Lossiemouth lifted the roof off Cheltenham with a dominant Champion Hurdle victory. The buildup to the festival had been dominated by talk of civil war, but this was a reminder of the sport’s simple pleasures: horse and jockey, fence and turf.
The opening day attendance of 57,242 was the highest for three years. The racing was competitive and the stars came out to play.
Lossiemouth’s Triumphant Return
Lossiemouth delivered on the biggest stage, tracking Brighterdaysahead before bounding clear to win by six and a half lengths. Willie Mullins installed cheekpieces after a poor run in the Dublin Racing festival. “She is a star mare,” he said. “To come back four years on the trot, never mind win, that puts her in a league of her own.”
Other Races and Reactions
Constitution Hill was given a rousing sendoff when he was paraded before the first race. Nicky Henderson was lauded and applauded as Old Park Star stayed up the hill to pass Sober Glory to take the opener.
Kargese held off Kopek des Bordes and Lulamba in a three-way struggle to the line in the Arkle.
Challenges Remain for Racing’s Future
Racing knows that while spectators are going up, many key numbers are spiralling the wrong way. Betting revenue is declining, the costs of the sport are rising, and the foal crop is falling. Lord Allen departed as British Horseracing Authority chair after a disastrous six months in charge.
One insider said that, for now, the civil war was being put on hold, but with all the big players at Cheltenham talks would be taking place.
“Across the four days, there will be conversations about bringing the sport more together, but whether we get anywhere is another matter.
“Everyone agrees on what the challenges are – and while the sport is growing, it is not growing at the speed of the costs of ownin”