LIFE got that little bit tougher for National Hunt trainers outside the top handful.
The introduction of a chase for mares at the Cheltenham Festival – no bad thing, in my opinion – has led to the Centenary Novices’ Chase being axed.
There’s half a dozen races I would have canned before this enjoyable two-and-a-half mile contest, last season sponsored by Northern Trust Company.
The winner, Imperial Aura, will be the sixteenth, and last, name on the trophy.
That is a crying shame.
In an age when jump racing’s greatest meeting is increasingly being dominated by diminishing number of top trainers, the Centenary Chase gave those further down the pecking order a chance of a much-coveted Festival success.
Mark Bradstock, Keiran Burke, Jamie Snowden, Ian Williams and Alan Fleming all enjoyed their first – and so far only – taste of glory on jump racing’s biggest stage in this opening-day contest.
While Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls and Henry de Bromhead have also lifted the trophy, one name is conspicuous by its absence on the roll of honour – Willie Mullins.
The Irish champion has won more Cheltenham Festival races than any other trainer but he has yet to win the Centenary Chase and, it seems, he never will. In fact, he has only had four runners in the race and just one of them managed to get round.
Of course, most of his horses have official ratings too high to qualify for a place in the field.
The new mares’ chase will have no such restrictions. As a Grade 2 race it will attract the best mares.
It’s not hard to imagine Mullins’ domination of the Festival’s hurdle races for mares being replicated in the new chase.
Since the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle was first introduced to the Festival in 2008, Mullins has bagged the trophy a staggering nine times from just 13 runnings. That includes Quevega’s six victories but it doesn’t even tell the whole story as both Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux fell at the last when in total control.
Last season the 2m4f contest was sponsored by Close Brothers for the first time, who, ironically had previously backed the Centenary Chase.
If it wasn’t for a superb ride from Rachel Blackmore on Honeysuckle, Mullins might well have made it a dozen wins as odds-on favourite Benie Des Dieux finished second with stablemate Elfile in third.
If that wasn’t impressive enough Mullins has won all five of the runnings of the Festival’s novice hurdle for mares.
Named after Dawn Run, perhaps the greatest jumps mare of them all who was trained by Mullins’ father Paddy, the Festival’s newest race has been won by no other trainer.
Closer inspection suggests it was this race NOT the Centenary that should have made way for the mares’ chase.
Although, admittedly, it is early days for the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, the subsequent records of the five winners is not particularly inspiring.
Limini, successful in the inaugural race in 2016 won a Listed race at Punchestown the following season before finishing third in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival. Her record since is one Flat handicap win from nine races.
The 2017 heroine Let’s Dance won once from eight starts after her Cheltenham triumph and Laurina successful the following year, was long odds-on in her four subsequent wins before losing her form last season. At least she did manage to win a Grade 1 prize when taking apart an uncompetitive field at Fairyhouse’s Easter meeting.
Eglantine Du Seuil, shock winner in 2019, has yet to win another race and ended last season well beaten in the Coral Cup, a Cheltenham Festival handicap.
She had beaten Concertista in the Dawn Run and that one returned to win last season’s prize when notching her first hurdles win.
It’s hardly a breeding ground for champions.
You would expect far more quality horses to have won a graded novices’ hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival than a novices’ handicap yet the record of the Centenary Chase is superior.
Irish Cavalier won the 2015 contest before going on to beat Menorah, Cue Card and Blaklion in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase – one of three subsequent wins.
Mister Whitaker was successful in 2018 and went on to win Listed and Grade 2 prizes, while A Plus Tard, the winner the following year, landed a Grade 1 and was a close third in the Ryanair Chase at last season’s Festival.
Not bad for a handicap restricted to horses rated 145 or lower. It’s also attracted a field of 20 runners more often than not and is a good race for punting in a Festival where odds-on favourites are creeping into the cards more and more.
Compare that to the fact there was only 12 mares rated more than 145 to race over fences last season and some of those would not be suited to 2m4f around Cheltenham.
I’m not against the introduction of a mares’ chase, anything but. Contrary to public opinion, I think the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle has made jump racing more competitive as owners have been encouraged to race mares where before there wasn’t a worthwhile programme to aim at.
It will take time to replicate that over fences but it is something worth persevering with.
If something had to give, the Dawn Run Hurdle was the logical choice. Mares already get an allowance in the other novice hurdles at the Festival and to ditch a competitive handicap chase loved by punters for a race restricted to novice mares is doing the Festival a disservice.
Rest in peace, Centenary Chase. You will be missed.
