Visit to Tim Vaughan's Stable

After winning part-ownership of the Student Racehorse Tae Kwon Do, myself and the other lucky students were offered an exclusive chance to visit Tim Vaughan’s stables in Cowbridge, Wales to see the environment in which the horse will train. My friends and I didn’t quite know what to expect as we passed a quarry upon arrival, driving up a long, bumpy road to reach the stables.

Only licensed in 2008, the stables represent an enterprising move by Vaughan and they were in impressive order given that they were only constructed a few years ago. We got out and were acquainted with some familiar names of horses in the barns; notably Beshabar and Destroyer Deployed, who had both impressed recently at the Cheltenham Festival.

We then got a warm welcome from Vaughan himself, who made time from a busy morning schedule to tour us around the stable and introduce us to our very own racehorse, Tae Kwon Do. The horse has just returned from injury and looked in good shape; Tim reckoned he would be good to go in a couple of weeks.

We were then invited to travel to the gallops to watch Tae Kwon Do train among his stable mates. This was a unique opportunity, especially as I had never seen horses in training before. Tim knew every horse by name, recognising them instantly and calling out to us who was who as they bounded past us under the horsemanship of the stable lads.

Vaughan’s enthusiasm was plain to see, as he exchanged banter and yelled out encouragement to the jockeys; this workplace camaraderie gave the impression of his yard being a vibrant and enjoyable working environment. Vaughan himself was an infectious character; his loud laugh could be heard from metres away and he took a genuine interest in the students who had come to look around his yard.

He described his rise to prominence as a trainer as ‘meteoric’; the Welshman started basically from scratch but now has around 100 horses in his ranks. It was insightful to see the day-to-day business of a horserace trainer, and how the horses are prepared for racing.

All in all it was a great day out, and well worth the 6am alarm clock! Tae Kwon Do was impressive in training and looked lively; I for one can’t wait to see him in action over hurdles!

Memorable Moments of Cheltenham 2011

Last week’s centenary staging of the Cheltenham Festival was one of the best in recent history, containing four days of top class horseracing, glorious weather, close finishes and fine individual and team efforts which will not soon be forgotten. As always, there are a number of standout moments which made this year’s festival so very special, and these were my most memorable features of the Cheltenham Festival 2011.

Ruby’s hat-trick After breaking his leg in November in a horrible fall at Down Royal, it became doubtful whether Ruby Walsh would recover to fitness in time to ride at Cheltenham. Thankfully, he did; his return to the saddle on the Tuesday was eagerly anticipated and the mercurial Irishman did not disappoint. He partnered 11-1 shot Al Ferof in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, and on the run-in it looked like a three horse race between hot favourite Cue Card, Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre. However, a great leap at the last flight and a perfectly timed run saw Walsh come from nowhere to burst through on Al Ferof, passing the leaders to claim a brilliant victory for the leading festival jockey of all time. Walsh’s pièce de résistance, however, came in the Champion Hurdle aboard the great Irish hope Hurricane Fly. A great ride saw the horse power through to take it up and shake off the attentions of the unbeaten Peddlers Cross, securing Ruby’s first Champion Hurdle success. After these two victories it was expected that Walsh would complete his hat-trick of winners on odds on favourite Quevega in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle. It couldn’t have been any easier for him, as he sat tight on a horse of true class to destroy the field, this marking Walsh’s 28^th Cheltenham Festival winner. It capped a superb day for the Irishman on his return to form and fitness; he would go on to be the leading festival jockey for the third year in a row – another hat-trick for a true Cheltenham legend.

Star Performer There were many incredible shows of racing ability on display throughout the four days; Quevega, Sizing Europe and Bobs Worth to name but a few. But for me, the most impressive performance came from Big Bucks in the World Hurdle on the Thursday as he became the first horse to win the race in three consecutive runnings. The David Pipe trained Grands Crus was seen as a major threat to Big Bucks’ crown in the preamble to the race after putting in a superb display in January to win over course and distance. And the 7-2 chance ran another corker at Cheltenham, possibly the race of his life as he threw down the gauntlet to Big Bucks, drawing alongside him and at one point looking as if he was going to beat the powerhouse. Ruby Walsh had inexplicably dropped his whip prior to the run-in; surely a costly error in a race of such magnitude, but alas, it made no difference. Big Bucks got into top gear and seemed to draw on extra energy reserves to shake off his challenger and pull clear in brilliant fashion, claiming his third and most impressive World Hurdle for trainer Paul Nicholls.

