Sprinter Sacre offered conclusive proof that he is racing's new superstar with a mesmeric win in the Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase yesterday on day two of the Festival.
Nicky Henderson has often admitted that only the spectacular will do, such have been the extraordinary heights the striking black gelding had soared to in his seven previous starts over fences, and the trainer is left so nervous he is barely able to watch.
Barry Geraghty, who rode one of the recent two-miling greats Moscow Flyer, had to be measured in order not to denigrate the former champion, but he, too, struggled to do his mount justice after he dismantled previous winner Sizing Europe.
Sprinter Sacre has easily slipped into the position of poster-boy for the sport, vacated by both Frankel on the Flat and Kauto Star in the National Hunt. While his effortless victory, this time by 19 lengths, will wow racing fans, it is uncertain quite how he can improve on his feats so far as he is unlikely to be stretched any further in distance and only his stablemate, Tuesday's Arkle hero Simonsig, would surely represent any imminent challenge.
But to measure his ability officially, the British Horse-racing Authority's handi-capper John de Moraville put the performance at 188, 2lb higher than Master Minded and just 2lb short of Kauto Star, the highest-rated horse in the history of the jump classifications.
"He was what we hoped," said Henderson after his 49th Festival winner, which took him ahead of his rival, Paul Nicholls, in the trainers' championship. "It does leave you speechless. What he looks like and what he does at home is one thing, but what he does out there is unique. He has that wow factor."
Geraghty said: "He's a beautiful horse to ride. I've never ridden one as natural to jump. I've ridden some brilliant horses, but the ease and the grace that he does it with sets him apart."
Jim Culloty ensured he will not solely be remembered as the man who partnered Best Mate to three Gold Cups after he sent out Lord Windermere to RSA Chase glory.
By his own admission Cul-loty's fledgling training career had got off to a slow start, but now he has a top-class horse on his hands.
Culloty said he had trained Lord Windermere with this race in mind for the past 18 months and even resisted bringing him to last year's Festival so as not to give him too hard a time over hurdles.
This winter had been all about getting experience into the seven-year-old and Culloty was adamant he would improve for the step up to three miles and for racing on better ground.
Luckily for him, the ground had dried up a touch after the rain late last week and that seemed to be the defining factor.
Willie Mullins' Boston Bob hit the front before turning into the straight and appeared to have the others in trouble but his stride was beginning to shorten when he took a fall at the last when still a length in front of Lyreen Legend and Lord Windermere.
Culloty's charge had a scare at the third-last when he stumbled on a road crossing which cost him his position on the rail. That forced Davy Russell to swing wide into the straight and, having joined Lyreen Legend at the last, he stayed on powerfully to record a one-and-threequarter length win over his fellow Irish raider.
Nicky Henderson's Hadrian's Approach was six lengths away in third, but the Paul Nicholls-trained 5-2 favourite Unioniste was never a factor.
"We knew this horse would like Cheltenham and it's all paid off," said Culloty. "I fancied him like mad – I knew he'd love the ground here."
Nigel Twiston-Davies' faith in The New One was vindicated when the five-year-old bounded to victory in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle while Scottish-born trainer Alan King recorded a 1-2 finish in the Coral Cup with 33-1 shot Medinas and Meister Eckhart (14-1).
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