Is there more passion involved in National Hunt racing when compared to Flat racing?
That is the view of Cheveley Park Stud Director Richard Thompson who was speaking exclusively to us here at BoyleSports. Thompson has revealed his love of Cheltenham compared to flat racing’s biggest meetings.
The Gold Cup-winning owner has horses running with both Willie Mullins and Henry De Bromhead at the Cheltenham Festival and explained to us what it is that makes Irish trainers so great to work with as an owner. Thompson also gives us a peek behind the curtains as to what it’s like being an owner at Cheltenham, how the Breeders’ Cup compares to the Cheltenham Festival plus more fascinating insights from an owner’s perspective.
More Passion In National Hunt Racing Compared To The Flat
With Cheltenham, and National Hunt racing in general, there is a lot more passion than Flat racing.
There’s a lot more camaraderie, and there are obviously horses who stay in training for a few years and then get fan clubs. That’s something you don’t get in Flat racing.
You haven’t got that same atmosphere, and at Royal Ascot, even though I love it, Cheltenham has the edge because of the passion of the people involved. Ascot is a bit more corporate, a bit more stilted in terms of peoples’ reactions when they win.
Whereas, at Cheltenham, when people win, they really win.
Having won the Gold Cup and Grand National, what other races would you like to add?
The Supreme Novices Hurdle (with Tullyhill) next week! The Arkle (with Quilixios) as well.
*Tullyhill is 4/1 to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Quilixios is 6/1 for the Arkle Chase per the latest Cheltenham odds at BoyleSports.
The King George at Kempton is another one, this season we had Allaho as the favourite, who finished third but it was a fantastic race.
However, once you’ve won the Gold Cup – that’s the Holy Grail of National Hunt racing.
What Makes Cheltenham Special As An Owner
It’s grown and grown over the years, it’s got the magic dust. It’s such a big build-up and such a great atmosphere.
In life, and at the top level of sport there are a few events which are like that and Cheltenham is one of them. It’s just so special, so when you actually have a horse running there or you win a race, then you really understand just how special it is.
Everything they say about Cheltenham, in terms of the experience as an owner, is fact.
How A Winner At Cheltenham Compares To The Breeders’ Cup
We’ve won a couple of Breeders’ Cups, including with Inspiral last November, which was fantastic.
It’s a close call, actually, because the Breeders’ Cup is similar to Cheltenham in terms of being the end of the year in a series of championship races, and it’s a two-day festival.
I still think that Cheltenham is more special, it’s four days with the Gold Cup at the end. We were lucky enough to win the Gold Cup with A Plus Tard, and that was obviously fantastic as well.
4 or 5 Days For Cheltenham?
I think four days is the maximum from my perspective, I would probably say that even Goodwood should be four days and Royal Ascot should be five days.
The festivals are what it’s all about these days, with the big races where everyone flocks to the big meetings. I think that Cheltenham, Royal Ascot and Goodwood are the golden goose, so to speak.
You can over-egg it in terms of the number of races, but it looks as though it has gone a bit too far, probably.
Cheltenham All About Trying To Win The Championship Races
For us, it’s definitely about the championship races and trying to buy horses with Grade 1 potential. We were much more focused on the Championship races, absolutely.
Even though A Plus Tard did win a novice handicap in 2019 before going on to win the Gold Cup in 2022.
Why Willie Mullins and Ireland?
We’ve had a lot of horses training in the UK on the Flat, and I sat next to Willie Mullins one day at a function. I seemed to get on well with him, and then we went from there. I think he knows what he’s doing!
It wasn’t really a conscious decision about Ireland or England, it was more about that lunch, chatting away and then it went down that road.
We’ve had a lot of horses over the years in England over the Flat, so it was just a bit of a change for us. There were people who said to us ‘you’ll never get any winners because you’re not Irish’.
It was a bit of an off-the-cuff thing - all the good decisions come off those left-field situations and things that happen by coincidence.
*Willie Mullins to train 10 or more winners at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival is Evens per the latest Cheltenham betting at BoyleSports.
What Makes The Irish Different To Deal With As An Owner?
If you deal with someone like Willie Mullins or Henry De Bromhead, they are class acts as individuals, there’s no doubt about that.
You can speak to them, listen to them and they’re very engaging. They are extremely likeable to deal with as well, those two I’ve got to know quite well and anyone else would feel the same.
*Envoi Allen, owned by Cheveley Park Stud and trained by Henry De Bromhead, is 7/2 to win the Ryanair Chase on Day 3 of the Festival according to the latest Cheltenham betting odds at BoyleSports.
Middle East Investment In National Hunt Not Likely In The Near Future
I can’t see the Middle East getting involved in the National Hunt any time soon, because it’s a whole different ball game.
Whereas, the flat is a global thing with pedigrees in terms of international racing. With the UK, Ireland and France, the National Hunt is a completely different environment.
I can see other wealthy people getting involved, and more syndicates, but not the Middle East from my perspective.
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
Remember, always gamble responsibly . Here’s our Safer Gambling Guide .