New kid on the block As well as seeing a true great trained by Paul Nicholls do the business, I also believe this festival saw a future great trained by Nicholls win in some style. The triumph hurdle is always a very competitive field and has produced some quality winners in the past. Zarkandar had made an impressive hurdling debut at Kempton Park, winning a competitive race as an outsider; nonetheless it was a surprise when he headed for Cheltenham in this embryonic stage of his national hunt career. However, the four-year-old banished any doubts when sweeping aside a handy field to win the Triumph Hurdle for Nicholls, finishing ahead of leading fancies Unaccompanied and Grandouet to give jockey Daryl Jacob a deserved first Cheltenham victory.  That’s two out of two for Zarkandar, and the horse is sure to have a bright future; he had already been quoted at 12-1 for next year’s Champion Hurdle. I for one tip him for greatness, so expect to see him back at Cheltenham next year.

McCoy v Walsh Possibly the two best and most decorated jump jockeys in the history of the sport, Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy have been dominant in big races over the last ten years, and a thrilling finale to the County Hurdle on day four saw them battle it out once again. If McCoy could win this one aboard the well-backed Get Me Out Of Here, who finished second in last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle, then he would only trail Walsh 4-3 in 2011 festival winners. The Jonjo O’Neill trained horse looked to have the race sewn up when pulling clear into the final furlong, until a fantastic late burst from near the back of the field saw Walsh’s mount Final Approach meet him on the line. A tense photo finish revealed that Final Approach had done enough to see off his rival by the narrowest of margins,  giving the mercurial Irishman a fifth winner and securing the prize of the festival’s leading jockey. This was horseracing at its very finest; two incredible sportsmen doing battle aboard top class horses to delight the capacity crowd at Cheltenham.

Triumph and Cruelty My final pick also took place on day four of the festival, where two races showed not only the triumph that characterises the Cheltenham Festival, but also the cruelty of crushed hopes and dreams. There was a frenzy of excitement ahead of the Gold Cup as a strong field lined up, including previous winners Kauto Star, Denman and Imperial Commander, as well as the new sensation Long Run. As the race panned out most of the challengers and even the defending champion Imperial Commander would fade, and at the bend with two to jump, it was the two veterans, and two of the best chasers of this century, Kauto Star and Denman who lined up in front to battle it out. Long Run, almost half the age of the two stalwarts, appeared to be ridden hard but managed to find extra to range up alongside Kauto and Denman to set up a mouth-watering final few furlongs. The young challenger had been supremely impressive in winning the King George VI Chase at Ascot back in January, and showed his class once again, managing to kick clear of the valiant pair and win his first Gold Cup, under the mount of amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, an incredible achievement. Denman finished second under a tremendous ride from Sam Thomas, while Kauto Star was third in what amounted to a superb effort from a horse of true class but whose powers are on the wane. To me, it seemed like the two legends handing over the crown to the new hero, a truly special moment. I for one couldn’t have asked for a better Gold Cup.

In horseracing, names of the winners will endure in memory, but what of the losers? The next race, the Foxhunters Chase, would demonstrate how cruel the sport can be. Favourite for the race and last year’s victor, Baby Run, was partnered by 16-year-old jockey Willy Twiston-Davis, son of trainer Nigel. The fledgling jockey guided the horse over a near perfect round of twenty fences, and was still traveling well to lead the race from 33-1 shot Zemsky with two remaining. Disaster struck on the penultimate fence; Baby Run didn’t get high enough and unseated Twiston-Davies, leaving Zemsky with a clear run to the finish line to claim victory. The young jockey was seen beating the turf after his fall, and was inconsolable when walking off the track. It was impossible not to feel for him; indeed, it capped a bitterly disappointing day for Nigel Twiston-Davies’ yard after great hope Imperial Commander failed in the Gold Cup. Nonetheless, his two sons’ are promising young jockeys, and there will plenty more years for Willy to claim a Festival winner.

The two races showed the ups and downs of a career in horseracing, and that there is a thin dividing line between triumph and failure.

Cheltenham Festival 2011 Preview

From Tuesday 15^th to Friday 19^th of March, the standout event in the horseracing calendar, the Cheltenham Festival will be taking place. A week of emerging heroes, fallen dreams, drama and excitement is in the offing as the best horses in the business go up against each other for the most prestigious national hunt prizes.

