Irish racing fans flock to Cheltenham festival

RACING:AN ESTIMATED 7,500 Irish racing fans will celebrate St Patrick's Day by travelling to Britain for the Cheltenham Festival, which begins today.

Although numbers making the annual pilgrimage have been down in the last few years, hopes will be high for Irish winners.

All eyes and quite a few bets will be on Go Native today, trained by Noel Meade, as he makes a bid for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle. If he secures a win, he will not only earn the race purse, but he will also attract a €1 million bonus prize.

In November, betting exchange WBX offered €1 million for any horse that could win the WBX hurdling triple crown. The races comprise the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and Cheltenham’s Champion Hurdle.

Against many expectations, Go Native won the first two. If he wins today, the €1 million prize will be divided between the owners, the Docado Syndicate, the trainer and a number of others including the horse’s groom, Alan McIlroy.

McIlroy wrote in the Racing Post yesterday that it hadn’t sunk in yet that he could win €100,000. He said the horse had travelled well to Cheltenham and the team, including his wife Deirdre and son Jack, would all be wearing Go Native scarves during the race.

The other Irish horse heading the betting for the Champion Hurdle is Solwhit, trained by Charles Byrne.

The Irish “banker” of the festival will run in the first race today. Dunguib, trained by Carrick-on-Suir based Philip Fenton, is a hot favourite to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle at 1.30pm.

Two other fancied Irish runners today are Captain Cee Bee, owned by JP McManus, and Sizing Europe, trained in Waterford by Henry de Bromhead.