plus being put down.

Best Mate 1st Gold Cup I should have had 10 times more on him.

Jodami who I had fancied all season and then backed Docklands Express on the day.

I feel that I have at least 3 stories about every race at the festival.

Norton's Coin jumping like a stag
Pearlyman flying round the best race imo
Star Rage pulling me out of a very deep hole !

for finishers

what's up boys
anzum

for the reception

top cees

strangest surreal atmosphere ever waiting for Top Cees to come in - some of the crowd taunting Tommo and Gillespie trying to shut them up - very memorable

Harchibald

Carvill's Hill

(pocket) Royal Predica

Cheltenham 2000 is collectively the most memorable year for me , if anyone has 7 mins to spare watch this clip and enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36REhZLDxaY&feature=relmfu

Edredon Bleu/Direct Route in one of the best Cheltenham finishes ever

The great Istabraq

Cavallero winning the foxhunters from the clouds

Monsignor creating history by winning 2 consecutive festival races after winning the final race bumper the previous year.

Can anyone forget What's up boys winning the handicap hurdle ( 3:57 into the clip )

If that doesn't wet your appetite nothing will 

Hayden  -   Montelado ?

Golden Cygnet.....sensational 'oss. Great shame.

Spot on with your last sentence there HAYDEN.  I'm just trying to stir peoples memories of past Festivals in anticipation of this one.

i was watching the 1999 vid in same series

Great clips Hayden, but 2000 wouldn't be my choice

Orchadist , apologies if i've named the wrong horse & just going by memory , know Monsignor won the 5.40pm race in 1999 and a 2.00pm race in 2000 but think you're right it was Montelado that did it consecutively.


Good stuff   

all great memories Hayden

sea pigeon-willie wumpkins-jodami

The ones ive seen live in reverse order



3. DUNGUIB 2009 BUMPER

2. HARCHIBALD V HARDY 2005 CHAMPION HURDLE

1. BACK IN FRONT 2003 SUPREME .

Golden Cygnet,the winner of the first race on my first visit to Cheltenham.

Dessies Gold Cup,I think I cried.

One Mans Champion Chase,may have cried again.

Definitely cried when Rummy won has third National.

hors la loi in the supreme novices 99, totally slaughtered the field.

noland a few years back to get up in shadow of post in same race

denman gold cup win, absolute power house display of relentless galloping.

Norton's Coin - broke track record so far from a fluke
What's Up Boys - jumped the last in 13th place to get up to win !
Baron Blakeney - winning the triumph at 66/1 to give Martin Pipe his first big success

2nd/3rd taking some thinking about but tops, easily, was Master Minded having the CC won with a mile to go.

Simply breathtaking.

MM's first CC
Barton going so quick over the last lorcan nearly fell off !!
That oss hosing up in the 97 Cathcart, forget its name.......

NICE 1 SPARKY


Cheltenham Result
13 Mar 1997
« 5:05 » CATHCART CHALLENGE CUP CHASE (CLASS B)
(Class 2) (6yo+) 2m5f Good 17 fences
£32,850.00, £9,900.00, £4,800.00, £2,250.00
RESULTRATE RACE
Hide all comments in runningShow all pedigrees
              HORSE/SP    AGE    WGT    TRAINER/JOCKEY    OR    TS    RPR    RATED    

«    1          Sparky Gayle (IRE) 3/1F    7    11-3     C Parker    —    152    155        »
B Storey
   
Held up, steady headway 10th, led 3 out, soon clear, ridden out


«    2    4      Major Bell 5/1    9    11-3     Alistair Whillans    —    149    148        »
Tony Dobbin
   
Chased leader until 6th, went 2nd 9th, led and hit 4 out, headed 3 out, ran on one pace


«    3    2½      Or Royal (FR) 4/1    6    11-3 b    M C Pipe    —    147    146        »
A P McCoy
   
Held up, headway 8th, hard ridden approaching 2 out, one pace


«    4    13      Wild West Wind (IRE) 10/1    7    11-0     Henrietta Knight    —    135    129        »
Jason Titley
   
Prominent until weakened 13th


«    5    8      Destin D'Estruval (FR) 20/1    6    11-7     D Nicholson    —    136    128        »
D Bridgwater
   
Always behind


«    6    2½      Stately Home I (IRE) 11/1    6    11-3     Peter Bowen    —    130    125        »
Norman Williamson
   
Led, clear 3rd, hit 12th, headed and hit 4 out, eased when beaten approaching 2 out

with Paris / Sparky / Tracksuitdave - Masterminded's first QMCC stunning in its brutality.

loved One Man's QMCC too - fantastic scenes at the top of the hill with OM tanking along in front and all in behind rowing away and going for the stick.

