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2019 Cheltenham Festival Results
Tuesday, March 13 – – – Wed | Thu | Fri
1.30pm SkyBet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
(Grade One) 2m 87y £125,000
1 Klassical Dream 6/1
2 Thomas Darby 28/1
3 Itchy Feet 25/1
4 Fakir D’Oudairies 9/2JF
16 ran
2.10pm Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase
(Grade One) 1m 7f £175,000
1 Duc Des Genievres 5/1
2 Us And Them 14/1
3 Articulum 25/1
12 ran
2.50pm Ultima Handicap Chase
(Grade Three) 3m abt 1f £110,000
1 Beware The Bear 10/1
2 Vintage Clouds 16/1
3 Lake View Lad 25/1
4 Big River 28/1
24 ran
3.30pm Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy
(Grade One) 2m 87y £450,000
1 Espoir D’Allen 16/1
2 Melon 20/1
3 Silver Streak 80/1
10 ran
4.10pm OLBG Mares’ Hurdle
(Grade Two) 2m 3f 200y £120,000
1 Roksana 10/1
2 Stormy Ireland 7/1
3 Good Thyne Tara 25/1
14 ran
4.50pm Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase
(Listed) 2m 4f 44y 110y £70,000
1 A Plus Tard 5/1F
2 Tower Bridge 6/1
3 Ben Dundee 33/1
4 The Russian Doyen 20/1
20 ran
5.30pm National Hunt Chase
(Amateurs) 3m 7f 147y £125,000
1 Le Breuil 14/1
2 Discorama 9/2
3 Jerrysback 16/1
18 ran
Wednesday, March 13 – – – Tue | Thu | Fri
1.30pm Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
(Grade One) 2m 5f £125,000
1 City Island 8/1
2 Champ 9/2
3 Bright Forecast 25/1
16 ran
2.10pm RSA Chase
(Grade One) 3m 80y £175,000
1 Topofthegame 4/1
2 Santini 3/1
3 Delta Work 15/8F
12 ran
2.50pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle
(Grade Three) 2m 5f £100,000
1 William Henry 28/1
2 Wicklow Brave 28/1
3 Ballyandy 14/1
4 Brio Conti 10/1
5 Canardier 14/1
25 ran
3.30pm BetWay Queen Mother Champion Chase
(Grade One) 1m 7f 99y £400,000
1 Altior 4/11F
2 Politologue 11/1
3 Sceau Royal 16/1
9 ran
4.10pm Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase
(Handicap) 3m 6f 37y £65,000
1 Tiger Roll 5/4F
2 Josies Orders 15/2
3 Urgent De Gregaine 17/2
15 ran
4.50pm Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
(Grade Three) 2m 87y £80,000
1 Band of Outlaws 7/2F
2 Coko Beach 14/1
3 Ciel De Neige 17/2
4 King D’Argent 25/1
21 ran
5.30pm Weatherbys Champion Bumper
(Grade One) 2m 87y £75,000
1 Envoi Allen 2/1F
2 Blue Sari 7/2
3 Thyme Hill 20/1
14 ran
Thursday, March 14 – – – Tue | Wed | Fri
1.30pm JLT Novices’ Chase
(Grade One) 2m 3f 166y £150,000
1 Defi Du Seuil 3/1F
2 Lostintranslation 4/1
3 Mengli Khan 9/1
10 ran
2.10pm Pertemps Network Final
(Listed Race) 2m 7f 213y £100,000
1 Sire Du Berlais 4/1F
2 Tobefair 40/1
3 Not Many Left 16/1
4 Cuneo 12/1
24 ran
2.50pm Ryanair Chase
(Grade One) 2m 4f 127y £350,000
1 Frodon 9/2
2 Aso 33/1
3 Road To Respect 9/2
12 ran
3.30pm Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle
(Grade One) 2m 7f 213y £325,000
1 Paisley Park 11/8F
2 Sam Spinner 33/1
3 Faugheen 4/1
4 Bapaume 16/1
18 ran
4.10pm Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate
(Grade Three) 2m 4f 127y £110,000
1 Eglantine Du Seuil 50/1
2 Concertista 66/1
3 Tintangle 40/1
4 Black Tears 25/1
22 ran
4.50pm Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
(Grade 2) 2m 179y £90,000
1 Siruh Du Lac 9/2
2 Janika 3/1F
3 Spiritofthegames 6/1
4 Eamon An Cnoic 10/1
22 ran
5.30pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
(Amateurs) 3m 2f £70,000
1 Any Second Now 6/1
2 Kilfilum Cross 7/1
3 The Young Master 22/1
4 Crievehill 40/1
23 ran
Friday, March 14 – – – Tue | Wed | Thu
1.30pm JCB Triumph Hurdle Race