On Tuesday the highlight of the day is the Champion Hurdle, which looks to be as keenly contested as ever this year. My money is on Menorah; the Phillip Hobbs trained 6-year-old offers a strong chance having won twice at Cheltenham already this season, showing a frightening turn of foot when beating Cue Card last time out. He won the Supreme Novices Hurdle last year; always a sure sign of a potential Champion Hurdler and is saddled by the dependable Richard Johnson. His biggest challenge could perhaps come from the Willie Mullins’ trained Irish raider Hurricane Fly, who is unbeaten this season, but is an unknown quantity outside of Ireland. Last year’s winner and A.P. McCoy favourite Binocular can never be discounted, while many punters fancy the unbeaten Peddlers Cross, who also won at the Festival last year.

Meanwhile, Cue Card is expected to justify strong favouritism to land the Supreme Novices Hurdle, although he could face stiff competition from Recession Proof who was impressive in winning at Newbury last weekend. In the Arkle Chase, Medermit is strongly fancied, but I definitely believe this horse can be beaten; it may be worth taking a gamble on Captain Chris, who has been consistently impressive in this his breakthrough season.

On to Wednesday, and the highlight is certainly the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The line-up oozes class; Big Zeb is likely to go off favourite after his dominating victory in this race last year, but it looks as if the classy two times winner of the race Master Minded will be lining up alongside him in a bid to regain his crown. This could be a fascinating battle, but it would be unwise to rule out Somersby, who may have something to say about the outcome if he is on song.

One of the safest bets of the festival is surely Time For Rupert in the RSA Chase provided he jumps well, and it remains to be seen whether the Paul Nicholls trained Aitenthirtythree can come of age to mount a serious challenge. The Coral Cup has always been something of a lottery due to the big field, but if I had to make a selection I would say that Get Me Out Of Here should provide good each-way value.

Thursday’s World Hurdle exhibits one of the greats in Big Bucks; the powerhouse has incredibly won his previous ten races and is bidding to secure a hat-trick of world hurdle victories. This year he faces a young pretender in Grands Crus, who was mightily impressive winning at Cheltenham a few weeks ago, and David Pipe will no doubt have got his crown jewel in great shape for this one.

The Ryanair Chase is always a memorable clash of top-class steeplechasers and this year Poquelin looks set to head the market after a fine run last time out, but he is not consistent enough for me. There are plenty in with shouts and the Birmingham based Weird Al could be an interesting proposition should he run.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle for jumps horses, jockeys and trainers and on Friday this should be the theatre for some fantastic entertainment as the usual suspects lock horns once again. Those connected with Imperial Commander will be confident that he can repeat last year’s success when he surprised many punters by beating the favourites Kauto Star and Denman, who will be seeking retribution. A lot has been said about the in-form Nicky Henderson’s young horse Long Run, who was superb in putting his rivals to the sword in the King George Chase at Kempton Park in January, while Irish horse Pandorama could be in with an outside chance, having only failed to win one of his trips over fences. It is a mouth-watering reunion and a race that is bound to be filled with excitement and drama.

So get down to your nearest bookies, place some bets, and sit back and enjoy the ‘Sport of Kings’. It promises to be a week of five star entertainment!

Sport and Politics: an uncomfortable alliance

Sport. That divine thing; the one entity which competitors and viewers alike can participate in physically and emotionally while bigger issues, such as world politics, take a backseat. In theory, sport and politics should remain separate, but in practice the two are inextricably linked and can have a major influence on each other.

Take the recent example of Bahrain. This was supposed to be the scene of the opening Grand Prix of the Formula One season, an occasion that would arouse excitement considering the thrilling finish to the previous campaign. However, the political turmoil and violent protests in the country make it an unsafe venue to stage the event; nobody wins here, from the Bahrain track organisers, to the Formula One moguls and benefactors all the way to the television companies – but it is a decision which cannot be argued with. This is nothing new; a parallel can be seen in the cricket world where the politically volatile situation in Pakistan has made it too risky an environment to stage international cricket matches, which has been to the detriment of the Pakistan team.

The last thing fans of sport want is for politics to affect how tournaments are conducted. But this has been rife all the way through sport, from Olympic Games boycotts due to Cold War tensions, to the recent decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite its colossal summer temperatures.

Nonetheless, sport and politics can be of simultaneous benefit to each other. The examples are widespread; Jesse Owens’ medal haul in the 1936 Berlin Olympics generated pride in the black race, while South African victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup went some way to breaking down Apartheid prejudices and promoting national unity.

Whether providing positive or negative ramifications, sport and politics will remain inseparable. The venues, the competition formats, the money involved; these decisions all have their roots in politics. But one hopes that no matter where the event is contested, under what circumstances and in what temperature (stadium cooling technology anyone?), political concerns will never encroach on the raw emotion of competitive sport.