Cheltenham Festival 2023: Ladies Day Review
After some extraordinary action on Champion Day, horse racing fans across the UK were anticipating another blockbuster day of racing on Cheltenham Festival Ladies Day. The atmosphere at Cheltenham Racecourse was fantastic racegoers were able to witness yet another great day of racing.
Day Two – Ladies Day, got underway with the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
The Ballymore Novices Hurdle Race – 13.30
Winner: Impaire Et Passe
The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle was the first race on Ladies Day at Cheltenham as it is every year, and it was very competitive.
Despite not being the favourite to win the Novices’ Hurdle, Paul Townend claimed his 25th Cheltenham Festival win, riding Impaire Et Passe to victory. The race took a steady pace and it was not until the closing stages that Townend saw the opportunity for victory.
Impaire Et Passe took the lead at the second to last hurdle, finishing ahead of Gaelic Warrior and Champ Kiely in second and third place respectively.
All of the horses who finished in the top three are trained by Willie Mullins.
Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase – 14:10
Winner: The Real Whacker
The Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase followed the Novices’ Hurdle with an enthralling and tense finale.
The Real Whacker and Bronn led the race going head to head for much of the race, and it stayed that way until the closing stages when the Real Whacker gradually gained a lead.
Gerri Colombe had since taken second place, and was reducing Sam Twiston-Davies’ lead every second but to the relief of Twiston-Davies he was able to claim victory by the narrowest of margins.
Coral Cup Hurdle – 14:50
Winner: Langer Dan
Langer Dan was victorious in the Coral Cup Hurdle, winning the race with barely centimetres separating Harry Skelton and the rest of the field.
The field was tight to start as Watch House Cross and Comprond occupied the top two positions for the majority of the race. It was an enthralling end to the race as Comprond took the lead just after the penultimate hurdle only to lose out narrowly when Langer Dan made a final push to claim the win.
In the end, An Epic Song and Comprond came second and third respectively.
The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase – 15:30
Winner: Energumene
The Champion Chase is the most prestigious race of the day, and it did not disappoint. Editeur Du Gite took the lead in the initial stages of the race with a close field.
Energumene took the lead with just 5 hurdles to go and from there Harry Skelton never looked back with the lead between Energumene and the chasing pack becoming ever wider, and crossing the line to earn an emphatic victory.
This is Energumene’s second Champion Chase win in a row, finishing ahead of Captain Guinness and Greaneteen in second and third respectively.
Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase – 16:10
Winner: Delta Work
It was Delta Work who took the win in the Cross Country Chase on Ladies Day with a fantastic performance from Keith Donoghue.
Lieutenant Rocco and Snow Leopardess were level pegging as the top two for the initial stages of the race. By the time the 30th fence came around, Franco De Port was in the lead but this did not last long with Galvin and Delta Work eventually emerging as the top two. It was Delta Work who won the battle to take home the win.
Galvin ran home in second place with Franco De Port having to settle for third.
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Challenge Cup – 16:50
Winner: Maskada
It was Darragh O’Keefe celebrating at the finish line as he rode Maskada to victory in the Grand Annual Handicap, the penultimate race on Ladies Day.
Global Citizen initially led the race with Dinoblue close behind. After putting some pressure on the leaders, Maskada took the lead up the hill going on to build a very comfortable lead and winning the race.
It was Dinoblue who finished in second place with Global Citizen coming home in third.
The Champion Bumper – 17:30
Winner: A Dream To Share
Race Highlights:
In the final race of Ladies Day, A Dream To Share was victorious in the Champion Bumper.
This was jockey John Gleeson’s first ever race at the Cheltenham Festival, and incredibly he took home victory in his debut race. Western Diego came through the field to lead the race, but A Dream to Share was close behind ahead of the final furlong. A great performance from Gleeson saw him victorious at the finish line.
Fact to File and Captain Teague finished second and third.
Ladies Day at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival did not disappoint and we are already looking forward to 2024! Check out our VIP Hospitality Packages here.
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