(Grade One) 2m 139y £125,000
1 Pentland Hills 20/1
2 Coeur Sublime 20/1
3 Gardens of Babylon 9/1
14 ran
2.10pm Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle
(Grade Three) 2m 179y £100,000
1 Ch’tibello 12/1
2 We Have A Dream 14/1
3 Countister 18/1
4 Whiskey Sour 5/1F
24 ran
2.50pm Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
(Grade One) 2m 7f 213y £125,000
1 Minella Indo 50/1
2 Commander Of Fleet 4/1F
3 Allaho 8/1
4 Dickie Diver 14/1
20 ran
3.30pm Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup
(Chase) (Grade One) 3m 2f 70yds £625,000
1 Al Boum Photo 12/1
2 Anibale Fly 22/1
3 Bristol De Mai 18/1
16 ran
4.10pm St James’s Place Foxhunter Steeplechase
(Amateurs) 3m 2f 70yds £45,000
1 Hazel Hill 7/2F
2 Shantou Flyer 7/1
3 Top Wood 33/1
24 ran
4.50pm Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase
(Handicap) (Grade Three) 2m 62yds £110,000
1 Croco Bay 66/1
2 Bun Doran 11/1
3 Brelan D’As 8/1
4 Forest Bihan 33/1
19 ran
5.30pm Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
2m 4f 56yds £70,000
1 Early Doors 5/1
2 Dallas Des Pictons 7/2F
3 Defi Bleu 14/1
4 Champagne Court 14/1
24 ran
Paul Nicholls
It would be fair to say that Paul Nicholls has bought more than one new pair of trousers since weighing in, at 10st 5lb, on Broadheath in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1986. However, Nicholls retired as a jockey three years later, due to weight problems and, ultimately, to a broken leg sustained when he was kicked by a horse during morning exercise and has since become the foremost National Hunt trainer of his generation.
Nicholls spent two years as assistant trainer to David Barons, to whom he had previously been stable jockey, before responding to an advertisement placed in the Sporting Life by Paul Barber, owner and landlord of Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Nicholls took out a training licence in his own right and became tenant of the former dairy farming facility, with a string of just eight horses, in November, 1991. After a modest start, he gradually increased his winning tally, year-by-year, but enjoyed his real ‘breakthrough’ season in 1998/99, when he saddled over 100 winners and won over £1 million in prize money for the first time.
Indeed, it was during the 1998/99 season that Nicholls saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winner, or winners, namely Flagship Uberalles in the Arkle Challenge Trophy, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and See More Business in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. That high-profile treble was sufficient to win the leading trainer award for the first time and, although he would not saddle another Cheltenham Festival winner until 2003, he won the award again in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Fast forward a decade or so and Nicholls has saddled at least one winner at the Cheltenham Festival every year since 2003 and his career total of 45 winners makes him the third most successful trainer, behind only Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson, in the history of the famous March meeting. Highlights of his training including winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup three more times, with Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009 and Denman in 2008 and, of course, winning the Stayers’ Hurdle four years running with Big Buck’s in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.