RACING: Paul Carberry runs through the big Cheltenham Festival races

Ahead of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, former jockey Paul Carberry was speaking to Cheltenham Betting.

Is Cheltenham really the be all and end all of Festivals?

I think it is. There is a big build-up to it, it is always great to get a winner there but it is also a very lonely place when you walk away without a winner. 

Thankfully, I didn’t have to leave there without a winner too often but the hype, the best horses, they are all trained for that day. 

Was it always something you targeted as a rider?

At the start of the season, you might ride a couple of nice horses and you’d always be hoping that they would make it to Cheltenham and that they’d stay right during the year for you to get there with them.

The Irish have dominated Cheltenham in recent years - will that happen again?

It’s been unbelievable, really. The last ten years or so have been unbelievable.

A lot of the horses were being sold to England years ago, now a lot of the big owners are over here, paying for them, and that’s the big thing. 

It’s a big help when you have the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, the jockeys are fairly good as well so that certainly does help, especially when the good horses are staying in Ireland. Had they remained in England, it may be a different result. 

I think this year the Irish will definitely remain dominant at Cheltenham, they have a very strong hand again. For the next couple of years probably, it looks very strong for Ireland. 

What can the English do to reverse that trend?

I suppose the money over there is a big problem. Even when I was riding over in England years ago, the races were only worth £2000 sometimes. Over here, we would race three times a week on a Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and you’d be getting more money for those three days than you would do for six days over in England. 

Something has to be done there. 

What is it like to ride at the Cheltenham Festival?

It’s the best festival in the world. It’s very emotional, you always get a great feeling when you’re coming up that hill. 

I was very lucky that in my first race at Cheltenham, it was a winner in a bumper so I got that out of the way early. 

It’s a great place to win but I also remember when I got beaten there on Harchibald, that was a long walk back to the parade ring after. It’s an amazing place, an amazing theatre. There is no other place that compares to it. 

The Irish come over in swarms and they certainly give you a big cheer when you’re coming into the winners’ enclosure. 

Whip review - what are your thoughts on the changes in England?

I think it’s silly because you’re basically going to end up with no whip at all in the end. It’s going to be very silly having it in before Cheltenham, because there are going to be so many suspensions and then people are going to say ‘oh, we’re just going to have to get rid of it’. 

You can’t just change. You’re going to have a lot of Irish going over there and are not going to be able to adapt straight away. That’s going to be a big problem for them. 

The first thing you do when you go for a horse is turn the whip into the other position, it is going to be so hard for jockeys not to do that as it is embedded in their brain automatically. 

If I was riding now, I would just have to throw away the whip when I was coming to the last, that’s the only way I’d get away with it. You’re probably just going to get done and disqualified anyway. 

It’s asking a lot, on this big stage, to obey those rules straight away. 

Is the dominance of the super yards in Ireland a good thing or a bad thing?

I think they are all very good trainers. Willie Mullins is phenomenal and to be able to look after them all and get them all right is amazing. All his runners at Cheltenham and Dublin recently, whatever he is doing, he is doing it right. 

He’s buying up all the good horses when they are young, they are always coming along and always up to the job. It’s the same with Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead, that’s what keeps it going - the owners are not afraid to spend. 

Is it harder though for the smaller trainers to break through and smash the glass ceiling?

It really is very, very hard. Even Gavin [Cromwell] has had a few Grade 1 winners but it is really hard to get really good horses to compete against the big three yards. For the smaller trainers, it’s hard to go to the sales and buy good horses because you are getting outbid all the time. 

Even the point-to-point lads are coming in with loads of money, from every side it is very hard for the trainers. 

The racing scene in Ireland is thriving at the moment, though.

It is very strong. The Dublin Racing Festival is a big thing, we have just had Fairyhouse, we have Punchestown Festival later in the year, they’ll be massive again.

Paul Carberry runs through the big Cheltenham Festival races

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

I think Willie Mullins is definitely going to be hard to beat in this race. Facile Vega should be ok, he did go off very fast last time out, it looked like that gave him a problem. He should be pretty fresh for this one and is the machine that Willie thinks he is. It’s Irish dominated anyway, he has a good few in it, there’s Marine Nationale too. Facile Vega should still do it. 

The Arkle

I was very happy with Jonbon’s last two runs, from what I saw anyway. El Fabiolo was very good at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival. Jonbon would have been a fine winner of the Supreme last year had Constitution Hill not been in it, so he has some good form. I’ll stick with Jonbon for this one. 

Champion Hurdle

Constitution Hill has got to win it and from what he has done so far it is very hard seeing him not winning it. He just looks like a total freak of a horse, he has a serious engine, quick and slick. Even if he only half shows up, I think he will still win. 

He’ll have too much for State Man, who is a lovely big horse and has shown plenty. He looks more of a chaser to me though. 

Mares’ Hurdle

I think Honeysuckle going to the Mares’ Hurdle is definitely the right move. She’s won the last couple of Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham but she’s been lucky in a way that there were not all these other good horses around then such as superstars like Constitution Hill. 

She’s a very tough mare, she’s won the Hatton's Grace a couple of times over here so I think it was the right decision to go for the Mares’ Hurdle. Hopefully she will win it and then retire after that and ride off into the sunset. 

It is a hot race, though. Brandy Love will have come on from her last run, it won’t be a walkover for Honeysuckle. 

Ballymore

Imperial Et Passe, he has a great chance in that. The two rivals at the top of the market, Imperial Et Passe and Hermes Allen, are the two to beat and I am sure Paul Nicholls will want to be getting a winner on the board with Hermes Allen in that one. 

Brown Advisory

Gerri Colombe looks the one to beat here for Gordon Elliott, he was fairly good last time out. He’s the one sticking out to me, Mighty Potter ran well at Leopardstown but Gerri Colombe is the one for me. 

Champion Chase

It’s a very strong race. Edwardstone was very unlucky last time out, he gave a good account of himself. Gentleman De Mee could be one to keep an eye on good ground; at 10/1 he’d be a very good each-way price. 

Ryanair Chase

I think Nicky Henderson putting Shishkin in the Ryanair is a great decision. He was very good last time, that step up in trip just gave him a bit more time to get into gear, he looked back to himself. 

He’ll be better from that last run as well. If Shishkin turns up, and there’s no better man than Nicky to get them right for the day, then he should get the job done. I’ll be siding with him. It’s great when you see horses bouncing back to form like he did. 

Stayers’ Hurdle

Blazing Khal is probably the one to watch out for in this one. Teahupoo will probably want softer ground, Flooring Porter hasn’t had the greatest preparation but I absolutely wouldn’t rule him out. He seems to be in good form and he’ll certainly have a good crack at it. 

Triumph Hurdle

Lossiemouth is a real chance for Willie Mullins. The three and four-year-olds don’t seem to be as strong in England as they are in Ireland. It’s going to again be Mullins dominated but you can’t get away from that.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

Galopin Des Champs is a horse I have loved ever since I first saw him going over fences, he’s really impressed me. He was unlucky last year when he fell at the Festival but he’s the young pretender and looks like the proper article for a Gold Cup. 

The others can give him a good race, like Noble Yeats, A Plus Tard and Bravemansgame, Stattler for Willie Mullins can be thrown in there as well, they are all out and out stayers whereas Galopin Des Champs is more of a relentless galloper. 

Galopin Des Champs can just get into a rhythm and stay on at the end. He’ll get the trip and so if he stays, he wins for me.