Horse racing can be a funny old sport at times, and with the Cheltenham Festival being the most famous jump racing meeting in the world, memorable moments are somewhat amplified. Whether it be hard luck stories, unlikely comebacks, or dramatic finishes, Cheltenham has seen them all.
Adding to the spectacle
Dramatic moments such as these can be memorable for a multitude of reasons in the racing and betting industry. In a flash the racing world becomes bewildered and any fans with a bet on the race will be checking their betting slip again.
Cheltenham 2023 sees a lot of short-priced favourites such as Galopin Des Champs (6/4), and Constitution Hill (4/11). Will there be more twists in the tale to leave the racing world and the horse betting industry in disbelief?
Below are just three previous festival moments that will live long in the memory.
Annie Power’s Last Fence Fall
Famous for being one of the most dramatic moments for both the racing world and the horse betting industry, Annie Power’s final fence fall in the 2015 Mares’ Hurdle sent shockwaves through the sport and allowed bookmakers to take a huge sigh of relief.
Willie Mullins’ brilliant mare was part of an exciting squad of horses for her trainer on day one of the festival, and there was major money placed on an accumulator featuring herself, Douvan, Un De Sceaux, and Faugheen.
The other three horses all won their respective races, and as Annie Power approached the final flight of hurdles with the race at her mercy it looked like the bookies were in for a bashing. Unfortunately for punters, Annie Power crashed through the fence and fell on the floor, leaving the crowd speechless and saving the bookmakers a reported £40 Million in the process.
Annie Power saves bookies with ‘single most expensive fall in National Hunt racing history’ – http://t.co/SPrrbab52k pic.twitter.com/orxfZfHmYC
— Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) March 10, 2015
Kauto Star Regains His Gold Cup Crown
One of the greatest horses in the history of jumps racing, Kauto Star was the one that everyone wanted to see and every horse had to beat at the festival in the late noughties.
He would reach the pinnacle of the sport when winning the 2007 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but would then become embroiled in a legendary rivalry with his stablemate and next-door neighbour, Denman.
Denman would lower the colours of Kauto Star in the following year’s Gold Cup but in 2009 the latter would become the first horse to ever regain the trophy, this time beating off his old foe by 13 lengths.
“Kauto Star” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Carine06
2014 Gold Cup
The 2014 Gold Cup will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes ever at the Cheltenham Festival. Six horses had a chance of glory after jumping the last fence and, in the end, just over 6 lengths would separate the six.
It was the Jim Culloty-trained, Lord Windermere, that would eventually cross the line in front, but both trainer and jockey, Davy Russell, would have to wait until the result of a stewards inquiry before the celebrations could begin.
To add to the drama, the resulting inquiry was played out on live tv, with both Russell and fellow jockey, David Casey, both arguing their case. Lord Windermere would eventually keep the race, becoming the biggest-priced winner in 16 years at odds of 20/1.
This is just a small collection of the drama that can unfold at Cheltenham, and with the 2023 Festival now just around the corner, there are sure to be more memorable moments ahead.
