The Cheltenham Festival evokes what are technically known as episodic memories or, in other words, memories of personally experienced events associated with a time, place and emotions, such as agony or ecstasy. By definition, such memories are personal and different for everyone but, apparently, your favourites are likely to be those from between the ages of 15 and 25. Quite rightly, my own most vivid recollections date from 1984, 1986 and 1990.
I was still a little ‘wet behind the ears’, in racing terms, when Dawn Run won the Champion Hurdle, in workmanlike fashion, in 1984, but considerably more worldly-wise when the mare – reunited with winning jockey, Jonjo O’Neill, for the first time since – lined up for the Cheltenham Gold two years later. Backed as if defeat was out of the question, Dawn Run was one of four horses left in contention as Run And Skip led the field over the second last. On the run to the final fence, she was passed by both Wayward Lad and Forgive ‘N’ Forget but, switched to the outside, accompanied by the ‘Voice of Racing’, Sir Peter O’Sullevan and his famous, ‘the mare’s beginning to get up’ commentary, she galloped into turf history as the only horse ever to complete the Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double.
Early that same week, in the very first race, in fact, I had enjoyed the entirely unexpected, but rewarding victory of a novice hurdler that I also had backed, when beaten, on his previous start at Ascot. Thirty-three years ago, River Ceiriog, trained by Nicky Henderson – who, at the time, was looking for his second winner at the Cheltenham Festival – lined up for the Waterford Crystal Supreme Novices’ Hurdle as an unheralded 40/1 chance. Indeed, Henderson had told Sir Peter O’Sullevan that he need not learn the correct pronunciation of Ceiriog (‘Kay-ri-og’) as the horse would not feature. O’Sullevan took Henderson at his word, repeatedly opting for ‘Ki-ri-og’, as the horse named after a tributary of the River Dee in north east Wales strode clear in the closing stages to win, unchallenged, by 20 lengths.
Last, but my no means least, of my abiding memories is the victory of Desert Orchid in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989. On bottomless, nigh on unraceable, ground, and going left-handed, which was never his forte, the doughty grey summoned every last ounce of courage to overhaul the confirmed mudlark Yahoo, who had looked all over the winner turning for home, on the run-in and win by 1½ lengths. Winning jockey Simon Sherwood punched the air shortly after passing the post and so, dear reader, did I.