Cheltenham Festival 2005

Gambling is a habit I have tried hard to break since my teenage years, reserving the thrill these days to really big events like The Derby, The Grand National and, above all, The Cheltenham Festival. This year the event added an extra day and several new championship races to make it the biggest festival of jumps racing ever seen. It is so difficult to pick winners here, but the challenge is irrisistable - these are the cream of all raceshorses, and it is as much a tactical affair as it is flesh, blood and speed. Each trainer, each jockey, each horse has a tale to tell - there are politics, tragedies, triumphs, heroes and villains. Mix in the Irish army and thousands upon thousands of pints of Guinness and you have a volatile holiday! The three big races (Champion Hurdle, Tuesday - Queen Mother Champion Chase, Wednesday - The Gold Cup, Friday) were all classics with worthy champions, but it was Thursday's feature race The World Hurdle (formerly The Stayer's Hurdle) that gave me the biggest thrill: Baracouda is one of the greatest racehorses of modern times and was the shortest price fav of the meeting, but I opposed it with the young pretender Inglis Drever (pictured), who headed the French hero at the last fence and stormed up the hill to a famous victory and a big cheer from me! Over the 24 races, however, only managed 4/24 winners (3 on Thursday!), not quite enough to come out ahead moneywise, but the entertainment value for my punts was worth every penny, and I'm only sad it has to end. Roll on Grand National... Kx