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Lewis Tomlinson looks back on Cheltenham Festival including more Ultima success for Lucinda Russell

By Lewis Tomlinson

Horse Racing

Thu March 20, 2025 · 1w ago

I enjoyed Cheltenham last week.

There’ll be more nuanced takes than mine, but I was on the track on Tuesday and had a nice day out. I thought the course felt busy enough to create some kind of atmosphere without being as overcrowded as to border on uncomfortable as it has done in previous years and barring the Lossiemouth switcheroo and the endless false starts, not too much else to gripe about from a racing perspective.

Certainly, the new-look National Hunt Chase and amended Golden Miller brought life back to races that looked on the ropes… we didn’t have to wait too long to celebrate a Northern winner, either.

Of course though, even when down in the Cotswolds, my main job is to keep an eye on goings on back local; Paul Nicholls’ two-pronged assault at Sedgefield was successful on Tuesday. Danny McMenamin rode a double at Hexham on Thursday, including aboard Nicky Richards’ promising maiden hurdle winner Baratablet, before scoring again aboard Burrows Hall as the Smith & Parkinson-trained gelding completed a hat-trick at Donny on Friday.

The post-Cheltenham lull never lasts as long as I think it will. There were two-year-olds running in Ireland on Sunday. And it’s the Lincoln next week. Bloody hell.

WHAT’S HAPPENED?

I’ve never really been too keen on Cheltenham being billed as 'The Olympics of Jump Racing', but I can’t quite remember a Festival where jumping has played such a big part in the championship races. Majborough, Constitution Hill, State Man, Ballyburn, Jonbon – all beaten by the obstacles as much as by their opposition.

The fall I was left cursing more than any other though was that of Guard Your Dreams, who tumbled directly into the path of our long-term Cheltenham project WHISTLE STOP TOUR at the very first fence in the Ultima. Derek Fox lost an iron; the horse lost his place and I lost the only ante-post money I’d put down for the week.

Fortunately, though, there’s always another plan with Lucinda. MYRETOWN is a horse we’ve liked in this column all season, but I didn’t think he had much chance of making the cut for the Ultima from a mark of 127 and if I’m deadly honest, my initial feeling after seeing his name right towards the bottom of the weights post-declaration was utter dread.

I knew there was a real possibility that I’d been on the wrong plot all season and went to snag a bit of the 20/1 available on Sunday evening, primarily out of fear rather than confidence. I won’t lose sleep over backing a loser but leaving a winner hanging stings for a while and an unbacked Myretown landing the Ultima would’ve almost certainly ruined my week.

Of course, on the day, Myretown gave his backers – of which there were many, gambled into 13/2 favouritism by the off – not a moment of concern, producing an exhibition of jumping from the front. There are fewer better sights in the sport than watching a steeplechaser bowl around Cheltenham, pinging fence after fence after fence, and you’d wager that we’re still some way from seeing the apex of Myretown’s potential.

Our mate DERRYHASSEN PADDY also acquitted himself with plenty of credit when third in the Albert Bartlett, beaten by only two well-fancied runners from top Irish yards.

A near 3-week turnaround until the Sefton might be too much of an ask given how much he evidently put into reaching the podium at Cheltenham, but there can’t be many better prospects for long-distance novice chases next season on either side of the Irish Sea.

Patrick Wadge celebrates on Myretown

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

It’s a busy one in this part of the world, with the Go North finals weekend offering attractive prize money across three days at Musselburgh, Kelso and Carlisle.

The runner I’d be most interested in on Musselburgh’s opening day would be the McPherson & Killahena-trained ROCKOLA VOGUE, who came close to eroding a near 20-length deficit to winner Our Bill’s Aunt on handicap debut at Wetherby last time. Admittedly, she's still not the most fluent of hurdlers and races from a 5 lb higher mark this time, but is one of only three runners able to race from her 'proper' mark and I’m hoping she’ll be a backable price when once the market is up.

I’m also got my eye on Lucinda Russell’s HEADS OR HARPS, who holds an entry in the 2m1f handicap chase at Kelso on Saturday. An Irish point winner, he was amongst the horses that joined the yard alongside Michael Scudamore almost 2 years ago, but it took a similar amount of time to make the track for his new trainer, shaping with plenty of encouragement sent chasing over mid-range trips on his first 2 starts this winter.

He stamped himself as a particularly useful prospect dropped back to 2m earlier this month at Ayr, tanking through the contest under a more positive ride and showing a tidy turn of foot after 3 out to record a 13-length success without having to fully come off the bridle. The handicapper has seen fit to add another 12lb onto his back but for my money he’s one who’ll stay well treated for a while yet - I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t rated near enough 130 this time next season.

I’d consider the Monet’s Garden Handicap Chase at Carlisle the most interesting race of the weekend and shock horror, I like another Russell-trained novice chaser. RATTLING ROAD was only a short-head away from completing a hat-trick at Newcastle last month – denied only by YEALAND, who may also line up here if over the exertions of his Haydock walkover on Wednesday – but there was again plenty to like about his enthusiastic front-running display.

Bangor also host some above-average fare this weekend, the opening 30k handicap hurdle featuring the return of one-time Grade 1 winner METIER, last minute finishing mid-field on the level at the Galway Festival, though at this pre-declaration stage I’d be most interested in giving another chance to WILFUL, who seemed to do too much too soon in front when beaten favourite in the Morebattle last time.

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