Cheltenham's Gold Cup lives up to all expectations (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cheltenham's Gold Cup lives up to all expectations

THE FIRST four-day Cheltenham Festival was deemed a success by Edward Gillespie, managing director of Cheltenham Racecourse, though there were some who felt that the usual atmosphere was lacking on the first three days when crowd numbers were down by approximately 10,000.

Nonetheless, any shortfalls were made up for by the electric atmosphere of Gold Cup day and for the outcome of the biggest race of all.

An event which first looked as though it were jinxed as runners seemed to be withdrawn almost daily through injury - and in Farmer Jack's case by his tragic death - turned out to be a fairytale result.

As it was, the Tom Taafe-trained Kicking King powered up the famous Cheltenham hill and three decades of racing history rolled away to recall the golden days of the great Arkle and Tom's father Pat.

Elsewhere, it was a great meeting for the Irish - Hardy Eustace in the Champion Hurdle, Moscow Flyer in the Champion Chase - the Gold Cup was the icing on the cake.

And don't forget jockey Paul Carberry's little sister Nina who stormed to victory on Dabiroun in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on her first ever Festival ride.

However, with champion jockey A P McCoy unable to score, it was two young English jockeys who shared the riding honours with three Festival wins each.

Graham Lee, riding for J Howard Johnson's in-form stable, won the opening race of the meeting on Arcalis.

He followed it up by driving home No Refuge ahead of Racing Demon in the Royal and SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle and rounded it off by a terrific win on Inglis Drever, who defeated the mighty Baracouda in the World Hurdle.

At a Festival where local winners were largely unforthcoming, Cheltenham jockey Robert Thornton also clocked up three victories, one on Kelami on the first day of the meeting and another on Moulin Riche in the Brit Insurance Novices' Hurdle immediately before the Gold Cup.

Surely the race which redeemed local hopes was Friday's Triumph Hurdle when Robert rode Penzance, trained by Alan King at Barbury Castle, near Marlborough, to a glorious victory.