The Cheltenham Festival, as it happened, starting from the bottom, or the top, it comes to the same thing. It is over now. Our heroes have gone home and some will re-appear at Aintree, which is also very exciting. But , to me anyway, the Grand National is but a handicap. The Champion races at level weights really are the most exciting ones for me.. These armchair reflections will stay up on the site until Aintree, for the lovley pictures if nothing else. We’ll try to do an Aintree pre-view nearer the time.

Cheltenham is over for another year. It was wonderful, it really was. Even for those who stayed at home and watched on televison it spun it’s magic. There really is something so magnificent about these very top horses running and jumping, staying on, quickening up, finding a bit more when it seems impossible. Kauto Star won may hearts today. Mine too. And I’ve been a Denman woman ever since I first saw Denman.Now I’m still a Denman woman but I have been converted to love Kauto Star too. He’s so elegant and fluid in his movements, he’s so classy. But what a race Denman ran when so recently under the weather with a fibrillating heart. What a horse, What a true ‘chasing type, what a relentless galloper and superb jumper. On a day when he was maybe short of his very best.

What horses! And as for Ruby Walsh... there is nothing to add, his performances say it all, 7 wins at Cheltenham. At the same meeting, not in a lifetime!

photos: Reuters, Racing post, Getty images etc. Sadly not our own photographer

Kauto Star looks mighty pleased with himself here, as well he might. He looked a true champion today, from the moment he stepped into the pre-saddling ring.
Denman looked impressive too and never put a foot wrong. if this was a Denman who has been sick for a long time and was not quite right, well, we cannot wait for an action replay next year.

To the right, Ruby Walsh survives a rather clumsy effort at jumping by the very impressive winner American Trilogy. This one was one of Ruby’s less expected triumphs at 20-1. A superb jockey, riding at the very top of his powers and confidence.

Ruby Walsh, what a Festival record, another one one American Trilogy, very impressive.

Today, Gold Cup Day, Will it be Kauto Star or Denman? Will Paul Nicholls saddle first three home?

chapoturgeon wins the novices handicap chase well

  It’s here at last! Cheltenham week! One of the best weeks in Britain. You may not know it, but if you go to live in France for a bit you have an entire Horse-Channel at your disposal. It is just that the Trotteurs are all bay, rather dull and presented as Le vingtsept or Le huit, now in the lead.. This is not exciting. Only the Almighty knows who is le driveur of , or tending to the needs of, ‘le vingtsept’, who doesn’t even seem to have a name, let alone any charming habits or preferences, such as having a sheep for a companion or eating his stable-lad for breakfast.
  In Spain it is even worse: The Spanish are not really into racing. The racing is indeed broadcast on a mainstream channel, BUT there is NO commentary.
 Well, brilliant if you are so familiar with the runners that you recognise them anyway.

 In fairness, they do the same with minor bull-fights and carnivals and other religous parades. Pictures only... Well, here we just don’t know how lucky we are.Wonderful commentries, interviews, visits to the Stars in their very boxes, interviews with their doting attendants. The trainers at their work, on their gallops wether they be up on the freezing Yourkshire Moors or in temperate South Wales. It is such a pleasure to see the build-up and to see where the horses set out from and to hear about their personalities, their likes and disllikes. Not to mention all the problems the various trainers have had to overcome just to get there. Oh, this is a few days to look forward to!

And what a start to the Festival! Brilliant Champion Hurdle! Fantastically close finish. Wonderful training performance by Nicky Henderson, who is pictured below. Absolutly amazing.

Apologies for yesterdays misfitting photo, an unfortunate error due to lack of skill.And Gamebird is on strike during Cheltenham.She says this is because Countrytalk has not sent her to Argentina to interview polo-players but more likely it is because she is watching Cheltenham and wishing to interview Chocolate Thornton and study his fashionable suits....

Nina winning the cross-country race on Garde Champetre.

But oh, the ups and downs of racing, already today, the 11th and poor Nina has just had a mother and father of a fall on the opening 4-mile Amateur Rider’s Chase. This sport can be so brutal.

Now we have just seen Master Minded
 prove his brilliance. The 2-mile Champion Chase is maybe the most exciting of all the races at Cheltenham, there is no time for errors, no forgiving breathers. It is fast and furious and rewards the best jumpers. This year the start proved a tough test:

On the left we can see Marodima , who was so keyed up he caused two fasle starts. One could only feel for his capable jockey,N Sholfield, who managed to pull up the over-excited and headstrong horse not just once, but twice. This is no easy task. Anyone who has ever sat on a racehorse has a lot of sympathy for Sholfield’s difficulties in front of about 50.000 spectators. Not to mention his no doubt minor worry, would the very excited and foward going horse even see the first fence? Well, credit to them both, they got round. And a fully fit and over-excited race-horse is not easily managed. A film of this could be used for lectures on how to stop a run-away: Turn circles, gradually smaller, face the horse at large objects and confusing distractions, don’t let it get running on a straight line. Copy book stuff although a master-class Sholfield probably would prefer to forget.
 Master Minded won the race, as an odds on favourite should. Maybe, not as brilliantly as last years performance, but still a very classy affair and a wonderful, wonderful horse at his peak
 A mention of the second, however, is necessary, as this was one of the training perfformances of all time: Well Chief, a german bred horse, who had not run for two years came out, looking fantastic and ran on well, to finish a very good second. Swimming did it, apparently, his attendant thinks he would win Olympic Gold in Swimming.

Paul Nicholls looks pensive after Chapoturgeon’s brilliant win in the novices Handicap ‘Chase today. This looked one of the easiest winners so far and looks a horse to follow. Lovely horse, a nice dark grey bred in France. His name is a bit hard to remember but we’ll learn..

Apart from that it was a bit sad to se Voy Por Ustedes beaten after seemingly not enjoying his tight midfield position.. he usually jumps so well but made a couple of mistakes late on, only to get back in the race up the run in. And the highly rated Kasbah Bliss who was very confidently ridden from the very rear of a large field never got into a threatening position.
Oh, the ups and downs of racing.

The Editor was seriously thinking of firing Stargazer from the Staff at countrytalk, the woman has been totally hopeless at predicting winners. But, in all fairness, with Gamebird on strike it was Stargazer who did the layout of the front-page yesterday,the 12th, which proved rather inspired, the first two home in the Gold Cup and lovely pictures, Good for you Stargazer! We hope you had a small bet on American Trilogy.
Stargazer did even better after the Goldcup, she was allowed to continue with the responsible task of laying out the front page and lo and behold, it was so good it was virtually copied by the Daily Telegraph Sport-section the next day. I hope they don’t go haeadhunting for Stargazer, it is known that she is very hard up and she could probably be tempted easily.