So with a trip to the ever welcoming David Pipe at his base at Nicolashayne on the Somerset/Devon border the great annual tour is complete.
Now it’s a question of what to make of it all? And that could take rather longer than I have- the car leaves for National Hunt Racing’s Olympics next Monday.
Everyone it seems wishes they were Willie Mullins (I wonder what the collective noun for Willie Mullins’ is?), everyone thinks there’s will win- no change there and above all everyone wishes it was 1.30pm next Tuesday, first race time.These last few days can be dreadful.
The Irish expect, I seem to recall before the warmth of the hospitality kicked in to dominate Day One. I suspect they will all go home if Douvan doesn’t win the first and they’ll let the home side, generously, win a few on Day Three such is their sporting nature.
The Brits will look to Peace and Co in the Triumph, Silviniaco Conti in the Gold Cup, though to me Bobsworth is the forgotten horse and whatever gets in the handicaps…. How I wish I was the Editor of Clairvoyants Monthly.
And we can expect plenty of reference to the word Rugby- after Irish eyes not so much laughed their socks off as wheels fell of hapless helpless and hopeless chariots like never before as the Boys in Green took the English to the cleaners at the Aviva on Saturday.
I was there and I won’t forget it.
Let’s hope thousands of people are saying that about the 2015 Cheltenham Festival next week.
By Mike Vince