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As the excitement builds on the eve of another Cheltenham we all have our own favourite memories from Festivals gone by.
For a select few it is the memory of riding, training, breeding or owning a Festival winner, but for the majority of us these memories are more likely to be linked to winning bets we struck on the horses.
My Racing StorySponsored By Tote
Like everyone in racing, you kind of start off with ponies. I did a bit of pony club and hunting and that. Dad (Michael Hourigan) always had a busy yard, so we rode out before we went to school. It was a great grounding, and I was lucky in the sense that I didn't have to go away anywhere. We always had plenty of horses and ponies at home to mess around with. I had my first ride when I was 16 in a ladies' bumper in Killarney. Dad always had plenty of Kerry owners and enjoyed having runners in Kerry. I kind of got bitten by the bug, I suppose. I had the majority of my rides for dad, and I was always working at home. I wouldn't have had the number of winners I had only for dad. I did have winners for others as well, though. My best day in the saddle came on Moonmeister in the Ladies Derby at the Curragh (2019). He was a 50/1 shot, but Tony Martin always has his horses fit and he got up by a neck. I had 29 winners on the track, including a hurdle winner, and one point-to-point winner.
During the famous four-day Cheltenham festival in mid-March, leading bookmakers present an array of Cheltenham free bets and betting offers.
Cheltenham Day 2 Tips and Preview
Johnny Ward is joined by Emma Nagle to look at where the value lies on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
- Gordon Elliott's enviable record in this race could be enhanced further now that Favori De Champdou has proved he can successfully complete this course. A cosy winner over track and trip last time out, the 11-year-old readily atoned for a fall here in December and looks the pick of his trainer's four entrants. However, last year's winner STUMPTOWN is a Festival veteran that seems to continually rise to the challenge of an idiosyncratic test. Last seen when enhancing his record over cross country fences with a comfortable success in the Velka Pardubice, the Gavin Cromwell-trained gelding tends to go well fresh and can be expected to make a bold bid to retain his crown. Desertmore House and Vanillier are others with strong form in this type of event and are likely to be in the mix once again. Final Orders and Latenightpass were brushed aside by Favori De Champdou here last time out but have feasible each-way chances based on their peak form.
