Brits Need To Bite Back

Last year Irish trained horses won a record 19 Cheltenham festival races. There's 6-1 floating around about Irish trained horses beating that haul this time. No doubt more ridiculous bets than that will be made over the coming four days. But short-term gratification about this unprecedented period of Irish dominance needs to be tempered by longer term considerations. The health of National Hunt racing's greatest showpiece event really needs the Brits to bite back this week.

Of course the Prestbury Cup thing is ridiculous really. The relationship between Ireland and Britain in terms of jump racing in particular is so intertwined as to make flag-waving distinctions seem indulgent sometimes. Cheltenham's competitive reality in recent years is that it has fundamentally become about the division of spoils between an oligarch of owners. Rather than waving national flags it's Ricci pink and O'Leary maroon that really count.

When an Irish bred horse owned by an Irish person, ridden by an Irish person, and handled by an Irish person gets labelled as British trained because that's where it's stabled it illustrates how close the racing links are between the two countries. It also invites the observation that the whole flag-waving bit is illogical. But illogical as it might be there's no denying the Anglo-Irish element that underpins much of what Cheltenham is about.

Yes it's a friendly rivalry but a rivalry none the less, especially from the Irish point of view. It might be facile sometimes, and come cloaked in a lot of wrap-the-green-flag-around-me bullshit, but it's there and vital to the unique Cheltenham experience.

Except a rivalry requires evenly matched contestants. And last year's haul of Irish trained winners spectacularly confirmed a skew in one direction that doesn't do it any good. Yes plenty Irish people are crowing on the back of such overwhelming dominance. But even the most green-eyed must realise that if success can get taken for granted then it can hardly matter or mean as much.

At root the Cheltenham rivalry only really works when the Irish feel themselves underdogs. The thrill has always been the little country taking on the big neighbour in its own backyard and winning. It's the narrative which has framed Cheltenham. It's also how it works best. It's like the Ryder Cup works from a European perspective if arrogant America get turned over by 'our' plucky longshots.

Irish arrogance at Cheltenham isn't a good look. It doesn't suit us. 'The Mainland' is much better at it. After all it's got centuries of practise. Sticking it to The Man has been a central element of Ireland's festival fascination but it's hard to stick to The Man when you've become The Man. Cheltenham isn't supposed to be this easy-eaSY-EASY!

So in an overall context it will be good for everyone if the home team really buck up their ideas this week. And I suspect they will. Elements of the Anglo-Irish thing may be silly. Fortunes too are invariably cyclical. But the racing establishment across the water will have been quietly fuming about last year's results. Blood will be up. It might stick in some craws to admit it but for the greater festival good a fight-back would be no bad thing.

There's 28-1 floating around about the six festival 'good things' - Getabird, Footpad, Buveur D'Air, Apple's Jade, Samcro and Altior - all winning. It's headline friendly stuff and bookmakers are spinning the usual PR yarns about staring down a fifty million quid payout if they all win. Logically, each of them can boast impressive form cases for winning. And if all six win, most of us will be amazed.

The thing about Cheltenham is that everything happens a stride faster than what's been happening all season. It is the ultimate championship test for emerging novice talent. Even the proven real-deal like Buveur D'Air and Apple's Jade are just one mistake away from suddenly being put on the back foot. Maybe they will all win. But even 56-1 wouldn't tempt most people.

Now it seems Douvan will line up in the Champion Chase after all. That was an interesting 24 hours. Douvan looked set to be switched to the Ryanair only to be declared for the Champion Chase alongside Min. So ultimately it looks like Willie Mullins's pretty unequivocal statement last month about the Queen Mother being the race they should both go for has come to pass.

That will be cold consolation to anyone who backed Douvan for the Ryanair on the back of Sunday's disclosure by owner Rich Ricci that the longer race was being considered. Mullins was also reported to have pointed towards the Ryanair as the likely target. Ultimately this episode only adds to the already ample book of evidence relating to the perils of betting ante-post at the festival.

Maybe ante-post betting at Cheltenham made some sense in the past. But the move to four days, and the range of races that produced, means options have increased and it's impossible to blame any owner or trainer for manoeuvring to their own best advantage, although having said that this could hardly be termed a PR triumph.

Everyone's heartfelt wish this week will be for all riders and horses to emerge unscathed. The reality is that it's unlikely. Jump racing is perhaps the most dangerous sport of all and at Cheltenham there isn't an inch asked for or conceded. More than anywhere it's where jockeys ride on instinct, making it a test of the riding culture that applies every other week of the year.

That culture was starkly illustrated at Friday's Leopardstown card when Barry Geraghty got a one day ban for careless riding after winning on Jezki. On the turn-in, Geraghty looked in a pocket and appeared to decide his best way of getting out was by barging into Ruby Walsh on Karalee on his outside.

It appeared a conscious decision and it looked to be the winning of the race. No doubt plenty will characterise it as jockeyship. And as the rules are applied it probably was. But a rulebook that effectively encourages a rider to veer into and collide with a rival at over 30mph is deficient. Riders ride to the rules in place. These rules encourage jockeys to take potentially catastrophic chances. It's a dangerous enough job without doing that.