Cheltenham 2005 / news/

CHELTENHAM, FRIDAY, MARCH 18

DAILY TELEGRAPH TROPHY FOR THE LEADING TRAINER FINAL STANDINGS

Trainer 1st 2nd 3rd

HOWARD JOHNSON 3 - 1

Nicky Henderson 3 3 2

Martin Pipe 2 4 2

Francois Doumen FR 2 1 -

Dessie Hughes IRE 2 - -

Paul Nicholls 2 - 2

Venetia Williams 1 1 -

Willie Mullins IRE 1 - 2

Tom Taaffe IRE 1 - 1

Mark Bradstock 1 - -

Enda Bolger IRE 1 - -

Ian Duncan IRE 1 - -

Jessica Harrington IRE 1 - -

Alan King 1 - -

Mouse Morris IRE 1 - -

Paul Nolan IRE 1 - -

Ian Williams - 2 1

Noel Meade IRE - 2 -

Gary Moore - 1 2

Philip Hobbs - 1 1

Jonjo O’Neill - 1 1

Kevin Bishop - 1 -

Peter Bowen - 1 -

Henrietta Knight - 1 -

Jim Lambe IRE - 1 -

Ferdy Murphy - 1 -

Nicky Richards - 1 -

Nick Shutts - 1 -

Paul Webber - 1 -

Robert Alner - - 1

Grant Cann - - 1

Noel Chance - - 1

Alex Embiricos - - 1

Richard Lee - - 1

Len Lungo - - 1

Seamus Mullins - - 1

Colm Murphy IRE - - 1

Eamon Sheehy IRE - - 1

Howard Johnson takes the Daily Telegraph Trophy by virtue of earning more prize money

DAILY TELEGRAPH TROPHY FOR THE LEADING JOCKEY FINAL STANDINGS

Jockey 1st 2nd 3rd

GRAHAM LEE 3 1 1

Robert Thornton 3 - -

Timmy Murphy 2 3 -

Paul Carberry 2 2 -

Ruby Walsh 2 - 3

Barry Geraghty 2 1 1

Mick Fitzgerald 1 2 1

Mr Richard Burton 1 1 -

Alan O’Keeffe 1 1 -

Mattie Batchelor 1 - -

Miss Nina Carberry 1 - -

Mr J T McNamara 1 - -

Conor O’Dwyer 1 - -

Mr Mark O’Hare 1 - -

Mr Colman Sweeney 1 - -

Mr Sam Waley-Cohen 1 - -

Tony Dobbin - 2 1

Tom Doyle - 1 2

David Casey - 1 1

Richard Johnson - 1 1

Tony McCoy - 1 1

Paddy Brennan - 1 -

Jim Culloty - 1 -

David Dennis - 1 -

Mr Aidan Fitzgerald - 1 -

Mr James O’Farrell - 1 -

Tom Scudamore - 1 -

Sam Thomas - 1 -

Jamie Moore - - 2

Andrew Thornton - - 2

Shay Barry - - 1

Barry Cash - - 1

Mr Gordon Elliot - - 1

Ms Alex Embiricos - - 1

Marcus Foley - - 1

Mr Andrew Glassonbury - - 1

Miss Polly Gundry - - 1

Mr Derek O’Connor - - 1

TOTE

Today’s tote Jackpot was not won and a rollover of £327,993.50 goes on to Uttoxeter tomorrow.

Today’s on-course tote cash turnover was £3,169,235, down from £3,745,000 in 2004 when there were seven races.

TAAFFE LANDS GUINNESS AWARD

Today’s Guiness Festival Award, for the person considered to have made the most outstanding contribution to the day’s three championship races, went to Tom Taaffe, trainer of totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King.

GUINNESS FESTIVAL AWARDS

Graham Lee wins Thursday’s Award

Graham Lee has won Thursday’s Guinness Festival Award which honours the individual who is considered to have made the most outstanding contribution in the three championship races on each day of The Festival.

