Wednesday, March 12, 2008

CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE STATEMENT

THE FESTIVAL 2008 REVISED ORDER OF RUNNING

CHELTENHAM PRESS CONFERENCE

“We came in at 5am and found that the forecast remained precisely the same - that they anticipated winds gusting up to 50mph. The significance of that is our temporary structures in the village cannot be occupied with winds of that strength. And not just in the tented village but also in the Best Mate enclosure. There are 10,000 people in each of those areas. We could not invite people on to this site because we could not guarantee their safety,” he said.

“Between 6.50am and 6.55am, we had some further wind damage in the tented village when a roof there basically exploded from wind pressure. As a result of that we evacuated the tented village from 7am. After 7am, everything was going in one direction, which was the site was not safe. We had a meeting at 8am with our advisory group; the people who supply the temporary structures, the structural engineer, emergency services, including the police, fire and ambulance, and the advice to a man was that we could not open the gates at 10.30am and nor was it likely that the site would be safe until beyond 3pm. It was therefore quite plain to us that it would be impossible to race today. Therefore, we made the decision that racing would not take place and we announced that at 8.30am,” he said.

“Thankfully, it’s not Thursday or Friday that this has happened and we have sufficient scope in the programme to re-allocate all the races that are going to be lost today. That decision was helped by the forecast that the winds would lighten,” he said.

“Of course, I’m very sorry for those people for whom today was their big day they had been looking forward to - and for the inconvenience they’ve been put to. On the ticketing front, all tickets bought and hospitality bought for today will be 100% refunded. That will be done automatically. We are selling tickets for tomorrow so hopefully many of those people who were disappointed can come and enjoy a day’s racing. We discussed it with the emergency services and we will increase the capacity tomorrow, which would have been 55,000, to 65,000. There will be tickets for sale tomorrow morning but Friday is sold out.” he said. The gates will open at 10am on both Thursday and Friday.

Gillespie was not able to put a figure on the cost to the racecourse of the loss of racing. “We have an insurance programme in place the vagaries of which still have to be discussed with those who handle those insurances. Obviously, we hope the next two days will help us to recoup some of the costs which we will have to refund,” he said.

“When we looked at the challenges we were facing, momentarily Saturday flashed across our mind. But Saturday has no staff in place and no customers in place and it was made clear to us that the emergency services would have great difficult in covering us on Saturday. Also Saturday has a race programme that is already there elsewhere,” he said.

The Director of Racing and Clerk of the Course Simon Claisse explained the rationale behind the programme changes which included the demands of television, the desire to have as little disruption as possible and the necessity to use different courses on each of the final two days; with 10 races on the Old Course on Thursday, March 13, and nine races on the New Course on Friday, March 14. In all the races, the number of obstacle have remained the same, but because events are now being run on different courses, there have been slight adjustments to the distances in some events, and a new three-mile start on the Old Course, opposite the Best Mate Enclosure Stand, for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and the Pertemps Final on Thursday. The value of the races from today which will now be run on Thursday and Friday has been maintained at their original value.

“There have obviously been some fairly big logistical issues,” said Claisse,”Not least of which is the stabling for these 10 races tomorrow. We have had terrific support from the stable staff, from the trainers and Warwick Racecourse, to move out horses who have already run to make sure there is sufficient space both tomorrow and Friday. We have 185 runners tomorrow. We actually can accommodate 298 horses on site, but what happens, particularly with the Irish runners, is that they stay for the week, so that process [of finding accommodation for the horses] is still happening.”

The Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase, Ryanair Chase, Racing Post Plate, Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle and Coral Cup are all run over two miles, four and a half furlongs rather than the originally advertised 2m 5f.

FACTFILES ON KAUTO STAR & DENMAN follow

KAUTO HEADS BETTING AFTER 48-HOUR DECS

Spokesman Damian Walker said: “We still just favour Kauto Star at Evens over Denman at 11/8, although the prevailing ground will ultimately decide how we price the race on the day.

“Denman is a big ante-post loser and Kauto Star is a small winner, but our positions will be determined by betting on the day which will dwarf the ante-post book.”

totesport Gold Cup

3m 2.5f Cheltenham 3.30pm Friday

Evens Kauto Star, 11/8 Denman, 12 Exotic Dancer, 16 Halcon Genelardais, 28 Neptune Collonges, 33 Afistfullofdollars, Knowhere, Star De Mohaison, 50 Racing Demon, 66 Celesial Gold, 150 Ollie Magern, 300 Iron Man, 500 Contraband, Fustrien Du Paon, 1000 Azulejo

Each-way a quarter 1, 2, 3.

totesport Gold Cup betting without Kauto Star and Denman

3m 2.5f Cheltenham 3.30pm Friday

5-2 Exotic Dancer, 7-2 Halcon Genelardais, 9-2 Neptune Collonges, 11-2 Knowhere, 7 Afistfullofdollars, Star De Mohaison, 14 Racing Demon, 16 Celesial Gold, 33 Ollie Magern, 66 Iron Man, 100 Contraband, Fustrien Du Paon, 150 Azulejo

Each-way one fifth 1, 2, 3.

