A Happy Racing New Year!
So we’re off and running again- 2017 dawned with an amazing 30,000 people on a miserable New Years Day flocking to Cheltenham- some appeal the place has- and from now until mid March it is all about The Festival.
And that’s after a Christmas dominated by one horse- Thistlecrack, who romped home in the 32Red King George the Sixth Chase and is short priced favourite to become the second Novice in three years to win the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup- some prospect.
I like this time of the year- travel around both Britain and Ireland talking to Trainers and Jockeys, meet Punters at the Irish Cheltenham Preview Nights, when we hopefully raise considerable sums for charities and arrive in Gloucestershire in Mid March overflowing with knowledge.
But last year was typical- The tour had given me 4 good things- 3 of them in the same race!
The Cheltenham Roadshow is one everyone wants to be part of and it starts for me with the Skybet Moscow Flyer Hurdle, which has produced the last two winners of the Skybet Supreme Novices Hurdle which opens the Festival at Punchestown on 14th January.
I’ll update this blog as the travelling begins from the exotic and the not so exotic- that’s all part of the fun.
Happy New Year- lets hope it will be for All Creatures Human and Equine
By Mike Vince