Yesterday was just the third time that the public have voted for this prestigious award and the three nominations for yesterday’s award selected by an illustrious panel of racing journalists were the winner, Mattie Batchelor and Graham Wylie.

Lee completed a Festival treble yesterday when giving Inglis Drever a textbook ride in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle to beat French-trained previous dual winner Baracouda by three lengths.

The Irish jockey will receive a specially-commissioned trophy, generously donated by Waterford Crystal, which will be presented in the Paddock at Cheltenham today.

One lucky person who texted in their nomination yesterday will win a great trip to Ireland to watch the euro180,000 Guinness Gold Cup on the second day of the Punchestown Festival on Wednesday, April 27, 2005. The prize includes return flights to Dublin for two people and overnight accommodation. There is a similar prize each day.

On Saturday Channel 4's Morning Line viewers will be invited to vote for the overall 2005 Guinness Festival Award winner.

Conor O’Dwyer won Tuesday’s Guinness Festival Award for his brilliant ride on Hardy Eustace in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, in which he assisted the gallant eight-year-old to win hurdling’s Blue Riband for the second successive season.

The following day’s Award went to Jessica Harrington, who sent out Moscow Flyer to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase, in which the 11-year-old reclaimed the two-mile chasing crown having unseated his rider in the same contest last year after winning the previous season’s renewal.

NEW RECORD FOR IRISH IN 2005? - YES NINE WINNERS

Seven Irish-trained winners on first three days of Festival bodes well.

The all-time Irish record is eight victories at The Festival, which was recorded in 1958, when races were divided. This has not happened for many years, but with a four-day Festival for the first time this year, the record could well be beaten, especially as seven Irish-trained runners have prevailed on the first three days.

Dessie Hughes provided the first Irish success on Tuesday courtesy of the gallant Hardy Eustace, who was winning the Smurfit Champion Hurdle for the second successive season. Runner-up and compatriot Harchibald looked to be cruising to victory in hurdling’s Blue Riband but Hardy Eustace held on gamely to score by a neck.

The Enda Bolger-trained Spot Thedifference was the next Irish victor, also on the opening day, in the Sporting Index Cross Country Handicap Chase in which the 12-year-old defied top-weight of 11st 12lb to deny Luzcadou by two and a half lengths.

Tuesday’s last event, the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, was significant as Nina Carberry on the Paul Nolan-trained Dabiroun became the first woman to beat professional male riders at the Cheltenham Festival since Gee Armytage in 1987.

Two further Irish victories were achieved on Wednesday courtesy of Moscow Flyer in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Missed That in the concluding Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

The former reclaimed his two-mile crown with a spectacular display of jumping, getting the better of young pretender Well Chief by two lengths, while Missed That was impressive in beating De Soto by a neck, if for no other reason than he took a keen hold and did extremely well to get up the famous Prestbury Park hill to give trainer Willie Mullins his fifth bumper success at the Festival.

Yesterday Ian Duncan saddled the sixth Irish success with Another Rum in the National Hunt Amateur Riders’ Novices’ Chase. The seven-year-old belied his odds of 40/1 to give County Down-born rider Mark O’Hare a first Festival victory.

Dessie Hughes then gained his second success of the week courtesy of Oulart in the concluding Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle. The winner was given a classic waiting ride from Paul Carberry to master the Martin Pipe-trained pair of Mioche D’Estruval and Quick by two and four lengths respectively.

Horses from the Emerald Isle have also achieved a modern-day record seven successes over the three-day Festival (without divisions) in both 1977 and 1996.

Since1973, Irish horses struck six times in 1978, 1982, 1993, and, most recently, in 2003, while they gained five wins in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1999 and 2002.

Four victories were achieved by Irish-trained runners in 1980, 1984, 1986, 1995, 1998 and last year, while a hat-trick was recorded in 1973, 1981, 1994, 1997 and 2000.

A brace came for Irish horses in 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, while a single success was notched in 1987 and 1988.

1989 was a particularly torrid time for Irish punters at The Festival, where not one Irish-trained success occurred.