Ruby Walsh brought a few punters back to live today when riding hot favourite Big Bucks in the World Hurdle to an sublime victory. After cruising throughout the race he just had to be shaken up after the final flight to win going away.
Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson bagged another first race victory with Copper Bleu after Menorah on Tuesday. In the fiercely competitive Pertemps old Festival hand Buena Vista won for David Pipe and Hayden Frost. The Group 1 Ryanair was won by another Festival regular in Albertas Run ridden by Champion Jockey AP McCoy, who suffered a nasty fall in the first. From next month all jockeys on racecards and in the media will be known by their first name and surname with the sole exemption of AP. The man is unique.
Great Endeavour made it a double on the day for David Pipe with victory in the Byrne Group Plate and Ballabriggs a double for the meeting for Donald McCain.
A disappointing day for JP Festival selections with Planet Of Sound running no sort of race in the Ryanair, despite being well backed before the race and Karabak finishing one out of the money in 4th in the World Hurdle. So we go into tomorrow with a 6 point deficit. Hopefully, Imperial Commander can at least place in the Gold Cup and Enterprise Park can land the JP Festival Banker hatrick to bring us into a profit for Cheltenham Festival 2010.
Good luck on what should be an awesome day!