KAUTO STAR (FR) FACTFILE

Race Record: Starts: 25; Wins: 15; 2nd: 5; 3rd: 2; Win & Place Prize Money: £1,182,717
Clive Smith
Clive Smith is a true jumping enthusiast who first went to Cheltenham in 1974 and has made a significant investment in his string of horses in recent years. A former Surrey golf captain, he was busy building golf courses, including Windlemere, Hawthorn Hill (now Birds Hill) and Pine Ridge, when first breaking into racehorse ownership in 1987 with Hawthorn Hill Lad, trained by Jenny Pitman. The owner then had a brief spell with David Elsworth before having horses with Martin Pipe for 12 years, but took the decision to switch his string to another Somerset-based handler, Paul Nicholls, in the summer of 2003. Jump racing's newest superstar, Kauto Star, bought for 400,000 euros, is owned by Smith while the 2005 John Smith's Grand National runner-up, Royal Auclair, also sports his colours as does leading Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase contender Master Minded. He bid up to 500,000gns at Doncaster Sales in May, 2004, for the record-priced Garde Champetre, who was eventually sold to J P McManus for 530,000gns. The brilliant Kauto Star won his connections a £1 million bonus put up by Betfair when completing a big race treble in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup last seaon. Smith, a shrewd punter, is also believed to have collected over £100,000 in winning bets after his charge's Cheltenham victory. A former executive with Ford and Chrysler who lives at Wentworth in Surrey, Smith is well known in the golfing world as the founder of the Lagonda Trophy, which attracts an international field of top amateurs, has been won by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald and is in its 33rd year. He is also a vintage car enthusiast and owns a 1928 and 1930 Lagonda. Previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup victory: 2007 KAUTO STAR
Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls, the son of a policeman, was born in Olveston near Bristol, on April 17, 1962, and has been training at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, Somerset, since taking out a licence on November 1, 1991. He started out as a jump jockey and twice rode the winner of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury, in 1986 and 1987. He partnered 130 winners between 1980 and 1989, and nominates the best horses he rode as Broadheath, Playschool and Seagram. Between 1989 and 1991, he was assistant trainer to Devon-based David Barons. Having strongly challenged Martin Pipe for the jump trainers’ championship in recent years, most notably when pushing his great rival right to the last day of the 2004/05 campaign, he claimed his first title in 2005/06 and took a second championship last season. With huge strength in depth at his yard, he looks long odds-on to win the title again this year, thanks to the likes of last year’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded Twist Magic and a host of other leading contenders at this year’s Festival. Nicholls pulled off the amazing feat of saddling seven winners and three seconds from his 10 runners on Saturday, November 7, 1998, and made history when he became the first trainer to saddle six winners on the same card, at Wincanton, his local track, on Saturday, January 21, 2006. Another highpoint in his training career came at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, as he captured the major chase on each of the three days - Flagship Uberalles scored in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase the following day and, best of all, See More Business took the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls has trained 17 Cheltenham Festival winners in total, and was the most successful trainer at The Festival in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again in 2007. His four successes last year were Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Taranis in the Ryanair Chase and Andreas in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.

Previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup victories: 1999 SEE MORE BUSINESS, 2007 KAUTO STAR
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh is associated with the powerful stables of Paul Nicholls in Britain and Willie Mullins in Ireland. Born May 14, 1979, and based in Co. Kildare, Ireland, he is the son of 11-times Irish amateur champion jockey, Ted Walsh, now a trainer and television pundit. Ruby is the second of Walsh's four children and his younger sister Katie is a successful amateur. He secured his first success under Rules aboard Siren Song at Gowran Park on July 25, 1995, and followed in his father's footsteps when capturing the Irish amateur riders’ championship at the age of 19 while still studying for his Leaving Certificate. He was crowned champion Irish National Hunt jockey in his first season as a professional (1998/99) and has taken the title a further four times (2000/2001, 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2006/07). Walsh has won the John Smith's Grand National twice. His first success came in 2000 on his first ride in the race aboard Papillon, trained by his father, less than a month after returning from a fractured leg sustained in a fall in October, 1999, in the Czech Republic. The Willie Mullins-trained Hedgehunter provided him with a second success in 2005 and the pair finished a creditable runner-up in 2006. He followed Papillon's Aintree triumph with an Irish Grand National victory aboard his father's Commanche Court but surpassed that achievement in the 2004/2005 season when his John Smith's Grand National success aboard Hedgehunter was augmented by wins in the Welsh National (Silver Birch) and Irish Grand National (Numbersixvalverde). He narrowly missed out in that season's Scottish Grand National when his mount, Cornish Rebel, finished a short-head second to Joes Edge. He was leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival for a second time in 2006 (three wins) (he also took the accolade in 2004 - three wins). His three wins at last year’s Festival came aboard Kauto Star (Gold Cup), Denman (Royal & SunAlliance Chase) and Taranis (Ryanair Chase) and he has had 14 Festival winners in all. He missed the ride on Kauto Star in this season’s Betfair Chase at Haydock and Denman in the Hennessy at Newbury due to a dislocated shoulder sustained when falling on Willyanwoody at Cheltenham’s Open meeting on November 17, 2007.
Previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup victory: 2007 KAUTO STAR

