Countrywide Flame grabs surprise win in JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham
Countrywide Flame’s triumph in the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle was perhaps the most shocking result in the Cheltenham Festival this year. The 2m1f event, which opened final day of the event, saw John Quinn’s gelding rolling over some big names.
The four-year-old was given the odds of 33-1 ahead of the competition. However, he made the bookmakers realise their mistake soon after the beginning.
The talented gelding tracked the leaders until dropped into the midfield after second fence. He changed his gears afterwards, and outpaced his rivals comprehensively.
Countrywide Flame stretched his advantage after the final hurdle, giving his opponents no chance to spoil his party. Courtesy of a consistent show right through the race, the bay gelding sealed top position by three lengths.
The spectators witnessed a close contest between Hisaabaat and Grumeti, who was 5-1 favourite. The two high status contenders battled hard for the runner-position. However, Hisaabaat eventually managed to beat the favourite by three quarters of a length.
He increased his pace to take second position inside final 75 yards. Although he made a strong finish, it had no impression on the winner.
The final result would have seriously disappointing for Grumeti’s fans. Alan King’s trainee kept the leaders under pressure, but failed to deliver what required to win the race. Yet he was lucky to end up among top three.
Paul Nicholls’ Dodging Bullets took real test of his abilities all the way through. Since no luck favoured him, he missed third position by a head distance.
Quinn was pleased to see his trainee upsetting some big names in the race. At the end of the race, he gave full credit to the jockey, Dougie Costello, for extracting the best out of Countrywide Flame.
He said:
"He has never run a bad race this year but I thought he had to find a bit to win. To be fair he is very tough and he stuck at it. He got buffeted about a bit but Dougie gave him a great ride."
Costello was equally delighted after clinching his first Cheltenham success. Sharing his emotions after the race, he stated: "He is not very big but he is tough and he jumps. He is very quick, he got knocked about a bit going down to two out and I thought
I'd just try and get a bit of room going to the last."
Following a brilliant victory, Countrywide Flame has earned good reputation. It has become evident that the dangerous gelding can upset even the best in the business.
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