In 2013, Ruby Walsh announced that his
decade-long association with Paul Nicholls would end and,
consequently, the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 was his first as stable
jockey to Willie Mullins. Not that it made much difference, because
the partnership were off the mark at the first time of asking – as
they had been the previous year – with victory for Vautour in the
Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The story on day one, however,
belongs to another Mullins-trained runner, Quevega, who made it 6-6
in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, for which she had started favourite on
all six occasions, the last four at odds-on.
Willie Mullins was also on target with
Faugheen, ridden by Ruby Walsh, in the NIM Novices’ Hurdle and Don
Poli, ridden by Michael Fogarthy, in the Martin Pipe Conditional
Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. Mullins and Walsh were crowned leading
trainer and jockey, respectively, for the third year in a row.
Other notable winners during the week
were Jezki in the Stan James Champion Hurdle, Sire De Grugy in the
Queen Mother Champion Chase, Silver Concorde in the Weatherbys
Champion Bumper, More Of That in the Ladbroke World Hurdle and Lord
Windermere in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup. The latter was trained
by Jim Culloty, better known as the jockey of Best Mate, who won the
Blue Riband event in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
