Updated 18.00
IT’S BEEN A stunning St Patrick’s Day for the Irish at Cheltenham with six wins from seven, including three for the incredible partnership of Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh.
The only race which escaped the Irish grasp was the World Hurdle, won in commanding style by Thistlecrack, Colin Tizzard’s even-money favourite.
Vautour, who was controversially pulled out of the Gold Cup earlier this week due to some sloppy work at home, showed no signs of rust in a commanding Ryanair Chase performance.
It was a fourth win of the week for owner Rich Ricci after opening-day victories on Douvan, Annie Power and Vroom Vroom Mag.
It was an Irish 1,2,3 in the Ryanair Chase with Vautour’s stablemate Valseur Lido six lengths behind, a half-length ahead of Noel Meade’s Road to Riches.
Mullins and Walsh again teamed up to win the Mares Novices’ Hurdle, with Limini (8/11f) an impressive victor. It brought Mullins and Walsh to seven wins each this week, the trainer now just one shy of his festival record set last year.
Limini powered home in an entertaining race and had four and a half lengths to spare on Dusky Legend (50/1), with Bloody Mary (7/1) back in third.
A great day for the punters as Thistlecrack storms home in the World Hurdle
Earlier, there was a good start to the day of Ireland’s patron saint for Walsh as he rode Black Hercules to victory in the opening race of the festival’s third day.
Walsh was victorious at 4/1 in the JLT Novices’ Chase, with Bristol De Mai (4/1) in second and L’Ami Serge (8/1) third.
It was a fifth winner of this year’s festival for Mullins, but there was some controversy early on as Zabana jinked and unseated a furious Davy Russell as the tapes went up, with some bookmakers refunding bets on the horse to limited stakes.
In the day’s second race, the Pertemps Final Hurdle, Mall Dini (14/1) claimed another St Patrick’s Day win for Ireland, this time for trainer Patrick Kelly, under the stewardship of Russell who was understandably delighted after his misfortune in the opener.
He was followed home, after a messy finish that led to a stewards’ inquiry, by Arpege D’alaene (14/1) in second and If in Doubt (10/1) in third.
Sixteen-year-old Dingle jockey Jack Kennedy scored himself a fourth-place finish in his first Cheltenham outing on Gordon Elliott’s Taglietelle (14/1).
Bryan Cooper claimed his first win of the festival on Empire of Dirt (16/1) in the Brown Advisory Plate for trainer Colm Murphy.
He came home ahead of Tango De Juilley (33/1), Kings Palace (11/1) and Full Shift (7/1).
And in the day’s final race, the Kim Muir Handicap Chase, Elliott’s Cause of Causes (9/2) came from the back of the field late on to claim a thrilling win under Jamie Codd.
He romped home, by 12 lengths in the end, from A Good Skin (14/1), with Silvergrove (16/1) and Knock House filling the minor placings.
Results:
1.30 — JLT Novices’ Chase
1. Black Hercules (4/1)
2. Bristol De Mai (4/1)
3. L’Ami Serge (8/1)
2.10 — Pertemps Final Hurdle
1. Mall Dini (14/1)
2. Arpege D’alene (14/1)
3. If In Doubt (10/1)
4. Taglietelle (14/1)
2.50 — Ryanair Chase
1. Vautour (Evens)
2. Valseur Lido (11/1)
3. Road To Riches (7/1)
3.30 — World Hurdle
1. Thistlecrack (Evens)
2. Alpha Des Obeaux (8/1)
3. Bobs Worth (33/1)
4.10 — Brown Advisory Plate
1. Empire of Dirt (16/1)
2. Tandgo De Juilley (33/1)
3. Kings Palace (11/1)
4. Full Shift (7/1)
4.50 – Mares Novices’ Hurdle
1. Limini (8/11)
2. Dusky Legend (50/1)
3. Bloody Mary (7/1)
5.20 – Kim Muir Handicap Chase
1. Cause of Causes (9/2)
2. A Good Skin (14/1)
3. Silvergrove (16/1)
4. Knock House (16/1)
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Carty was brilliant, perfect off the tee, and the difference for me tonight. It was summed up in one passage for me. He hit a quality 50:22, and from the resulting line out hit a penalty which made it a two point that Treviso never got back from. Murray’s run, and Boyle and Prendergast at the fringes: quality too.
*Two score game. Pardon me.
@David Hickey: when he’s ON,,he is box office, average exiting player
@rugbyanbeer: typo a very exciting player
@David Hickey: a lot of Irish rugby fans see Carty play 6 times a year. Interpros. And are oblivious to a lot of his clutch stuff beyond that. Which is a shame. (Same for a few other Connacht and Ulster players). He was quality earlier, a clinic at 10.
@Cathal Carr: Curate’s egg. Have to take the penalty he kicked dead into account when assessing him.
@TL55: two bad touch finders in two weeks unfortunately
@mike ryan: if carty was a better points kicker he would be on the Irish team.
It’s the one weak point of his game but unfortunately is a big part of what is needed to be an international 10
@Reg Gordon:
Can none of the back three kick like in other National teams?
@David Hickey: what annoys me is Carty is always judged by his odd bad moment. Where as certain other 10′s are judged by their odd good moments and praised as the next best thing for years on end…as a Connacht fan I’m not saying he should be in the Irish squad…just saying that there are others ahead of him who have been bang average for years but can seem to do no wrong and given multiple opportunities to play themselves into form.
@Breandán Ó Cadhain: that’s very true. Plus with him rarely being injured he’s in the shop window much more than others. He looks a little low on confidence tho at the minute
@Breandán Ó Cadhain:As a Munster fan I agree with your take on Carthy Joey had a horror show for the first twenty last night ended up close to MOTM. A good sixty minutes doesn’t make up for a bad twenty
@Breandán Ó Cadhain:
There is also context as well… Connacht were having a bad time converting penalty line outs. Jack was trying to get the on the 5 meter line as he knew 8-9m would probably be too much for them. It is about risk, he knew what he was doing and why he was doing it… Other Irish sides have a much higher score rate and can convert from 8-9m…
Saying that, Carty’s pass for the first try is as fine a pass you will see this year. That what makes him different…
Good win but still lots of mistakes. But well done some great training pitch plans. Boyle was amazing and Hansen is so good. Onwards and upwards!
@Prof. William Joyce: yeah it was a good win but a better team would have crucified us in the first half. We were but the bounce of a ball from disarray a few times
5-0 on the table the most important thing but plenty didn’t go right either, would of been nice to increase the points difference a bit, don’t know how Boyle held that up over the line, deserved his motm