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| The road to Cheltenham |
With the Prestbury course packed to the rafters, the road to Chetenham started and to herald four days of champion racing, the first day of spring gave a pleasent seasons greetings.
The sun gods shone on a well attended first day at the festival meeting, and right to do so to. With the racing good and bold saying this had been the best looking opening card for years,the day did not dissapoint. Drama, tears, thrills and spills made National hunt racing go back to the days of fairytails and yarns. This day will be long remembered.
Atrainer from the emerald isle, Willie Mullins his third generation Champion Jockey Ruby Walsh played the staring role of the day.
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| Douvan |
Douvan in the Supreme Novices hurdle opened up not only the winning tally for the Irish Trainer and Jockey, but also the bookmakers bags. Odds on favorite and duly obliged, a start in the making of possibly another champion hurdler for the Mullins team. Who knows, the trainer always playing his cards to his chest.
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| Ruby Walsh |
Ruby Walsh, a quick double coming in on Un De Sceaux in The Arkle. The race named after that great Irish champion whose skeleton at the Irish National stud must be rattling in sheer joy of his fellow countymens'dominance on the day. Could this be a set up for something special?
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| Chapion Hurdler 2015 Faugheen |
And will this horse be around for some time. Faugheen. Rumours are this could be a start of a dynasty for this Irish horse in the Champion Hurdle, won like a good horse should, beating past champions. Not by luck, but by sure power
Faugheen is an anglicised version of the Irish - FaichÃn - meaning a little green or playground.
The crowd resembled those who attened the terraces of Stamford Bridge more than the pictoresc landscape of Gloucestershire 'Ruby,Ruby,Ruby'
Then Annie Power. The pictures above say it all, those of you who were there,know what i mean.......
The bookies given a stay of execution. And though the day went on, a chill came over the sun soaked home of National Hunt racing and hung over Cleeve hill for the rest of the day.
But the meeting went on, will go on, for the next few days.
More happened on the day. A pictorial story of the day can be seen on my website WWW.MJAYPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK
