Image © Healy Racing
Bob Olinger gained a third Cheltenham Festival victory, and the biggest of his chequered career when he ran out a ready winner of the Stayers Hurdle on what was a notable day for point-to-pointers.
Bob Olinger gained a third Cheltenham Festival victory, and the biggest of his chequered career when he ran out a ready winner of the Stayers Hurdle on what was a notable day for point-to-pointers.
Since making an emphatic start to his career by winning a four-year-old maiden at Turtulla for Pat Doyle by 15 lengths, the Sholokhov gelding has always promised to deliver a great deal, and he delivered upon that through much of his early career – landing the 2021 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, before taking advantage of Galopin Des Champs in the following year’s Turners Novices Chase.
Reverting to hurdles, his career has since had its ups and downs, but throughout it all he has remained unbeaten at Cheltenham, with his Stayers Hurdle victory coming on his fourth visit to Prestbury Park.
Travelling strongly down to the last, the now ten-year-old picked off the defending champion Teahupoo after negotiating the last to win by a length and three quarters, becoming just the second ex-pointer in the past 20 years to land the big staying hurdle of the season.
That victory followed hot on the heels of the emphatic victory that Fact To File recorded in the Ryanair Chase.
Like Bob Olinger, the Poliglote gelding was not enjoying his first festival victory, having won last year’s Brown Advisory, and having come up second best to Galopin Des Champs in their last two meetings at Leopardstown, connections elected to drop back in trip to sidestep another clash with the defending Gold Cup champion.
Travelling strongly throughout under Mark Walsh, the eight-year-old went on after the third-last fence, from where he soon had victory wrapped up, as he scarcely came off the bridle to defeat Heart Wood by nine lengths.
Fact To File had been sourced from the Arqana sales ring in 2018 by Donnchadh Doyle for €40,000, for whom he defeated Asian Master by six lengths when making a winning debut as a five-year-old at Bellharbour in 2022.
Fellow Wexford handler Colin Bowe was also on the scoreboard on day three, as he was responsible for producing the winner of the Grade 2 Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle for the second time in five years.
Following on from the success of Telmesomethinggirl in 2021, Air Of Entitlement stayed on powerfully to overhaul the favourite Sixandahalf in the closing stages to win by a half-a-length.
Bowe had won a four-year-old mares’ maiden with the daughter of Westerner at Lingstown last season.
The day ended on a high when Daily Present led home a one-two for Irish Pointers in the Kim Muir, as Daily Present got the better of Johnnywho by a narrow margin under Barry Stone.
The Mahler gelding had started his career by winning a Tipperary four-year-old maiden on debut for Mick Goff, the same handler who also started Tuesday's Arkle victor Jango Baie.
The day ended on a high when Daily Present led home a one-two for Irish Pointers in the Kim Muir, as Daily Present got the better of Johnnywho by a narrow margin under Barry Stone.
The Mahler gelding had started his career by winning a Tipperary four-year-old maiden on debut for Mick Goff, the same handler who also started Tuesday's Arkle victor Jango Baie.
