Mike Cattermole hails an arrival in the Big Three Club

JESSICA HARRINGTON SECURES HER PLACE IN HISTORY

Both Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins had incredible Festivals but, arguably, both were outshone by Jessica Harrington.

Seemingly held universally in deep affection, the County Kildare trainer had an incredible meeting, winning the Gold Cup, Coral Cup and Grand Annual Chase from a team of just seven runners. Sizing John’s famous win meant she became just the third woman trainer to win the Gold Cup after Jenny Pitman and Henrietta Knight.

However, with neither of those two having won a Champion Hurdle, Jessie has made more history by becoming the first lady trainer to win the Big Three – Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Gold Cup – at the Cheltenham Festival.

She has also become the first Irish trainer, period, to accomplish this amazing feat.

Vincent O’Brien never won the Champion Chase as he had turned his attention to the Flat by the time the race was inaugurated in 1959. Another Irish legend, Tom Dreaper, who holds the record in the Queen Mother with six winners and also won the Gold Cup five times, never won the Champion Hurdle. 

This elite and very exclusive Big Three Club also contains the names of Fred Rimell, Fred Winter, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls. Champions one and all.

Up to now, Jessie had been most famous of course for her association with both Moscow Flyer and Jezki. But judging from the way Sizing John did the job last Friday, his future looks extremely bright indeed and let’s just hope that, unlike the last two winners Coneygree and Don Cossack, he gets the chance to defend his crown.

Having seen the back end of Douvan seven times so far, it would be an intriguing prospect should these two wonderful chasers ever meet again over a longer distance. That’s assuming and hoping that Douvan can fully recover from his fractured pelvis.

DJAKADAM MAY HAVE MISSED HIS CHANCE, STEP FORWARD YORKHILL

For the third year running, Djakadam tried his heart out in the Gold Cup but yet again fell a little short. He had travelled as well as Sizing John but couldn’t find any more up the hill.

His Gold Cup form figures now read '224', identical to The Fellow who finally nailed the Gold Cup in 1994 at the fourth attempt at the age of nine, the same age that Djakadam will be in 2018.

After he had finished fourth to Jodami in 1993, many thought The Fellow’s chance had gone, having gone down only by a short head on his two previous attempts.

Djakadam’s fate may have been different had he not made a bad mistake at the second last, a fence he had also not jumped that fluently last year. In his first attempt, he had made a costly error at the last.

It may well be that these blunders point to him getting weary and suggests that he doesn’t see out the trip as well as some. I just wonder if the ground were to ride significantly softer next year whether that may just help him.

The trouble is that that would far from inconvenience the other two horses in front of him, Minella Rocco and Native River, let alone Sizing John. All three of them have an age advantage too, being a year younger at just seven. Perhaps Djakadam is destined to be the gallant loser.

Especially as there is now a likelihood that Willie Mullins will look elsewhere to break his Gold Cup duck and it is odds-on that JLT winner Yorkhill, another seven-year-old, will be the one he looks to first in 12 months’ time.

Yorkhill is a fascinating horse with quirks and tons of talent, which may not be fulfilled properly until he goes over the trip he was bred for.  Yet, he is already outstanding, already a two-time Festival winner and his destiny awaits. 

So, imagine a Gold Cup in 2018 with Sizing John sizing up Yorkhill, Minella Rocco, Native River, Might Bite and Thistlecrack!

HENRY DE BROMHEAD’S ROLLER COASTER WEEK

Cheltenham week was a microcosm of Henry De Bromhead’s season. 

The County Waterford trainer has won countless admirers with the way he has responded from the blow of losing the horses owned by main patrons Alan and Ann Potts. He has enjoyed his best season both in numbers and prize money and has already passed the £1m barrier at home for the first time.

There have been Grade One wins from Valseur Lido, Some Plan and two from Petit Mouchoir before Special Tiara’s gutsy win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

That must have been a day of mixed emotions for De Bromhead who minutes earlier had to watch former inmate Supasundae take the Coral Cup.

However, that would have been easy compared to seeing Sizing John, a horse he had sent out to be placed twice behind Douvan at two successive Festivals, stepping up to take the Gold Cup. 

I hope De Bromhead would have taken some pride from that but he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t feel more than a fibre of frustration.

SO, IRISH HORSES ARE NOT SO BADLY HANDICAPPED, ARE THEY?

Well, who would have thought it? Irish horses won seven of the 10 handicaps that took place last week and two of them, Road To Respect and Champagne Classic were owned by Gigginstown House Stud. 

If Michael and Eddie O’Leary were being as serious as they sounded when blasting Phil Smith (and by association his colleagues) after the Grand National weights were released, then they really do owe him an apology because this was proof aplenty that those claims have absolutely no substance. 

And Davy Russell had been at it, too. He told At The Races viewers that Presenting Percy was a doubtful starter when the weights for the Pertemps Final came out because he had been given too much weight. Knowing Davy, he was probably being his usual mischievous self! We know what happened next.

Yet there will be some that still believe that there is a built-in anti-Irish stance when being handicapped to race over here. Personally, I believe and would always hope that the handicappers are and will remain as objective as they can be, wherever a horse hails from. Remember, handicapping is an opinion, not an exact science.

So let’s hope we hear no more of this ridiculous talk - it was always nonsense.

NICKY HENDERSON AND PAUL NICHOLLS 

Britain’s leading jumps trainers had differing fortunes last week with Nicky Henderson taking his Festival tally to an incredible 58 after three more winners, including a record sixth Champion Hurdle with the brilliant Buveur D’Air. He also had six seconds and four thirds.

I was pleased for Paul Nicholls that, in spite of a below-par team, he still maintained his winning sequence at the Festival with Pacha Du Polder in the Foxhunters. 

The champion trainer knows he is in a period of transition and is also well aware that he is in a true fight now for the championship with Hendo, whose ammunition at this stage appears just that bit stronger. However, winning the Grand National once guaranteed champion trainer status and it will have a big say in that yet again next month should either of these two win it. 

So, Nicholls and Henderson over here, Mullins and Elliott over there. Watch them go!