FAIRYTALES and heartbreak go hand in hand at the Cheltenham Festival and, for a Yorkshire team, the Royal & SunAlliance Chase on Wednesday was the stuff of which legends are made.
Hussard Collonges, a 33-1 shot, jumped and galloped relentlessly in the tacky ground to give jockey Russ Garritty a first Festival win and trainer Peter Beaumont a possible heir to our old favourite Jodami.
The gallant French-bred was handy throughout and, despite a mistake at the 16th, stayed on well to land the spoils by two lengths from Tony McCoy on Martin Pipe's Iznogoud. Four lengths further back was Richard Guest on Henrietta Knight's Chives.
Bought at Doncaster Sales for 46,000gns after an Irish point-to-point win, Hussard Collonges pleased owner Nick Bannister, who praised the trainer and his staff at Foulrice Farm.
Beaumont said that his winner may not go on to contest the Gold Cup like Jodami, as "Russ says he could win a National." The jockey added: "All I had to do was sit and steer him and give him plenty of daylight."
The Irish had a fairytale start to the meeting, landing the first two with Like-A-Butterfly and Moscow Flyer, and poured the money on Istabraq to land his fourth Champion Hurdle - but the heartache began with his pulling up.
Another Irish hopeful, but based now with us in the north, Adrian Maguire had his Cheltenham dreams smashed in a fall from Luzcadou on Saturday at Warwick, when his mount was in with every chance. Ferdy Murphy's stable jockey broke a vertebra in his neck and has had two operations since, but reports from West Witton say he will be back in the saddle.
He was due to ride several of Murphy's runners who, without his strong presence in the saddle, were disappointing. And the popular pilot had been due a dream ride on an Irish entry, Florida Pearl, in yesterday's Gold Cup. Everyone from the north feels for him and wishes him well in his recovery.
Truckers Tavern, McNamara substituting for Maguire, was a creditable fourth in the Arkle on Tuesday, but Hindiana (one of our 12 to Follow) and Ackzo were both pulled up in the William Hill National Hunt Chase.
In an eventful Kim Muir, Paddy's Return was a not-disgraced seventh under Murphy's good young amateur rider Alan O'Keeffe, with The Quads 14th.
Murphy fared better at Sedgefield that afternoon when Fornaught Alliance beat Brian Ellison's course specialist Fatehalkhair (12tF), but his other Cheltenham hopefuls pulled up on Wednesday.
We had expected Tim Easterby to land the Arkle or go close with Barton (12tF), but he finished seventh, while Turgeonev was only seventh in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday.
Hard luck story of that race was the unfortunate Vinnie Keane on Brian Ellison's Latalomne, who fell at the second last.
Flagship Uberalles won under Richard Johnson, but they looked well held by the Ellison star until the fall.
Norman Mason and assistant trainer-jockey Richard Guest warmed up for Cheltenham with a Stratford win by Gypsy, but, to press, they too had a disappointing run.
Tyneandthyneagain (12tF) was only 19th in the Pertemps Final on Tuesday and Red Striker was pulled up in the Mildmay of Flete next day, while Andy Crook's Ryalux (12tF) fell two out, not in contention.
Middleham trainer Patrick Haslam had a Huntingdon win on Wednesday with the versatile Bustling Rio, Tom Doyle up, giving Festival hopes for Fiori yesterday afternoon in the County Hurdle, also opposed by Les Eyre's Benbyas (12tF).
Tomorrow, Peter Beaumont's Altapeter (12tF) is entered at Uttoxeter (1.50, BBC1) and in the Newcastle novice chase (4.25).
At Gosforth Park, Backsheesh could take the hunter chase (4.55) for Edwin Tuer and son Grant following a recent West of Yore pointing win.
THE WEEK'S WINNERS
Key: All racing is now National Hunt (jumping) except for Flat racing on all-weather surfaces (AW); * = evening meeting; f = furlong (8f = 1 mile); chs = steeplechase; hdl = hurdle; NHf = National Hunt flat race (bumper); mdn = maiden; nov = novice; juv = juvenile; clmr = claiming race (entries can be claimed by sealed bid tenders); sllr = selling race (winner auctioned after race, other runners can be claimed); hcp = handicap; amtr = amateur riders; cond = conditional (jumps apprentice) riders; Hb = homebred by owner (or one of the owners).
Thursday last week. - No DST area winners at Wincanton, Towcester.
Friday. - No DST area winners at Sandown, Ayr or Hereford.
Saturday. - No DST area winners at Sandown, Ayr, Chepstow, Warwick or Wolverhampton AW.
Monday. - Stratford: (sllr hdl) Gypsy (trained by Norman Mason, at Brancepeth; owned by the permit holder), ridden by Richard Guest (sold at auction after for 7,000gns).
Tuesday. - Sedgefield: (NH nov hcp hdl) Beckdale (Andrew Turnell, Malton; Dr John Hollowood), Graham Lee; (hcp chs) Fornaught Alliance (Ferdy Murphy, West Witton; R & G Leonard), Michael Naughton; (hunter chs) Jolly Minster (D G Atkinson, Northallerton; D G Atkinson), Mr P Atkinson.
Southwell AW: (11f sllr) Pikestaff (David Barron, Maunby; Harrowgate Bloodstock Ltd), Dean Mernagh; (5f) Safranine (Anne Stokell, Brompton-on-Swale; J McMahon), Joanna Badger.
Wednesday. - Cheltenham: (Grade 1 chs) Hussard Collonges (Peter Beaumont, Stearsby; N W A Bannister), Russ Garritty.
Huntingdon: (nov chs) Bustling Rio (Patrick Haslam, Middleham; Rio Stainless Engineering Ltd), Tom Doyle.
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