Once more unto the breach: Irish crowds descend on Cheltenham

It is two years since the Irish roar was last heard at Cheltenham. The world has changed since then and not for the better.

Cheltenham 2020 coincided with the first wave of Covid-19 when it first became apparent that the virus was not a temporary aberration. The staging of the festival in front of packed crowds generated much controversy at the time.

Last year’s iteration was the most successful ever for the travelling Irish contingent, with 23 winners from 28 starts.

Yet Rachael Blackmore’s achievement as the first woman to become the top jockey with six wins, one short of the record, and that of her trainer Henry de Bromhead, who won all three big races at the festival, were played out against a racecourse that was silent and empty.

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This year the Irish hope to emulate last year’s success, but in front of packed grandstands.

When one British bookmaker was asked what he feared most, he responded: “Who do we fear? Put simply, the Irish.”

Most attention will be featured again on the evergreen Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, in his first Cheltenham since his six-month suspension for sitting on a dead horse, and the aforementioned de Bromhead.

Irish punters will be flooring porter if the appropriately named Flooring Porter can retain the Stayers’ Hurdle on St Patrick’s Day, this time in front of a full house.

Joy and delight

Flooring Porter was bought in 2018 by a group of friends in Galway for just €5,000 hoping he might win the odd race here or there in Ireland. Instead, they had a Grade One winner who has bought them joy and delight for the last four years.

Cheltenham is getting ready to welcome back the madding crowds this week. Hotels, B&Bs and Airbnb bookings are five times their normal price and flights are booked out from Ireland to southern England.

Blackmore and Honeysuckle, the magnificent mare, are back to defend her crown on Tuesday afternoon and extend the horse’s unbeaten career to 15 straight races.

It is one of the many potential dramas which make Cheltenham more than just a racing festival.

Once again Cheltenham is happening against the backdrop of catastrophic world events. The last race on the first day, the National Hunt Chase, has been renamed the Ukraine Appeal National Hunt Chase this year.

Cheltenham Racecourse managing director Ian Renton said the exposure that the festival gets is "far beyond" any normal race meeting, and it will be making a donation to the International Red Cross.

‘Invaluable work’

He said: “We are keen to hand as much exposure to the invaluable work undertaken by humanitarian charities in these most desperate times. Therefore, using a race title to promote these humanitarian efforts seemed a very appropriate act for us to undertake.”

Cheltenham marks the start of the busiest week for travel since the pandemic started two years ago, with many people making the most of a double bank holiday on St Patrick’s Day and the day after to get away.

Almost 800,000 passengers are set to travel through Dublin Airport during the 12-day St Patrick’s Day period this year, from March 12th to 24th.

Dublin Airport is expecting passenger numbers to be as high as 77,000 per day between Thursday 17th and Sunday 20th, according to the DAA.

For those staying at home there will be a notable improvement in the weather as of Wednesday, which will be good for the parades taking place across the country.

St Patrick’s Day looks dry in most places with temperatures of between 9 and 12 degrees.