Cheltenham Festival 2024 reports, results and free video replays for day three
By Sporting Life
17:53 · THU March 14, 2024
A review of the action from day three of the Cheltenham Festival where Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls won the opening couple of races.
Nicholls off the mark in Pertemps
Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden opened their account at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival as 25/1 shot Monmiral toughed it out to land the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle.
Having had to settle for second behind Dan Skelton's Grey Dawning with Ginny's Destiny in the opening Turners, Monmiral gave the Ditcheat team a welcome boost, staying on well up the hill to edge out the front-running Kyntara for trainer Mel Rowley.
British-trained horses filled the first six places as 11/2 favourite as Nigel Twiston-Davies' Cuthbert Dibble was third, Bold Endeavour (50/1) ran a huge race for Nicky Henderson in fourth and the Alan King-trained Emitom was fifth at 25/1. Twiston-Davies' Gowel Road (16/1) was sixth.
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The seven-year-old runs in the famous yellow colours of Sir Alex Ferguson’s co-owner John Hales and Ferguson said: "That was fantastic. Brilliant. What a jockey, deary me, he was brilliant. It’s my first winner here, John is the master, he chooses the horses and we back him all the way.”
Connections of Monmiral celebrate, along with Sam Allardyce (left)
Grey Dawning comes of age in Turners
Grey Dawning continued Dan Skelton's superb Cheltenham Festival when justifying 5/2 favouritism in the opening Turners Novices' Chase on Thursday.
The seven-year-old took the drop in trip in his stride as he tracked the strong gallop set by Ginny's Destiny and Djelo, a flying leap at the last sealing victory under Harry Skelton.
It was a third winner of the meeting for the Skeltons who registered a remarkable handicap double on Wednesday with Langer Dan and Unexpected Party.
Paul Nicholls' Ginny's Destiny battled on for a two-length second, with Venetia Williams' Djelo a further eight lengths back in third, completing a British-trained 1-2-3.
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Skelton said: “He was destined to be a chaser from the start and you just want it to happen so bad, so to win a Grade One novice here is great. He’s still got a huge future to look forward to, hopefully.
“We won a Grade One novice chase (at Aintree) with Protektorat, but I just feel like this horse is at least as good and potentially could be better, and that is not taking anything away from the ones we’ve had before. But time moves forward and he’s very important.
“Some people questioned coming for the race, but they can’t now! I just felt the race he ran here against Ginny’s Destiny in December was a very good race and it’s been proven so because they’ve been first and second today. Rule Britannia!”
He added: “I just thought we’re not short of speed and Fact To File did look very good in Ireland so maybe it was the sensible route (to run in this race and not Brown Advisory).
“This is the one we really wanted. He jumped great, Harry was good on him and that was exactly how we wanted the race to go. I think it speaks volumes about the horse that we didn’t need Plan B.
“This week has to be right at the very top – hopefully it’s not over yet.”
The winning rider added: “It’s just magic. Thank you Cheltenham, thank you very much. These people make it special, it is unbelievable this place. He was great today, Dan got the right race, there was a long discussion about it.
“He’s very good, a very good horse. He’s so unassuming, you wouldn’t believe it. He doesn’t know how good he is, but hopefully he’s a bit special.”
Harry Redknapp enjoyed a first Cheltenham Festival winner as Shakem Up’Arry found the scoresheet on a football-orientated day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Having watched his former managerial rival Sir Alex Ferguson notch a double earlier on the card, it was soon the turn of the former West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham boss to return to the Prestbury Park winner’s enclosure with his course specialist – who supplemented his New Year’s Day triumph here in great style.
Sent off at 8/1 for the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, the Ben Pauling-trained 10-year-old travelled supremely in the hands of Ben Jones and having jumped the last already looking the winner, he stuck his head down and galloped all the way to the line.
The victory continued Pauling’s fine run of recent form, with the Naunton Downs handler registering a fourth Festival success. However, it was a first victory for 24-year-old Jones at the meeting having only once previously enjoyed success at the Cotswolds track – aboard Shakem Up’Arry on the duo’s previous start.
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Redknapp said: “Oh my god, get in there. How good was that? He jumped for fun, what a performance. I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable. My nan got me into racing, she was a bookie’s runner when she was young and every week she’d get locked up in the police station in the east end of London because betting was illegal in those days. She got me into it and I love every minute, I love the people, I love the racing. To have a winner at the Festival, my god, I can’t tell you.
“Me and Alex (Ferguson) both love it, it’s great to see him have two winners today and I’ve had mine now, it’s been a great day.
“To have a winner at Cheltenham, I’ve watched it all my life and always dreamed of having a winner here, I can’t tell you how great it feels.”
Pauling said of his winner: “He deserved his big day. It’s so important to have winners here and the last two days have been really tough. There’s a lot of talk about the Irish and English and to say we don’t have the hunger for this game is daft.
“We’ve got as much hunger as anyone, Dan Skelton has proved that. I was delighted for him, but it doesn’t mean that we didn’t want one.
“I turned up with three horses yesterday that I thought would be in the first three and I think we beat three horses home. You have doubts and think you’ve done too much with them or whatever. This is where it matters and once you get one get their head in front, you can breathe.
“We’ve come here with a good team and the old stalwart has chucked his head in front.”
He added: “I know this meant a lot to Harry who has been a supporter of mine for a long time. We speak quite a lot and he’s an easy man to talk to. We’ve had good and bad times.
“It was a long run-in and I was shouting ‘pull him left Benny’. I’m Just delighted for Harry who is a competitive man.”
Ace is high for Scott team
There was also a first Festival victory for West Country handler Jeremy Scott as his high-class mare Golden Ace claimed the scalp of Irish hotpots Brighterdaysahead and Jade De Grugy in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Sent off 10/1, jockey Lorcan Williams appeared to be holding on to plenty of horse as the duo travelled into contention in supreme style.
Still to push the button jumping the last alongside the main market principals and fellow Irish challenger Birdie Or Bust, all it took was a shake of the reins for Golden Ace to scoot clear in the closing stages.
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Scott joked: “I wasn’t too worried about the Irish, they’ve been struggling all week haven’t they, so I don’t take a lot of notice really!
“I thought coming second last year with dear old Dashel Drasher was something, but this is very, very, very special.
“She was travelling so well, her jumping wasn’t great but she jumped the last one probably the best of the lot. She travelled well and always looked to have them covered, didn’t she?
“She’s not one that tears the gallops up in all honesty, but her racing has always been really good and she was so cool and calm in the paddock. She takes everything in her stride, which is such an asset.
“It doesn’t look like she’ll jump a fence, so we’ll stick to hurdles. We’ve got a lot to dream about and we’ll enjoy this moment, reflect on it tomorrow and think about a plan.
“Lorcan is such a talent, he’s got a really cool head on him and he’s a natural horseman. I’m really glad that he’s had the opportunity to shine a bit and hopefully other trainers will use him as well.”
Inotheway home and hosed in Kim Muir
Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin was tasked with carrying top-weight in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase, but made light work of that burden to oblige favourite-backers who had sent the six-year-old off the heavily-backed 13/8 market leader.
It was a second winner of the week for jockey Derek O’Connor, who kept his mount hidden in rear for the first three-quarters of the contest, before sluicing his way to the front and on for victory in facile style.
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