Coral Cups of WhatsUpBoys and Big Strand (Aussie jock's arms going like a windmill up the hill) both ridiculous.

1 Unsinkable Boxer, I kept throwing 20s at this for the C.Hurdle i remember saying to the local Betting shop manager that the liabilities must be mountin, he replied that Mccoy had been in the sun saying he would win Gold Cup also.

He had a stack of slips mostly 20 doubles, so being a sucker shop punter[in those days] i waded in. Fantastic performance. my no 1.

2 Master Minded his disposal of his field in the Chapmion Chase had to be seen to be believed, a quite simply devastating performance.

3.Desert Orchid The 89 Gold Cup Dessie had led and some of the jumps were awesome, until he was headed on the run in by yahoo, with a nation screaming their lungs out, He responded on the run in, to get back up. I have not seen a reception foe a horse like it since.

All happy days.

GMOOH should easily have won Supreme Novices in 2010. Stood to win an ante post fortune. Stopped in his tracks 2 out, and then just failed to get up. Would have in previous years - but the bright people in charge of racing had decided to move the last hurdle closer to the winning post !!

GMOOH lost by a nose in The County Hurdle 2011 - another large payout went astray !!


GMOOH - to win the Coral Cup in 2012 ??? Money on

1. Sue from Chepstow, different gravy in the drinking department
2. Emma from London, just for the dancing to Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight
3. Karen from Windsor, a suprise entry

istabraq sa hurdle and any of 3 ch wins

saxon farm ,bregawn,see you then,all pocket talking.

Fot the ecstasy Dessie, for the agony, Gloria Victus, who probably gave the best performance by a novice ever seen at Kempton, the time he clocked on soft ground was staggering

As a few others have mentioned, it just has to be Master Minded, who beat the reigning Champion Chaser (Voy Por Ustedes)in devastating style as a 5yo...something I thought almost impossible!

Badsworth Boy's routing of horses by a similar distance was nowhere near as great a performance as he would have been conceding two stone to them in a handicap!

Second on my list is Imperial Commander, who arguably put up the greatest Gold Cup winning performance since Arkle, when bravely beating Denman.

And for sheer jaw-dropping silence, there's nothing to compare to Norton's Coin

For sheer drama Hardy v Harchibald was surely one of the greatest Festival races ever.

Surprised to see so many voting for Master Minded, who just ploughed through absolutely terrible going that every other major player in the field hated, imho...

Martha's Son's devastating accelleration from the back to floor
Strong Promise & Viking Flagship in the 96 Champion. was one!

For winning £££, Juniors win in last yrs Kim Muir Ch, Best Mates 1st Gold Cup & Royal Gates Champ Hdle, landed me 3 max anti P bets.
For being so impressive, Master Minded's 1st Champ Ch was just a treat 2 watch.
Dessie`s Gold Cup win for tears 2 the eyes moment.
The 3 & now 4 days of almost every year in March that is the Chelt Festival, cant wait, 4 great days 2 be alive, end of. X

1 DENMAN GOLD CUP 2008
2 DENMAN GOLD CUP 2008
3 DENMAN GOLD CUP 2008

Thanks to everyone for contributing with their memories.  I wasn't concerned with which horse put up the best performance it was more about what grabbed you about a particular performance on the day (good or bad).  I've really enjoyed reading about all of your ups and downs at past Festivals and like you I am keenly anticipating the next one.  My first Festival as a serious punter was 1978 and that's why Golden Cygnet tops my three.  I wish every 4-5 chance could win like he did.  Thank you all.

1. The 1992 Gold Cup which Cool Ground won. There was stunned silence in my house after the exploits of Golden Freeze, Carvill's Hill (my bet) and The Fellow's jockey chucking it away.
2. Dunguib.  He had the best form figures by a mile but was an amazing 7/1 in the morning and I backed assuming I had missed something.  Stunned when it sprinted clear so easily up the straight.
3. Hors La Loi III stunning 17 lengths win in the 1999 Supreme.  He had won impressively at Cheltenham in January and Pipe had tried some misdirection with the Triumph but didn't fool me and I was on at 8/1.

1. Bregawn
2. Istabrag
3. Dawn Run

ROOSTER BOOSTER in the Champion Hurdle pulling Dickies arms out going round the final bend and TANKING along .

