On The Bit with Pynck.com with the runup to Cheltenham

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THE Jockey Club at Cheltenham Racecourse has partnered this year at the annual horse racing festival with WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children. The Jockey Club has kindly donated proceeds from the sales of the Festival racecard to the Cheltenham-based charity to help raise vital funds. The racecard provides all the details about every horse, jockey, trainer and owner entered in the Festival.

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Irish racehorse trainer Henry de Bromhead. Image credit, Leopardstown Racecourse Ireland

Irish racehorse trainer Henry de Bromhead has taken on leading Cheltenham Festival candidates including Envoi Allen and Ballyadam along with Quilixious. The horses arrived at the Wexford trainer’s yard last week from Gordon Elliott’s Cullentra Stables in Meath Ireland and are understood to be settling in well.

Top Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore will ride A Plus Tard for Henry de Bromhead in the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup with Minella Indo partnered with Jack Kennedy. A Plus Tard ran to victory in the 2019 festival’s Close Brothers Novices Handicap Chase and placed third in last year’s Ryanair Chase.

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Irish jockey Rachel Blackmore will partner with A Plus Tard in the run for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Image credit: Fairyhouse Racecourse Ireland

Irish racehorse trainer Denise Foster has stepped in at Gordon Elliott’s racing yard for the duration of his suspension from racing. Sneezy Foster’s appointment potentially opens the door for horses trained by Elliott to run in this year’s Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals. The British Horseracing Authority has confirmed that horses transferred to other licensed trainers before 9 March would be permitted to run. Gordon Elliott’s ban by the Irish Horse Racing Board of 12 months with six months suspended came about after an image of him sitting on a dead horse in 2019 surfaced on social media. The horse had died of a heart attack while training on Elliott’s gallops.

Al Boum Photo will be taking aim at becoming the first Cheltenham Gold Cup triple winner on 19 March. The two-time Gold Cup winner trained by Willie Mullins will be joined at the horse racing festival by stars including Appreciate It, Energumene, Gaillard Du Mesnil and Monkfish. See the full festival racecards online at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk.

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Irish horseracing trainer Denise Foster will be at the Cheltenham Festival with horses formerly trained by Gordon Elliott. Image credit: Kim Mullahey

The Betfair Cheltenham Preview Night is taking place on 9 March at 8pm GMT in the first of three preview nights culminating in a star-studded evening with racing experts led by presenter Alice Plunkett (14 March). Betfair ambassador Paul Nicholls and his assistant trainer Harry Derham will discuss their plans for Cheltenham with the Racing Post’s Dave Orton live at https://betting.betfair.com.

Gala Coral Group public relations director Simon Clare will chair a panel of top horse racing names in the Arena Racing Company and Coral’s virtual Cheltenham Festival Preview. Racing greats Davy Russell, Evan Williams, Brian Hughes and Dan Skelton will team up with special guests to run through the runners and riders for the Cheltenham Festival. The Festival Preview evening on 12 March at 7pm GMT will be in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. The preview will be streamed across any of the 16 Arena Racing Company’s racecourse websites including Doncaster, Lingfield Park, Exeter and Chepstow where donations will be match-funded by the ARC and Coral. Live streaming will include text-to-donate details throughout the event.

Tags: #Cheltenham Festival #Cheltenham Racecourse #thejockeyclub #thehomeofjumpracing #racecoursecheltenham #racetrack #wellchild

Kim Mullahey

Kim Mullahey is Pynck.com’s Ireland Correspondent. She holds an honours undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Chicago and has taught Adult Education Creative Writing Studies. Through a media career spanning nearly 25 years Kim has written and photographed regional news, national and international horse sports, fashion and lifestyle. Kim lives with her husband and son in Kildare Ireland, and a stray marmalade cat who has adopted the family.

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