CHELTENHAM
20225Over the past four years it has not
been hard to detect some murmurs over
Frost’s high profile. Yet her win on
Frodon in the Ryanair Chase in 2019 was
one of those Cheltenham moments that
showcased all that is good about racing.
It was also another milestone as she
became the first female jockey to win a
grade one race over jumps at the Festival.
And Frost, a fast-talking, normally
ebullient figure, was the perfect
articulator of what makes the sport great.
“At the ditch I giggled and said [to
Frodon], ‘Now you’re showing off.’ And
he was. Then I said, ‘Really, is that all
you’ve got in the tank?’ Our hearts and
breath were in sync.” When Aso came
alongside, Frost recalled: “Your dreams
become foggy. You’re kind of letting go.
And that’s when he started to lift me up.
He’s like, ‘No, this doesn’t happen, we
have more.’ Then he eyeballs Aso and
attacks. And Aso’s neck disappears. Then
the ears. The nostrils. When it was over,
I said, ‘Well that’s you all over, mate.’ ”
That’s perfect PR for a sport that
needs to tether tradition to progress.
Blackmore’s success was heralded as
proof of racing’s inclusivity, a rare sport
where men and women compete in a
happy meritocracy. Yet if words such as
“slut” and “whore” are used, and if a man
delights in his nakedness before a female
peer, then it is still rooted somewhere
between the 1950s and the Dark Ages.
Frodon’s participation in today’s
Ultima Handicap Chase will depend on
the conditions but Frost will be onboard
Martello Sky in the Mares’ Hurdle 80
minutes later. Meanwhile, Blackmore is
likely to gallop back into the nation’s
households this week, with Friday’s Gold
Cup shot on A Plus Tard a tantalising
Festival finale.
These two jockeys are both inspiring.
“The idol we should all have,” was how
the former jockey Lizzie Kelly described
Blackmore after her Aintree triumph.
Actions and words can both speak
volumes, though, and Frost’s own
courage in seeking a better, safer
workspace for those who will come after
her should not be played down or
brushed beneath the musty carpet. If
forced into a lonely existence by
speaking up, she might take solace from
the words uttered by trainer Ted Walsh
in the TV series Jump Girls: “The real
strong women say, ‘Go f*** yourself.’ ”DAN SHERIDAN/INPHO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Blackmore
was the star
of the Festival
last year with
six victoriesWhat are you most looking forward to
this year?
Francesca Cumani, presenter
The Cheltenham Festival always throws
up amazing stories and last year we
had Rachael Blackmore making history
by becoming the top jockey and winning
an unbelievable six races. Rachael
will be back again, and it would be
amazing to see her and Honeysuckle
win the Champion Hurdle and come
back into the winner’s enclosure to all
the applause that was eerily absent
last year.Is Honeysuckle a certainty
in the Champion Hurdle?
What is her main danger?
Ruby Walsh, 11-times
leading Festival jockey
Honeysuckle sets a very high standard.
Many — chiefly Ed Chamberlin — are
bemoaning the lack of depth to this
division, but a superstar will always scare
the opposition away, which is a sign of
respect. Her main danger will most likely
come from last year’s Supreme Novices’
Hurdle winner, Appreciate It, but even
though he was spectacular here last
March, he will need to be better if he has
any chance of beating Honeysuckle.Will Ireland dominate
again?
Kevin Blake, pundit
The Irish are in a very
strong position in the
graded races and it will be a major
surprise if they don’t win the lion’s share
of those. However, as part of a stated
change of policy this season, the British
handicapper has been treating the
home team very leniently and this
may well translate to better results for
British-trained horses in the handicaps
— if they get in.What’s the one horse you
would want to be on
Sir Anthony McCoy,
20-times champion jockey
That’s easy for me, but to
keep everyone happy on the English and
Irish sides, I am going for one on each.
Shishkin, for the home team, in the
Champion Chase and Allaho in the
Ryanair. Those are the two I’d want
to be on.Is round two of
Shishkin v
Energumene in
the Champion
Chase tomorrow
going to be the betting race of
the week?
Matt Chapman, tipster
Yes. Shishkin came out on top at
Ascot last time but there are
reasons why both horses might beBlackmore brilliance,
a return of fans and
Sir Alex’s outsider
Cumani will again be fronting
ITV’s coverage of the four daysA wide-open Gold Cup,
a raucous crowd and
some top-class duels
will make for a dramatic
week, say the pundits
better suited to Cheltenham. The fact
that each has their own fan club and
they come from Cheltenham’s two big
powerhouse nations means both will be
supported and betting will be lively. I’m
in the Shishkin camp.How do you see the Gold
Cup playing out this year?
Oli Bell, presenter of The
Opening Show
It’s wide open this year and
features a couple of former winners in
the form of Al Boum Photo and Minella
Indo. The latter ran a good race in defeat
in the Irish Gold Cup and could be hard
to beat at Cheltenham but keep a close
eye on Protektorat, who is part-owned
by Sir Alex Ferguson. He’s a talented
horse, who bolted up by 25 lengths last
time out and could slip under the radar
and surprise a few at a decent price.Which horses are you most
excited about seeing?
Luke Harvey, former
jockey
It’s strange how different
horses react to the peace and quiet
of the start and it is very obvious to me
which horses thrive on the adrenaline
and ones that curl up. I expect Dysart
Dynamo in the opening Supreme
Novices’ Hurdle to grow in stature and
win the contest.If you had a £5 in your
pocket, what outsider
would you put it on?
Richard Hoiles,
commentator
Dame De Compagnie won the Coral
Cup at the Festival two years ago — her
third win at this track — and will
probably run off a lower mark this time
around in the Pertemps Network
Handicap Hurdle Final on Thursday
after a failed spell chasing. On the face
of it, a poor run at Wincanton back over
hurdles on Boxing Day looks a negative
until you consider that William Henry,
who also won the Coral Cup for Nicky
Henderson, had run poorly in that very
same race. Both dropped a few pounds in
the handicap as a result and that makes
her an interesting proposition back at a
track she has excelled at in the past.What can we expect from
ITV this year at
Cheltenham?
Ed Chamberlin, presenter
We want everyone to feel
part of the Cheltenham Festival. With
state-of-the-art cameras,
including a wire cam over the
parade ring (a presenter’s
dream), innovative analysis
tools for Ruby Walsh, plus
our team of presenters and
reporters spread across the
stunning racecourse, we
plan to have every angle
covered and give people at
home the best seat in the
house for four spectacular
days of sport.The Cheltenham Festival is
on ITV from today until
Friday from 12.50-4.30pm.
The Opening Show is on
daily from 9-10am.WHO TO BACKTOP JOCKEY ODDS
Paul Townend 4-6
Rachael Blackmore 11-2
Davy Russell 6-1
Jack Kennedy 7-1
Nico de Boinville 16-1Rob Wright’s verdict
Rachael Blackmore
made history last year
but, Honeysuckle aside,
could find things
tougher. Paul Townend
has a strong handTOP TRAINER ODDS
Willie Mullins 2-5
Gordon Elliott 9-4
Henry de Bromhead 14-1
Nicky Henderson 25-1Rob Wright’s verdict
The big Irish yards of
Willie Mullins and
Gordon Elliott look set
to dominate, with
Mullins appearing to
hold the slightly more
powerful teamPRESTBURY CUP
ODDS: IRELAND v GB
Ireland 1-20
Great Britain 14-1
Draw 14-1Rob Wright’s verdict
For years this was a
one-sided battle in
favour of the home
team. Not any more and
it is hard to envisage
anything other than
Irish dominationFrost’s allegations against Dunne were
revealed by The Sunday Times in October