Tiara Takes Champion Chase Crown

As Noel Fehily was led back into the winner's enclosure on his second feature-race winner in 24 hours, the Irishman waved the flag of his homeland aloft while the stars and stripes on the silks of Special Tiara (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}) bore testament to the heritage of his owner Sally Rowley-Williams. The American has stood in the parade ring for the G1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase on six occasions. Her former representative River City (Ire) (Norwich {GB}) was third in 2007, a placing that was matched by Special Tiara in both 2015 and 2016.

“Can't be opposed,” read the racecard form notes under the name of Douvan (Fr) (Walk In The Park {Ire}), but Special Tiara hadn't read the script. Snatching the lead from the long odds-on favourite at the second fence, he assumed his customary position at the head of affairs, bowling along boldly under the drying sun which played its part in helping him to rain on Douvan's parade.

“He's looked amazing for the last few weeks and Noel said he felt amazing going to the start. He was just skipping off this ground, which really suits him,” said winning trainer, Henry de Bromhead.

Now 10 and the eldest of the 10-runner field, Special Tiara maintained the relentless pressure on his rivals bidding to close the ever-widening gap with the usually faultless Douvan rarely looking comfortable. A couple of awkward leaps saw him start to drop back from the head of the chasing pack and it was fellow 7-year-old Fox Norton (Fr) (Lando {Ger}) who was sent on under Aidan Coleman to reel in the leader. Special Tiara would not be denied this day in the sun, however, and despite coming under strong pressure from the last fence up that famously wearying hill for home, he stuck gamely to his task, holding off his upstart challenger by just a head at the line.

De Bromhead, who was celebrating his second victory in the Champion Chase, said, “Special Tiara seemed in great form but this is hard to believe with Douvan and everything else. For our lad, it's amazing. I thought that he jumped the slickest that he has ever jumped.”

He continued, “It's a horse race and anything can happen but this is very hard to believe at the moment. No horse deserves it any more than this lad, and no-one deserves this more than Sally, who loves her horses.”

As far as Rowley-Williams was concerned, the praise was all for her star chaser and the man who partnered him to his third top-flight success just a day after winning the Champion Hurdle on Buveur d'Air (Fr) (Crillon {Fr}).

“I'm so proud of this horse, he's come close a few times and he totally deserves to win this race,” said the beaming owner. “It's the first time since he won his Grade 1 at Aintree as a novice that he's properly had his ground. Noel really knows him and he's a beautiful horseman who rides with such sensitivity. He calmed him down going to the start as he was a bit lit up and he gave him such a fabulous ride. I couldn't be more thankful to him.

“Special Tiara was able to go at least six lengths clear early on and my only fear was coming up that hill. I was screaming at him to hang on and there were some four-letter words in there but I'm a very enthusiastic owner. Boringly for others I never lost faith in him because I know exactly what he can do, and in fact I was insulted that other people couldn't see what I could see!”

Rowley-Williams, a native of New York and founder of Women In Racing, currently has six horses in training in Ireland headed by Special Tiara, who was bred by his trainer's uncle, David Young.

She added, “I got interested in jump racing after I moved to Britain. My father-in-law was a sheep farmer in north Wales and as a hobby used to breed, train and race point-to-pointers, so that kind of whetted my appetite and when I could finally work hard enough to afford my own horse I got involved myself.”

Special Tiara brought another Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival success for Britain's flagship National Hunt stallion Kaya Tara (GB) and was the highlight of a banner day for Sadler's Wells-line sires at Prestbury Park.

Might Bite (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)'s son Scorpion (Ire), held on by a nod of the head in a scintillating race to the line with stablemate Whisper (Fr) (Astarabad) in the G1 RSA Novices' Chase to further embellish Nicky Henderson's great week at the Festival.

The 7-year-old Supasundae (GB), a son of Galileo (Ire) out of a half-sister to Nathaniel (Ire) bred by Newsells Park Stud with the Derby as his more likely aim, took the G3 Coral Cup for Jessica Harrington and owners Ann and Alan Potts, whose Fox Norton was only just denied in the Champion Chase.

Galileo's Irish Derby winner Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) justified his recent move from France back to Coolmore's National Hunt division with his first Festival winner, the long shot Flying Tiger (Ire), who landed the G3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle in the hands of champion jockey Richard Johnson for trainer Nick Williams.

The Flood family at Ireland's Boardsmill Stud will almost certainly have enjoyed a riotous afternoon as two of their resident stallions sired major winners at Cheltenham. Court Cave (GB) (Sadler's Wells), an unraced full-brother to Beat Hollow (GB), got the ball rolling via another front-runner, his 6-year-old son Willoughby Court (Ire), in the opening G1 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle to give local trainer Ben Pauling his first Festival win.

The day ended on an even brighter note when the mare Fayonagh (Ire) (Kalanisi {GB}) overcame a tardy start to scoot home for an astounding triumph in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Fayonagh, who is now unbeaten in three bumpers, was the second of two consecutive winners for Gordon Elliott and crack amateur JJ Codd, who also struck with Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase winner Cause Of Causes. The 9-year-old son of Dynaformer, a half-brother to 2003 Derby winner Kris Kin (Kris S), started his racing life in the colours of his breeder, the Niarchos family. Since being sold and switched to jumping, he has been an admirable servant for JP McManus, particularly on the hallowed turf of Cheltenham. In his four visits to the Festival, Cause Of Causes has beaten all bar one of his 76 rivals and on Wednesday secured his third consecutive win by an impressive nine lengths.