RIDERS UP FOR THE COTSWOLDS DREAM

Graham Buddry takes a look at the jockeys chasing glory at the Festival this month

Established readers of Racing Ahead are aware of this unique perspective but if you are a new reader, this is something not covered by any other racing publication.

For ten years now, Racing Ahead has looked at the Cheltenham Festival in a way which no one else does, namely the specific form of the jockeys throughout this four day extravaganza.

Cheltenham uses two vastly different courses over the four days, starting with the Old Course, much faster with the obstacles coming thick and fast. The last two days are run over the New Course, a galloping course requiring stamina and where the obstacles are generally further apart. Needless to say there are both hurdles and fences to be jumped which offers four vastly different specialities.

The horses, of course, play a major role yet they cannot do it without a competent jockey on top and this is the unique view we look at here. Most jockeys appear to have a marked preference which really comes into play during our “Olympics” between the two different sets of obstacles and the two different courses which, upon analysis, often gives us an edge found nowhere else.

As in every season before we divide the races into three distinct groups, the Grade 1’s, the handicaps and the “others”. For this study we rule out the Bumper, Cross Country, Conditional and Amateur races.

The very first thing to hammer home is the fact that very few of the Grade 1 events are ever won by a jockey who hasn’t already notched a winner at this level. Last year all thirteen of these events were won by a jockey who fit this bill, so ruling out those yet to score at the highest level reduces the amount of contenders we need to look at further. In the past this stat has ruled out a Champion Hurdle favourite and many other fancied runners before we even start.