Sizing John A Golden First For Harrington

There was much pre-race publicity about Lizzie Kelly becoming only the second female to ride in the G1 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup but today's headlines will all hail another leading lady of the turf, Jessica Harrington, whose first runner in the race, Sizing John (GB) (Midnight Legend {GB}), posted a faultless display of jumping to snare the coveted cup for Ireland.

After Kelly's dreams were dashed at the second fence when the edgy Tea For Two (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}) blundered at the rear of the pack, those still standing were taken along by Colin Tizzard's proven stayer Native River (Ire) (Indian River {Fr}), who vied for the lead for much of the race with the free-running Champagne West (Ire) (Westerner {GB}). As the latter dropped away and Djakadam (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) challenged Native River at the head of affairs, Sizing John, who had been kept buried away on the rail by jockey Robbie Power, crept up to stalk the leading duo with the tempo quickening down the hill from three out. A mighty leap from the eventual winner at the second-last effectively sealed his fate, and the 7-year-old quickly went three lengths up on his pursuers, staying on strongly to give owners Alan and Ann Potts a longed-for success in steeplechasing's blue riband.

The Jonjo O'Neill-trained Minella Rocco came from off the pace to deliver a withering late run, snatching second on the line from the tiring Native River, while Djakadam was less than a length back in fourth.

“This is quite unbelievable,” exclaimed former three-day eventer Harrington, the most successful female trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, whose previous stable stars include Champion Hurdle winner Jezki (Ire) (Milan {GB}) and Champion Chaser Moscow Flyer (Ire) (Moscow Society).

“I've never had a runner in the race and I don't know when I'll come down to earth. This is the jewel in the crown––the race I've listened to and watched all my life,” she continued.

“Sizing John has gone from two miles at Christmas to winning over three miles and two furlongs here. He jumped like a buck and it is his jumping that has got him there the whole way. He was amazing. It's thanks to Robert really––he's the one who said at Christmas, 'he will stay'.”

Power, who has only recently fought his way back from a serious injury to his eye socket, joined an elite band of jockeys to have won both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He said, “This is even more special as I was only 25 when I won the National and I'm 35 now. When you're 25 you think you're going to win everything but I don't quite think like that these days.”

Power added, “The one thing about Sizing John is you can rely on his jumping. Every jockey dreams of winning the Gold Cup but at this stage of your life you don't think it's going to happen. But I had a lot of confidence in this horse. Since the first day I rode him behind Douvan, I felt that all he did was stay.

“I went to plenty of Cheltenham preview nights and people were saying it was a bad Gold Cup––I was kind off insulted because every good Gold Cup winner has Grade 1 form over two miles. He had it over two miles behind Douvan and he has that bit of speed.”

Douvan (Fr) (Walk In The Park {Ire}), who has been found to have a stress fracture to his pelvis following a below-par run in Wednesday's G1 Queen Mother Champion Chase, has indeed been something of a nemesis for Sizing John, who has finished placed behind him on seven occasions, including being runner-up in last year's G1 Racing Post Arkle Trophy at the Festival when trained by Henry de Bromhead.

The Gold Cup was the second Cheltenham winner this week for the Harrington-Power-Potts team after the regally-bred Supasundae (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) won Wednesday's G3 Coral Cup. But it wasn't the end of the run of success for trainer and jockey, who also won the final race of the Festival, the G3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup, with Rock The World (Ire) (Orpen).

While Djakadam couldn't quite secure a dream ending to the week for Willie Mullins in the showcase race, the trainer did continue his momentum with a final-day double courtesy of Arctic Fire (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) in the G3 Randox Health County Hurdle and Penhill (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) in the G1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle. This time around it wasn't Ruby Walsh in the saddle, with Mullins's superb second jockey Paul Townend enjoying deserved success in consecutive races.

Despite his late charge, Mullins couldn't hold off Gordon Elliott in the race to be leading trainer at the Festival. Elliott fired in Champagne Classic (Ire) (Stowaway {GB}) to win the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle––the race named after his mentor and the former champion jumps trainer. In so doing, he claimed his sixth winner of the week to tie with Mullins but he won the title on countback to placed runners. Champagne Classic was described rather gracelessly by Michael O'Leary as “the worst horse I own”, but he will have a special place in the heart of young jockey JJ Slevin, a cousin of Joseph O'Brien, who secured his first Festival winner.

Champions Combine In Triumph Hurdle Victory

By Emmanuel Roussel

G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle winner Defi Du Seuil (Fr) (Voix Du Nord {Fr}) may have been ridden to victory by champion jockey Richard Johnson, but the 4-year-old was also co-bred by a champion jockey, the French Flat champion Pierre-Charles Boudot, in partnership with his mother Catherine and sister Marie-Gabrielle.

“I was a passenger all the way,” declared Johnson, who sealed the sole win of the week for west country trainer Philip Hobbs in the colours of JP McManus.

Hobbs was brought to tears by the victory and added, “It's a relief! He's been favourite all year and it's great when it goes right. He's such a fantastic horse. He has always jumped well––there have been one or two little hiccups, but overall his jumping is mustard.”

Three French-bred horses filled the podium for Britain's top juvenile hurdle contest, with AQPS Defi Du Seuil winning by five lengths from the Niarchos Family's Mega Fortune (Fr) (Soldier of Fortune {Ire}) and Maurice Rohaut-Leger's Bapaume (Fr) (Turtle Bowl {Ire}).

The winner was bred in Burgundy by Catherine Boudot, whose late husband, the Lyon-based trainer Marc Boudot, died in 2008. Their son, France's reigning champion jockey Pierre-Charles, couldn't make it to Cheltenham as he was too busy riding a winner at Fontainebleau only seconds before Defi Du Seuil struck at Cheltenham.

Catherine Boudot was a first-time Festival visitor and was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. “It is great to be here today. I wasn't too worried about the result because we have had such a good day anyway but Defi made it look easy,” she said.

“His family traces back to my late husband's parents' bloodlines. Le Seuil is the place where we breed our horses, like Catamaran du Seuil (Fr), who is also running today and is an uncle to Defi.”

Boudot added, “We sold Defi to the Papot family just after he was weaned and they raced him before he was exported to Britain. Taquin du Seuil (Fr), who was second in the Coral Cup on Wednesday, was bred by Marc. He was a great fan of his sire Voix du Nord. We kept on sending mares to him after Marc's passing, and that's how Defi came along.”

* If you happen to be in Burgundy or the West of France at the end of August, make sure you spare some time to attend the AQPS conformation shows at Decize (Aug. 25) and Le Lion d'Angers (Aug. 31). You will have a chance to view the best-looking AQPS mares and 2-year-olds in wonderful surroundings and meet enthusiastic people dedicated to National Hunt racing. For more details, please visit info@aqps.fr.