Cheltenham 2015 - one to remember!

Only 360 days to go!

Another year and another Cheltenham festival over, but what an amazing feast of equine action we were treated too over for days in March. New champions crowned, trainers getting their maiden festival victories, Mullins domination and plenty of stories to come out of the racing. The weeks ahead will be full of festival review, horses for the notebook and future winners so I thought I'd do something a little different to remember Cheltenham 2015 with.

A good festival for

• Willie Mullins. Even allowing for the unexpected defeat of Annie Power the master of Irish racing still won all four grade 1 races on the first day on his way to surpassing Nicky Henderson's record of seven wins in one festival with eight of his own. In Don Poli, Vautour, Djakadam, Faugheen, Douvan and a Un De Sceaux he has the building of a formidable squad for next year already and quotes of him stopping all four championship races don't look that fanciful! And let's not forget Mullins saddled the 1-2-3 in the champion hurdle, a ridiculous achievement akin to the Dickinson first five in the Gold Cup. This was some week for Willie.

• The Bradstocks. Criticised in some parts for sending a novice for the Gold Cup the combination of Sara and Mark Bradstock were fully vindicated come 3:30 on Friday after Coneygree produced one of the most impressive displays ever seen by a novice round Prestbury Park on his way to winning the biggest race of them all; The Cheltenham Gold Cup. This is such a remarkable story, think back to when this horse was being withdrawn from a race at Plumpton at the start of the season on vet advice, the price paid for this horse who was seeing off Gigginstown Stud horses, Rich Ricci horses,the size of the Bradstock yard...Willie Mullins had more winners at Cheltenham than they have had all season, the prize money won in this race more than the Bradstock's had learnt in the preceding 5 seasons! It's what makes jump racing so good; the fact you can win big no matter who you are, a horse bred out of a £3,000 mare can best off the most expensively bred beasts out there.

• Warren Greatrex and Gavin Sheehan, the trainer jockey combination responsible for World Hurdle Winner Cole Harden. Gavin gave this a great ride from the front and thrust the pair into the Cheltenham spotlight, something I am sure we well become accustomed to in the future especially Sheehan who many top to be a jockey going places, even more so with the retirement of AP McCoy.this was a taste of the glory offered at Cheltenham and I'm sure the pair will now be working even harder so they can taste it again. The tears down Greatrex's face in the aftermath of this win Sun's up the emotion that the festival stirs in people who love the sport and this passion is marvellous to see.

Not so good for

• Bryan Cooper. OK so he did get on the score sheet with Don Poli but a host of his mounts where disappointing; the likes of Ourlander, Don Cossacks, . Young Bryan would have hoped to pick up a fair few more winners and to top it off he received whip band ruling him out if both English and Irish grand nationals. He has plenty of years ahead of him do I'm sure he will be able to put this behind him but it's fair to say Bryan and Gigginstown would have been hoping for a better festival.

• The old guard. The likes of Silviniaco Conti, Sprinter Sacre, Sire De Grugy, Zarkandar. All festival hopefuls who on previous form had great chances but who ultimately didn't perform and had to give way to younger rivals, New kids on the block. Where they go with Sprinter from here I do not know, to be honest retirement looks the only option as he seems a shadow of his old self.Conti surely had had his chance of winning a Gold Cup now, ditto Zarkander and the World Hurdle. It looks like we saw a real passing of the guard here and these old hero's well have to give best to fresh young horses from now on in. And I've not even mentioned Bob's Worth...

The New One. After last season's champion hurdle when he was supposedly unlucky not to have won after hampered by the sad and fatal fall of Our Conor The New One had no excuses this time. He was just not good enough and finished our of the placing, not the run Nigel and the team were hoping for or expecting. Arctic Fire and Faugheen both seen to well and truly have his measure and will do next season as well whereas Hurricane Fly at least may not be around to beat him again. Still they may have to look at stepping The New One up in distance, our maybe even look at fences, if he is to taste Grade 1 victory at Cheltenham again.

And one that will live long in the memory of...

AP McCoy. His last Cheltenham festival of a long and glittering career will be one McCoy will never forget. He had had more successful ones, more winning rides and more praise for tremendous rides but for sheer emotion, the adulation of the public and the love and appreciation shown to the champion this will be one he will never forget. By all accounts the cheer that greeted AP as he entered the winners enclosure on his sole winner of the week, Uxizandre appropriately in the JP McManus colours, was the loudest heard for many a year. And seeing the reception afforded to the man after his final ride, in the AP McCoy Grand Annual where he finished fourth, made me smile. As racing fans we are showing the man just how much we will miss his, how much we appreciate just what he has done for the sport. For sure Cheltenham 2016 will be missing something and I think we all know what, or rather who, that special something is.