We run through all of the key races from the Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is never short of drama. But the 2020 event at Prestbury Park took it to another level. From head-bobbing finishes to big-price winners, hotpot favourites and the looming threat of coronavirus, it was a Festival like no other.
It’sa sentiment that can be applied to the event’s Championship races, too.Favourites Epatante and Al Boum Photo obliged for punters, while Politologueand Lisnagar Oscar sprung dramatic shocks in their respective races.
Afour-fold on the quartet would’ve returned 4641/1. And with that in mind, let’stake you through how it all unfolded in each of the Festival’s Championshipcontests.
Champion Hurdle – Epatante
The 2020 Champion Hurdle was billed was one of the weakestin some time.
With none of 2019’s market principals re-opposing, includingApples Jade, dual-winner Buveur D’air or Espoir D’Allen, who sadly lost hislife, there would be a new winner of the race.
Epatante went off as the warm 2/1 favourite and never lookedback. The six-year-old was given a patient ride out the back by Barry Geraghtybefore leaping ahead of Darver Star at the final flight of hurdles and poweringup the hill to victory.
It was a record eighth win in the race for trainer NickyHenderson, as owner J.P. McManus took his own tally up to nine in the contestand his fourth in the last four years.
Champion Chase – Politologue
Billed as the race of the Festival, the 2020 Champion Chaseended up being a memorable contest, just not for the reasons everyone thoughtat the start of the week.
The 2m contest was meant to be a titanic showdown betweendual-winner Altior and young pretenders Chacun Pour Soi and Defi Du Seuil. Inthe end only the latter turned up. Altior was ruled out after being found lamethe weekend prior, while Chacun missed out on the day after receiving a vet’scertificate for an abscess. That left Defi Du Seuil as the 1/4 favourite.
Unfortunately for anyone who backed him, the PhillipHobbs-trained inmate ended up running like a 40/1 shot. He travelled poorlythroughout and never looked comfortable in the race.
The same could not be said for Politologue, who made all andjumped superbly to run the field ragged and claim a first Champion Chase at thethird time of asking.
Stayers’ Hurdle – Lisnagar Oscar
A lot of the races at the 2020 Festival looked pretty open.Not this one. The only outcome deemed possible was another victory for 2019winner Paisley Park. His price reflected that too. Emma Lavelle’s star was sentoff as though defeat was out of the question at 4/6.
But Cheltenham has claimed plenty of hotpot favourites downthe years. And here was another. The mount of Aidan Coleman never really firedthroughout the contest, failing to show his customary turn of foot toeventually leave him trailing home in seventh.
That left 50/1 shot Lisnagar Oscar to pick up the pieces.Rebecca Curtis’s outsider led off the bend and stayed on well ahead of fellowoutsiders Ronald Pump and Bacardys to spring the almightiest of shocks at the2020 Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Gold Cups are like London buses. You wait yearsfor one and then two come along at once. Well, at least that’s according toWillie Mullins, who recorded back-to-back victories in the Festival’sblue-riband event with Al Boum Photo.
The defending champion faced a deep field this time aroundwith as many as 10 genuine contenders to his throne. But the mount of PaulTownend swept them all aside with aplomb. He travelled well out the back beforemaking his move close to home.
The Buck’s Boum gelding then led at the last beforerepelling a late challenge from Santini up the Cheltenham hill to become thefirst horse since Best Mate to win the Gold Cup in successive years.
