A changing of the guard as an unbeatable week draws to a dramatic close

And so for another year it’s over. The swords have been re-sheathed and the triumphal clamour of racegoers around Prestbury Park is an echo once more. Yet there is so much still to savour. We have been witness to four days of equine achievement that have exceeded all others in drama and excitement, the Cheltenham Festival truly earning its cliched title of ‘the greatest show on turf’ From the roar of the first race at half past one on Tuesday, where the thoroughbred machine Vautour burst onto the jumping scene with a bang, everyone from racing enthusiast to cautious punter can be satisfied they have been a part of a sporting extravaganza that has lived up to, and surpassed, its lofty reputation.

Naturally there have been some ups and downs. This week, Daryl Jacob’s book of rides has epitomised the life of a jumps jockey. The stable rider to Paul Nicholls had been searching relentlessly for a winner all week, his frustration coming out in a moment of cathartic emotion on Thursday when his Southfield Theatre was beaten a nose into second. When we thought it could get no worse for the stricken rider, his stirrup broke when aboard the ante-post favourite for the Triumph Hurdle and he could only finish fourth, when, surely, he would have finished closer. He was eventually rewarded in the next race aboard Lac Fontana, but his relief quickly turned to distress as his ride in the following race spooked and ran off the course into the rail, catapulting Jacob from the saddle onto the concrete. Jacob was not the only casualty of the meeting. Ruby Walsh, Bryan Cooper and Paul Townend all suffered falls in their respective races. Our Conor and Raya Star were two high-profile horses that were lost over the four days, a dreadful outcome marring an otherwise perfect week. It is most certainly a week of emotional extremes.

However, the four days should be remembered for the resolute and dedicated spirits of everyone involved. This is possibly best embodied in the never-say-die attitude of the magnificent Quevega, who this year returned to the festival for a sixth time – and won for a sixth time. Her defiance running up the Cheltenham hill that she would not be beaten was evident to see, and the roar that cheered her home was the loudest of the week.

It was also a week to signal the changing of the equine guard. The dominance in the last few years of Big Buck’s and Hurricane Fly that has delighted so many racing fans has finally been usurped by the arrival of a new wave of sporting heroes. Headed by More Of That and Lord Windermere, the festival did not have a look of ‘out with the old and in with the new’, but rather a graceful farewell to those animals that have given us so much pleasure, and in the case of Big Buck’s and Last Instalment, animals that can enjoy a retirement that is truly deserved.

It is sad to have to say goodbye to such giants of the sport, but with every disappointment comes a reason to look ahead. Despite Bob’s Worth and Silviniaco Conti not quite having the finishing kick to deny the new kids on the block in the Gold Cup, it is refreshing to see that smaller trainers with less resources can out-battle the battalions of the top-earning stables that attract the wealthiest owners. Jim Culloty, a Gold Cup winning rider himself, trained Lord Windermere to the minute, denying the Willie Mullins-trained On His Own by a diminishing short head, and has justifiably proved he can outsmart the big guns. In third was the David Bridgewater-trained The Giant Bolster, who, if he’d had a clear run, might well have won the race. With Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins fighting for places, it was not just the horses who signalled a changing of the guard.

Usually, the Saturday after the Cheltenham Festival is a bit of an anti-climax. But this year the racing was so good, the rivalry so bitter, and the sportsmanship so constant, that it is impossible to harbour sentiments of disappointment in the desire for an extra few days of Festival magic. I’m delighted that I’m a fanatic of such a wonderful sport that has so many levels of enjoyment, and I know that next year I will be hopeful of another memorable week.

Roll on Aintree, and the Grand National.