Geraghty living the dream as he lands big treble

First the novice hurdler Simonsig, with a sublime ride by Barry Geraghty, enabled Henderson to eclipse Fulke Walwyn’s all-time record of 40 wins – the winning jockey had been adamant that he should be saved for the two-and-a-half mile Neptune rather than Tuesday’s Supreme Novices.

Then Bobs Worth, a steeplechaser of immense promise, won the RSA Chase by dramatically turning the form tables on the red-hot favourite Grands Crus, who was a leg-weary fourth after failing to stay the three-mile trip.

And then Finian’s Rainbow, a controversial but deserved winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, who outbattled Sizing Europe, the second of last year’s Cheltenham champions to be unexpectedly dethroned.

To think Henderson and Geraghty believed their week would not improve on the scintillating Sprinter Sacre’s victory in Tuesday’s Arkle Trophy.

At this rate there will have to be a Competition Commission inquiry, especially if the pair land today’s Ryanair Chase on Riverside Theatre and then conjure a winning run out of Oscar Whisky to deny the mighty Big Buck’s a record fourth Ladbrokes World Hurdle. Even if Big Buck’s prevails for Ruby Walsh and trainer Paul Nicholls, both men – so dominant for a decade or so – probably realise that racing’s centre of power is switching from Somerset to Lambourn.

After all, Henderson also has two of the first three in tomorrow’s Gold Cup betting – the reigning champion Long Run and Burton Port, the mount of Geraghty who celebrated each victory by standing up in his irons and waving his whip to the massed crowds.

“It’s a brilliant day – you dream of days like this,” said the rider after a dramatic Queen Mother.

There was drama at the first, Kauto Stone parting company from Walsh on another day that he will want to forget after 2011 champion hurdler Hurricane Fly’s shock defeat on Tuesday.

It then saw Wishfull Thinking and Richard Johnson fall heavily at the third, the pair crashing through the running rail and injuring a photographer.

This was where the race was settled on the final circuit. With Johnson treated for bruises, the fence was omitted – even though there was plenty of room for Finian’s Rainbow and Sizing Europe to negotiate the fence.

The latter’s rider Andrew Lynch, later banned for six days for whip misuse, appeared unclear of the rule that any hazard signs means the fence is omitted – the gap is to discourage riderless horses from jumping on top of a casualty.

He was certainly inconvenienced more than the winner, Finian’s Rainbow was on his outer, but it is open to conjecture whether Sizing Europe would have prevailed with a clear run up the home straight – Geraghty’s mount, a 4-1 chance, appeared to have a little still in hand at the end of this two mile chase.

“Andrew tried to hug the rails all the way just like last year and he didn’t know he was going to have to miss the last,” said Sizing Europe’s despondent trainer Henry de Bromhead.

“We haven’t really discussed it but he just said ‘the last cost me the race’. We could have done with jumping another fence as he always likes something to aim at. These things happen and I wouldn’t like to say much more.”

Earlier Simonsig blazed to victory in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, presenting Henderson with his landmark 41st win at the Cheltenham Festival.

There was arguably a touch of good fortune about the 2-1 favourite’s victory as his task was eased a little as Cotton Mill, who was sitting in second, refused at the second-last obstacle, leaving Simonsig to cruise to a seven-length victory,

“It’s lovely to get the record, but you feel a bit overawed as you’re talking about the legendary Fulke Walwyn,” said Henderson who won a fourth race on the day when 40-1 shot Une Artiste won the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle under young conditional Jeremiah McGrath.

“We have been very lucky over the years and I have some lovely horses like this one. It’s all about teams and people.”

Of Simonsig, Henderson added: “He’s got so much natural talent, you could easily run him over two miles. Barry was just keen to run here as he thought it might give him more chance to get his jumping together.

“He was still a bit untidy, but he’ll learn and he’s going to go and jump fences. I think the bigger the obstacle, the better he’ll jump.”

They were ominous words, coming 35 minutes before Bobs Worth outstayed his rivals to land the RSA Chase, the three-mile test for novice chasers.

A 9-2 chance, Bobs Worth turned the form book on its head – this is a horse who was well beaten by the seemingly invincible grey Grands Crus on Boxing Day.

Indeed Grands Crus appeared to be travelling best of all, but had nothing left to give once the field turned into the home straight.

One of the most perplexing results of the meeting, this was not the horse that had so nearly outbattled the aforementioned Big Buck’s over three miles last season.

That said, both Bobs Worth and the runner-up First Lieutenant had won novice hurdles at last year’s Festival.

The victory was even more satisfying to Geraghty because he bought the horse as a yearling in Ireland – and sold it to Henderson.

“What a tough horse. Barry gave him a wonderful ride but he’s got to do that because he sold the thing to me,” said the trainer who could now cap a memorable season by becoming champion trainer for the first time in 25 years.

“We have had our problems with the horse through the winter and I haven’t been happy with him at any stage this season. We fiddled with his wind in January and he was the last horse in the yard to get his coat. His jumping hadn’t been great either. Barry has had two armchair rides so far this week, but he’s had to sing for his supper on that one.”