DENMAN (IRE)

Race Record: Starts: 13; Wins: 12; 2nd: 1; 3rd: 0; Win & Place Prize Money: £408,835

Paul Barber and Margaret Findlay
Paul Barber’s family have farmed near Ditcheat since the 1830s and he oversees a large dairy herd that produces Barbers and Maryland Farmhouse Cheese, run by Paul’s brother Nicholas. Paul - who has been allergic to cheese since the age of five - was born on December 31, 1942, in the house where he still lives, stating “I’ve never thought about living elsewhere” and despite no family involvement with racing, has owned horses for 45 years. His first winner was a horse called Crazy Slave, who scored in 1963, and his main flagbearers before Denman are headed by the 1999 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner See More Business. Others to carry his colours include See More Indians, who won eight races out of 14, and the John Thorne-trained Artifice. Barber owns Nicholls’s Manor Farm Stables, initially converted from a cow shed, and many of his best performers have had an initial grounding in point-to-points, either with Liam Burke in Ireland or Barber’s brother Richard - who has trained four Festival winners - at Seaborough in Dorset. Barber’s partner in many of his horses is professional gambler Harry Findlay, whose horses run in the name of his mother Margaret. The London-born Findlay, who now lives near Bath, is a one-time greyhound trainer who is now best known as a fearless high-stakes punter. He is a regular winner of the Tote’s Scoop 6 bet and specialises in long odds-on bets on Betfair. He met Paul Barber at Doncaster sales and the duo have teamed up to own a number of promising performers which - apart from Denman - include this season’s Racing Post Chase winner Gungadu and Desert Quest, who landed the 2006 Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle. Desert Quest was bought from Findlay’s winnings when he backed Roger Federer to win the US Open.

Paul Barber’s previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup win: 1999 SEE MORE BUSINESS

Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls, the son of a policeman, was born in Olveston near Bristol, on April 17, 1962, and has been training at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, Somerset, since taking out a licence on November 1, 1991. He started out as a jump jockey and twice rode the winner of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury, in 1986 and 1987. He partnered 130 winners between 1980 and 1989, and nominates the best horses he rode as Broadheath, Playschool and Seagram. Between 1989 and 1991, he was assistant trainer to former Devon-based David Barons. Having strongly challenged Martin Pipe for the jump trainers’ championship in recent years, most notably when pushing his great rival right to the last day of the 2004/05 campaign, he claimed his first title in 2005/06 and took a second championship last season. With huge strength in depth at his yard, he looks long odds-on to win the title again this year, thanks to the likes of last year’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded Twist Magic and a host of other leading contenders at this year’s Festival. Nicholls pulled off the amazing feat of saddling seven winners and three seconds from his 10 runners on Saturday, November 7, 1998, and made history when he became the first trainer to saddle six winners on the same card, at Wincanton, his local track, on Saturday, January 21, 2006. Another highpoint in his training career came at the 1999 Cheltenham Festival, as he captured the major chase on each of the three days - Flagship Uberalles scored in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase the following day and, best of all, See More Business took the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls has trained 17 Cheltenham Festival winners in total, and was the most successful trainer at The Festival in 1999, 2004, 2006 and again in 2007. His four successes last year were Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, Denman in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, Taranis in the Ryanair Chase and Andreas in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.

Previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup victories: 1999 SEE MORE BUSINESS, 2007 KAUTO STAR

Sam Thomas
Sam Thomas hails from a family of school teachers, with both his parents and his sister engaged in that profession but bucked the trend by forging a successful career as a jump jockey. Born on June 22, 1984, in Abergavenny, he began riding ponies at the age of four before graduating to the Welsh point-to-point circuit. After training at the British Racing School in Newmarket, he joined Welshpool trainer David Evans. Initially he rode on the Flat, but after 20 winless rides, decided to turn to jump racing and joined the Hereford yard of Venetia Williams. He broke his duck on Indian Sun in a Ludlow selling hurdle in April, 2003. His first professional victory came in November, 2003, when he rode I Tina to glory in a Chepstow selling hurdle. Thomas - who was once shortlisted for the Bachelor of the Year award, organised by woman's magazine, Company - is second rider behind Ruby Walsh at Paul Nicholls’ yard. While Walsh was injured earlier this season, he enjoyed a great spell aboard some of the Nicholls stable stars - landing the Betfair Chase on Kauto Star, the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup on Denman and Tingle Creek Chase on Twist Magic. He has yet to win at The Festival No previous totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup wins

NON RUNNERS

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