Pats Oscar at Sedgefield

March 19, 2021

Cheltenham 2021 - Review

The week belongs to Henry De Bromhead, Rachael Blackmore and Jack Kennedy. Minella Indo won the Gold Cup having lost the RSA on the line this time last year. Everyone loves a comeback story and this is one because following that defeat there was a fall at Leopardstown at Christmas and a very ordinary run in February. I thought he was very overrated and even though he fit the age range (the last 3 winners of the race were 7 or 8 years old), I over looked him for Al Boum Photo. Funnily enough it had the feel of when Al Boum Photo won in 2019 because there wasn't a lot of talk about him. I still expected him to be beaten even when he flew the last but A Plus Tard couldn't run him down. He proved me and the doubters wrong today by adding the top prize in National Hunt racing to that narrow second last year and the Albert Bartlett two years ago. What a Cheltenham record! Fantastic for Jack Kennedy as well. He's had some week too - Black Tears beating the hot favourite Concertis

The runners are coming thick and fast this week with Pats Oscar going across the water for a big step up in trip to 3m 3f. She's done most of her running at around 2 miles and likes heavy ground but there's still none of that about so a longer race might work out for her. The Champion Jockey Richard Johnson was in the saddle and he had her tucked away at the back for the first part of the race. She jumped well and looked comfortable enough although Johnson did slap her on the neck at the start of the second circuit. Not a lot happened until the end of the back straight when Dicky moved her up past the field on the outside and she went 2nd at the third last. At that point my heart was racing thinking she was gonna do something but as is often the case in racing no sooner do you think that than another horse passes yours. She was still in third approaching the last but Keith Dalgleishs Niceandeasy was staying on well and as the camera followed the impressive winner Katy Royal to the line, I was resigned to seeing our horse finish 4th and so it came to pass. Impressive first time effort though and hopefully more to come when the ground eventually gets softer. More racing tomorrow as Tapenade runs in a bumper at Kelso.