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How Wales Stunned The Racing World At The Cheltenham Festival

How Wales Stunned The Racing World At The Cheltenham Festival

Ben Jones aboard Haiti Couleurs. Pic: Alamy

James Stevens, from The Racing Post, reflects on a brilliant week for Wales at the Cheltenham Festival.

A full 35 years on from Norton's Coin's incredible 100-1 Gold Cup shock, there was another Welshman defying the odds at jump racing's grandest stage, as Lorcan Willliams stunned the racing world with victory in the Champion Hurdle aboard Golden Ace.

Her success for the jockey - whose sporting career started out in the lower leagues of U16 west Wales rugby leagues before transitioning to racing - proved to be one of the stories of the meeting.

Her trainer, Somerset-based Jeremy Scott, was not even sure whether to run before owner Ian Gosden ambitiously persuaded him to go for the championship race.

She was taking on the last two winners - including Constitution Hill, not just a former champion but a hurdler of a generation.

But Constitution Hill was one of just a handful of fallers during the week, while State Man, the reigning winner, also came down when clear at the last.

It allowed Golden Ace to scoop the most unlikely success.

Her odds may have just been a quarter of the 1990 Gold Cup hero, but it will go down as one of the great Festival upsets.

Norton's Coin is arguably the greatest though, having been trained by Carmarthenshire dairy farmer Sirrell Griffiths who trained just three horses.

He toppled the great Desert Orchid for an unlikely success that day.

There was a 66-1 Welsh shock only two years ago when Premier Magic, owned and trained by Welsh-born Bradley Gibbs, stunned in the Hunter Chase.

The winner had won only in a Garthorpe point-to-point ahead of his Festival heroics before stunning Its On The Line, who would go on to be bought by racing superpower JP McManus.

History made by Jones and Curtis

Tuesday also featured a memorable day as a Welsh jockey and trainer teamed up to win for the first time in 17 years when Haiti Couleurs landed the National Hunt Chase for Rebecca Curtis and Ben Jones.

The eight-year-old had been aimed at Tuesday's stamina-sapping test all season and the plan was executed to perfection as he sluiced home for an easy win under the in-form jockey.

Jones is enjoying the season of his life having had two Grade 1 winners and is already on track for his best tally of winners.

"He’s always been an athlete," said Jones.

"Now we’re seeing him on the bigger stages where we still haven’t seen the very best of him.

"In another year or two, that’s where we’ll see his full potential.

"Becky and the whole team have been brilliant to me over the years. When it was a bit quiet after I lost my claim, she was probably the one who supported me, and to be able to give a little something back to them means the world to me.”

Curtis, meanwhile, was back in the festival winners on her resurgent year having made major improvements to her yard over the summer.

“We’ve only really got 20-odd horses in, we just need more horses now," said Curtis.

"I know I can do the job, it would just be nice to get a few more.

“Haiti Couleurs is such a tough horse. He wouldn't be overly speedy, he’ll just gallop all day long.

"His jumping is so quick and accurate. He was favourite because I wanted him to win so much for these owners, because they’ve been amazing for the yard and my best supporters."

It is the first time a different Welsh jockey and trainer have teamed up to score at the Cheltenham Festival since Glamorgan-born amateur jockey James Tudor won the 2008 Kim Muir Chase aboard High Chimes for Evan Williams.