The 2020 Cheltenham Festival is just a month away and as thousands of punters rally to Prestbury Park for one of the biggest meetings in the horse racing calendar, while many others are already looking for tips on Cheltenham betting, the opening day from the 2015 festival is still rife in some’s memory.
It was tipped to be a day to remember for the punters as the four red hot favourites, all trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh, looked set to race their way to glory in the first four Grade Ones of the festival.
Thousands had placed bets on the Irish duo sweeping up the opening fixture’s top races and the bookmakers looked set for a thrashing. French import Douvan started the day perfectly, winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by a distance.
Un De Sceaux, a fellow French import, followed up with another comfortable victory in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase before Faugheen stormed his way into the lead to land the Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy – sending the Prestbury Park stands into a frenzy ahead of Annie Power’s expected win.
However, things didn’t go to plan for the punters as Annie Power, who was four lengths clear, fell agonisingly at the last hurdle resulting in betting slips all around the country being ripped to shreds.
But five years on from one of Cheltenham’s most memorable days, what have the four horses been doing since?
- Douvan
Douvan has raced 14 times since his hurdle victory in 2015, starting an impressive 13 of those races as odds-on favourite. The French import went on to win 10 races on the trot following his maiden Cheltenham victory, including a comfortable win in the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Gloucestershire course in 2016.
The Mullins-trained horse then had a bit of a hiccup in form, finishing seventh in the Queen Mother Champion Chase three years ago before a fall in the same race the following year.
Douvan will be given another crack at the whip this year. However, despite going into the festival on the back of a win at Clonmel last November, he starts the race as an outsider and it will take some going to beat favourites Defi Du Seuil and Cheltenham legend Altior.
- Un De Sceaux
Un De Sceaux has been raced 21 times since he triumphed in the Arkle Challenge Trophy chase five years ago, winning on just 11 occasions despite going off as favourite in 15. The French import does, however, have a tendency to place in races with another seven second-placed finishes.
In terms of Cheltenham Festivals, Un De Sceaux followed up his Arkle victory with a second-place finish in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2016 before winning the 2017 Ryanair Chase. However, the 12-year-old hasn’t had much luck since, finishing second and fifth in his last two attempts at the race.
This year the Mullins horse is entered for the Queen Mother Champion Chase again, and while his odds are shorter than his stable mate Douvan, it would take a special run to beat the favourites. Un De Sceaux has also been entered for a fourth successive Ryanair Chase, although, once again, his chances of victory are slim.
- Faugheen
Faugheen, who was rated the best two-mile hurdler of the 21st century, has raced 16 times since his Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy victory in 2015, winning just 50% of those outings. The Irish thoroughbred followed up his victory at Cheltenham with another Grade One win, this time at Kempton later that year in the Christmas Hurdle.
The 12-year-old has only entered two of the last four festivals and hasn’t had much luck, finishing sixth in 2018’s Champions Hurdle Challenge Trophy before finishing third in last year’s Stayer’s Hurdle. However, this year Faugheen is heading into Cheltenham on the back of some good form – including a Boxing Day victory in the Grade One Novice Chase in Limerick, beating former Novices’ Hurdle champion Samcro.
This year, the Mullins horse has been entered into three races with the Grade One Novices’ Chase on March 12th his best shot at victory as he’s expected to go as favourite.
- Annie Power
Ah Annie Power, the horse everybody loves to hate! Following the 12-year-old’s infamous fall, she raced another four times – winning on all four occasions, including a victory at Cheltenham the following year beating My Tent Or Yours by four and a half lengths in the Champion Hurdle. The four wins brought the Irish thoroughbred’s hurdle record to an impressive 15 wins from 17 races.
In Annie’s final race she beat Nicky Henderson’s horse once again, this time at Aintree in the Aintree Hurdle.
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