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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...
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Viscount Wilson looking to take the biscuit at Perth

Viscount Wilson is a 4 year old gelding by Lethal Force, out of Highland Starlight and a new addition to the Gordon Elliott Racing Club. He has been with Gordon Elliott for a while and this was his 22nd attempt to get off the mark. As is often the case when Gordon sends runners to the Scottish or North of England tracks, it was the Champion Jockey, Richard Johnson, onboard in this 2m 4f hurdle.

Viscount Wilson got away well but the Lucinda Russell trained Make It Happen was left at the start. Viscount has raced against Smiling Eliza before but I can't say I've ever noticed him so this was my first look. I thought he was travelling well in the early part of the race, jumped quite well and looked comfortable. Some of our horses have looked to be struggling almost immediately in races recently but that wasn't the case here. Reivers Lodge led from Amalfi Doug and suddenly they were about 10 lengths clear but they were steadily reeled in by the chasing pack led by our fella. I was starting to get excited about his chances. Dicky had him tucked away nicely in fourth before taking third place as they reached the end of the back straight and rounded the final bend. Amalfi Doug took the lead going over the second last and never looked back. Viscount Wilson, however, had started going backwards and was now in sixth and that's how he finished.

There was no word about the run from Alex or anyone in attendance but it looked like the trip was too long but having had plenty of goes over 2m hurdles and on the flat, it's hard to know what is his distance. In the week when it seemed hardly anyone could believe Circus Maximus was supplemented and  then won at Royal Ascot in a 1m race when it looked like he maybe needed longer than 1m 4f after The Derby, Aidan O'Brien was hailed as a genius yet again. Hopefully our own training genius can find a race for this lad to win for the Gordon Elliott Racing Club. We are still without a win this year but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes and at least we picked up a little bit of prize money at Perth today.





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