The Cheltenham Festival rarely fails to live up to expectations and the latest edition of the National Hunt extravaganza undoubtedly produced plenty of drama.
There were plenty of tears on the opening day, while the rest of the four-day meeting delivered numerous moments that will live long in the memory.
This includes one of the finest ever performances ever witnessed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a new superstar was anointed. Here’s our 2023 Cheltenham Festival recap.
Honeysuckle brings the house down
The connections of two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle came in for plenty of criticism after swerving the big race on the opening day.
Their decision appeared to be vindicated when Constitution Hill romped to an effortless victory just 40 minutes before the Mares’ Hurdle got underway.
The nine-year-old stuck to the script by bringing the curtain down on her glittering career with an emotional victory in her final race.
Trainer Henry de Bromhead had recognised that Honeysuckle was not quite the force of old, but was still good enough to reign supreme against her own sex.
While her performance rightly earned plenty of plaudits, it would not have been good enough to lower Constitution Hill’s colours in the Champion.
Racing pundit Matt Chapman was among the Bromhead’s most vocal critics, but his stance looked wide of the mark after the two races were run.
Trainer Nicky Henderson has had plenty of talented horses in his stable in recent years, but the six-year-old appears to be in a completely different league.
Irish trainers hog the spotlight on the second day
The annual Festival battle between UK and Irish trainers has become one-sided in recent years, with the latter largely dominating proceedings.
That point was hammered home in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, with trainer Willie Mullins bagging an impressive 1-2-3 finish.
Impaire Et Passe eased to a six-and-a-half length victory ahead of Gaelic Warrior and Champ Kiely to showcase Ireland’s dominance at the Festival.
Mullins was at it again later in the day, as his Energumene roared to a ridiculously easy success in the two-mile Champion Chase.
Irish trainers got another win on the board when Gordon Elliott’s Delta Work made it back-to-back wins in the Cross Country Chase.
There was an emotional end to Day Two, when teenage jockey John Gleeson steered John Kiely’s A Dream To Share to a superb Champion Bumper success.
The 85-year-old trainer had never previously won a race at the Festival, but finally broke his duck courtesy of a power-packed finish by the JP McManus-owned horse.
Stage stars as big guns fail to deliver
Having witnessed their Irish counterparts dominate proceedings on the first two days, British trainers could have been forgiven for dreading what the rest of the Festival had in store for them.
However, 13-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls showed he was no back number as Stage Star claimed a hugely impressive victory in the Turners Novice Chase.
Elliott’s Mighty Potter had been backed off the boards for this race, but Stage Star produced a superb round of jumping to claim a fully deserved victory.
Irish trainers hit back later in the day, with Envoi Allen showcasing his quality with an excellent performance in the Ryanair Chase.
The nine-year-old was once touted as a world-beater, but lost his way after being transferred from Elliott’s stable to Bromhead’s operation.
He was tipped to be an also-ran at this year’s Festival, but bounced back to form with a vengeance to resist the Shishkin’s challenge on the run-in.
Sire Du Berlais was another notable Irish winner on the third day, defying odds of 33/1 to record a memorable victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Mullins shines on the final day
The final day of the Festival produced a couple of surprise results, but the headline races were once again dominated by a familiar name.
Mullins was the meeting’s top trainer for a fifth year running, with two big victories on Day Four taking his career tally to 94 Festival wins.
He kicked off the day with Lossiemouth winning the Triumph Hurdle – a race where he saddled the first four horses home.
However, that achievement paled into insignificance a couple of hours later as Galopin Des Champs gave him a third victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The horse had previously been beaten over fences when completing the course and came into the race having won three Grade 1s in a row.
Numerous pundits questioned his ability to handle the step up in trip at Cheltenham, but he silenced the doubters with a superb display.
The way he swept past King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame after the final fence was staggering to watch and put the seal on a superb Festival.
Michael specializes in journalism, digital content production and social media management. He has a passion for numerous sports including football, horse racing and ice hockey. Michael currently works on a freelance basis, producing daily content for various outlets within the sports industry.