Was on it at 8/1 and knew then it was gonna piss in.

Kauto Star winning the Gold Cup in 2009; I know Denman wasn't very softly handled that day. I love Kauto Star so being there in person to see him make history was a privelege.

Wichita Lineman (RIP) in the William Hill Trophy, a truely ridiculous effort. Haven't seen many horses jumped any worse than him at the festival and still win. Was as gamer performance as you could wish to see. How about them for in running notes!

"In touch when blundered 9th, hit 10th and reminders, hit 15th, some headway when hit 3 out, still plenty to do but rallying from next, strong run under pressure run-in to lead last strides"

Master Minded's 1st champion Chase. Breathe taking

Derring Rose.Stayers
Rathgorman.Champion chase
Lacson.RSA

1991 Kings Curate, off the bridle all the way around, how Mark Perrett got that 1 up i will never know, best ride i've witnessed.

Not sure if these have been mentioned already but my first visit to the festival was on the day Big Strand won from the clouds !!
Also  Unsinkable Boxer :) and Whats up boys also from a different county to win on the line !!

Desert Orchid winning the Gold Cup, thought he had no chance on that going over that trip, good job you couldn't lay them then, but cheered him home like a lunatic.
Told everyone in the queue for the bogs before the Supreme Novice that Straw Bear would win the race and what did they fancy, met with total silence, felt like a right prat, then when i was standing at the urinal a rather posh gent whispered in my ear "Noland will win". Shouted my head off as Straw Bear went clear on the run in only to be collared on the line by Noland! Finally Butlers Cabin a horse i'd 1st saw run at Worcester in the Sept and had followed since won the NH chase at 40/1!

I have tried for years without success but I'll ask again. Can anyone direct me to footage of Unsinkable Boxer winning at Cheltenham?

I'd be eternally grateful.

RATM.

Oh, pocket talking picks

1. Rooster Booster - good
2. War Of Attrition - good
3. Harchibald - bad

Mysilv running 2nd to Cyborgo in the stayers 2 days after running in the Champion.

The Thinker winning the delayed Gold Cup in the snow.

The unthoughtof Beech Road winning the Champion Hdl

Too young to remember a lot of the races.  In my eyes there is only one in recent times and thats Wichita Lineman.  I often go on sporting life and watch the replay of that race.  Amazing horse and amazing ride AP gave it.

Andy I was on Maljimar that day, and I just had to shake my head and laugh.

Viking I think I would have cried.  Ofcourse that wouldn't have happened today.  AP would probably have been banned for that

the night nurse ,monksfield, sea pigeon ,champion hurdle battles, all great warriors!

Ha... Andy it was laugh or throw myself off the stand, so I thought seeing the funny side was slightly safer tbh.

Yeah, he would probably being in prison for animal cruelty!

In my few years off horse racing that would certainly go down as the greatest ride I've seen at the festival, was just stupid really. Think he he nearly went through the rail after one flight.

too many to mention but for 3 i'd say
viking flagship...alderbrook and rooster booster...but i've got a soft spot for morley street so i'll sneak him in also

The one and only King Harald..Mattie Batchelor on top..that video on you tube sends shivvers down my spine every time - was not on, but that is what the festival is all about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7oJNMgkJlU

pillar to post and that last fence...never will i see a braver performance...am going to watch it again..

Rage Against The Machine
I have tried for years without success but I'll ask again. Can anyone direct me to footage of Unsinkable Boxer winning at Cheltenham?

I have videos going all the way back to 1987.  I'll take a look at what I've got and when I next go my mums review on her video DVD recorder.  The problem is it will have been one of the non televised races late on so it depends if BBC or CH4 showed a recording of the finish the following day and I've captured it.

Too many great moments to remember and share, but these were stunning occasions

1. Bula (1972) my boyhood favourite horse completes a scintillating Champion Hurdle defence, taking the opposition apart, and winning the race several furlongs out.

2. Destriero (1991) wins the Supreme Novices Hurdle for the great N. Furlong, landing quite possibly the best gamble of any Cheltenham Festival, and creating pandemonium in the hour or so leading up to the Champion Hurdle with Furlong's other horse The Illiad trimmed from 25/1 or so to 11/2 for fear it would land the double.

3. Istabraq's 3rd Champion Hurdle win in 2000 (4th succssive win at the Festival) and inadvertently finding myself pushed by the crowd into the areas of the winners enclosure normally reserved for the connections and well-heeled. Charlie and JP signing my racecard afterwards.

Many many others. Dessie in 1989 unforgettable.

RATM - I've definitely got a few races of Unsinkable Boxer's on VHS but I don't even know how to transfer them to DVD, never mind upload them!

I've got a DVD recorder/video combination, but I can't make out how to transfer.

PS - maybe Storm Alert can remember...that Festival, McCoy had a good few winners and there was a montage on CH4 Racing with The Lightning Seeds' Life Of Riley being the soundtrack...it was brilliant, and every time I hear that song, I think of The Festival

I can't believe it was 14 years ago.

Storm Alert & Hugh Mongous,

Firstly, thanks for the replies - much appreciated.

Really, there's no need to go to any trouble with transferring videos to DVD. Even if ye did manage to do so I'm only an occasional visitor here and probably wouldn't see the link being posted!

I was hoping that the race might be hidden in some YouTube collage but, if so, I've certainly not found it.

The only consolation is that I can still picture the race fairly clearly. I was in college at the time and watched it in a Powers bookmakers...awestruck.

Pipe's comments afterwards are as famous as the race itself

RATM - was that the one he regarded as the biggest certainty he'd ever trained?

If I manage to get there one day, I'll give you a PM.

My memory of the aftermath is not quite that of the race itself but it went something like this:

Interviewer: "Martin, I could tell at the top of the hill he was going to win".
M C Pipe: "I could tell last October"!

RATM, look on you tube at RUKs "Cheltenham Memories" im sure there is one from 98 or 99 when he won

I have done zilzal, and he's not in the 1998 one unfortunately.
Great videos though.

favourite memory was on my first ever visit in the very first race, £100 at 20/1 on harry hastings who gallopped them into the ground..ararun couldnt get in a blow but would kesslin have caught him but for his final flight mishap? who cares

Before I hit the hay, a couple of points about Unsinkable Boxer.

He ran in Red Marauder's National, after which he returned to his original trainer in Ireland. In 2005, after three years off the track, he ran in a 2m 3f hurdle at Naas.........as a 16yo

I was sure ive seen his race on ruk tv

SCOM - that was my ONLY visit to The Festival!

See You Then's first Champion in 1985.

Rose Ravine/Crimson Embers on the same card

And what's this about PM's? Do they have them on Betfair now?
I best say goodbye to the "classic" format I suppose and switch to Beta.

RATM - I've sent you a message so you know what to look for...there'll be a number one in brackets (1) on your profile page.

Gotcha, many thanks

I returned on a cold and windy Wednesday morning from a mauling on the Tuesday of the 2008 Festival (Binocular, Osana and a lumpy bet on Ashkazar, all finished second) skint, hungover and deflated.
I had an ante post wager on Trafford Lad for the Friday and a few quid in a PP account with the addition of a couple of notes in my wallet.
I left for work on the Friday fancying an outsider in the county hurdle, unfortunately it was only 16/1 with the Irish bookmaker, the cash was spread elsewhere. Trafford lad finished a gallant third behind Fiveforthree and Venalmar, although a little outclassed.
I was working in a bookmakers at the time and was constantly asking a customer to keep me updated as to the price of Silver Jaro in the county, he informed me that it was 100/1 + on the exchanges (I had an option to place a wager with him). I also had my eye on a horse at Fakenham, Katies Tuitor had just gone to Charlie Mann's and was taking support, I switched my attention away from the rigours of Cheltenham (none of my other selections had obliged) and backed the Mann horse, it finished a nk second to a Fanshawe horse. Silver Jaro then proceeded to stun the get out stakes players by kicking clear and holding off the ill timed challenge of Psycho, obliging at 50/1 with the book and over 120/1 on here! I hadn't a penny on it....
The irony was that It had won me the house tipping competition, a prize of £100.... that never saw the light of day, Saturday morning was a certainly a reproduction of Wednesday mornings condition!

Desert Orchid's Gold Cup: the weather; the possible last-minute abandonment; non-racing people listening to portable radios (the smartphones of their day except you could only listen to the wireless and not surf the web or make phone calls).

Azertyuiop's Arkle: the most exuberant lepper since Dessie, and for all the media hype about the stiff Cheltenham fences, the championship chases have been won by some of the hairiest jumpers in training.

Alderbrook's Champion Hurdle: eat your heart out, Istabraq. On reflection, purists might wonder how sporting it was to run a proven Group horse off the Flat but on the day: what a sight!