Press Releases

Following the cancellation of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival due to a waterlogged track, the Crystal Cup committee has taken steps to ensure the unique pan-European competition maintains its 11 legs.

Punchestown’s Mongey Communications La Touche Cross Country Steeplechase, with a prize fund of €30,000, will be added to the series, with points afforded just as in the other legs. The 5yo+ Weight for Age Conditions chase is run over 4m 2f (6,800m), a distance only capped by the final race at Lion d’Angers on May 9^th.  Entries close on April 25^th at noon (11am for foreign entries).

Conor O’Neill, CEO of Punchestown, commented, “We’re delighted to have been offered the chance to join this prestigious and unique series in the exceptional circumstances of this wet winter. A cordial Irish welcome awaits British and Continental runners over the unique banks course at Punchestown.”

Ian Renton, Managing Director of Cheltenham, added, ““We were naturally very disappointed not to be able to stage our leg of the Crystal Cup Series during the Festival due to the loss of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. However, we are truly delighted that this has provided an opportunity for Punchestown to participate in the Series. Cheltenham is very proud of its cross-country course, the only one of its kind in England and we are wholly committed to the promotion of cross country racing and the Crystal Cup. We know that our racing fans very much enjoy the unique spectacle cross country brings, with many people travelling across Europe to witness other legs of this popular Series. The inclusion of an Irish leg in the Crystal Cup Series will be welcomed by many.”

Alain Peltier, Chairman of the Crystal Cup committee, concluded, “This season’s series has seen a flurry of Irish runners, not just at Cheltenham, where they are expected, but in other races of the series, notably when Roi Mage won at Compiegne in November. The Series has evolved to become a valid route to the Grand National, as well as producing some fabulous races in its own right. Punchestown is a natural addition and we’re thrilled to be there again after a long absence.”

Despite Irish enthusiasm for the Series’ races, this season has been dominated by the Czechs for the first time. In pursuit of the €20,000 bonus prize and the Crystal Cup, Scuderia Aichner SRL and trainer Josef Vana Jnr are in a commanding position requiring any other contender to win both remaining legs to deny them a first success in the challenge.

An eventful race for the Grand Cross de Fontainebleau on Good Friday saw Travel de Belair, trained by Hector de Lageneste and Guillaume Macaire, land the spoils after a gruelling 6,000m (3m 5f) in heavy ground, whilst the brave Czech challenge asserted the lead in the Crystal Cup leaderboard.

The 6 year old winner, with wins at Durtal and Craon to his name this Spring, hunted round the first two circuits, before taking closer order 5 out, and asserting down the centre of the track in the finishing straight.

Credit should go to long time leader Gasby des Planches under Quentin Defontaine, who led from flagfall at a raking gallop, rendering the rest of the field in Indian file from the start until half way, including some exuberant leaps, especially at the Talus Landais (7th). Harmonie Roque, third in Pau’s Grand Cross back in January, took up a position on the leader’s heels, with eventual runner-up Elcond ‘or Forlonge in third.

The sharp turns that define cross country racing at large, and Fontainebleau’s configuration in particular, nearly caught out the leader who nearly ran out right on the sharp left hand bend prior to the 14th. Gasby des Planches forfeited the lead then for a couple of fences before Defontaine pushed him back into the vanguard as the pace increased.

With the field bunching at the 19th as the business end of the race evolved, the Czech challenger Gap Pierji, and eventual winner took much closer order.  Elcond’or Forlonge led at the 20th, with Travel de Belair saving ground on the inner under Kilian Dubourg. Round the final bend, any one of five might have won it, and the € 26,220 first prize looked as if it could be bound for Prague. But Dubourg conjured his horse to lengthen nicely to win by 2l.

The 8 points for his third place propels owners Scuderia Aichner and trainer Josef Vana jnr to an unassailable lead in the Crystal Cup leaderboard.

The Glenfarclas Chase, leg 8 of the Crystal Cup, will not form part of the Cheltenham Festival card after the race was abandoned due to waterlogging following an 8 am inspection today.

Cheltenham confirmed that the event will not be rescheduled with an unsettled forecast meaning conditions are unlikely to improve enough later in the week. Officials had considered deferring the race until Gold Cup day on Friday.

The cancellation means there are revised times for the six remaining races on the second day of the Festival, with the first race delayed 15 minutes to 1345.

The cancellation leaves a clutch of Grand National candidates without a prep run for the Aintree spectacular. The race has become a proving ground for Grand National contenders in recent years, notably Tiger Roll.

The cancellation also leaves the French in pole position to win the Crystal Cup awards with just two legs remaining, at Fontainebleau on March 29 and Lion d’Angers on May 8.

Cheltenham faces the unusual position of starting a festival on soft ground following a winter of very high rainfall. February was the wettest and warmest on record, with an above average volume of fixtures cancelled due to waterlogging.

That wet weather shows little sign of relenting, a trend that may impact upon the next leg of the Crystal Cup tomorrow. Following 6mm of rainfall overnight, which is a significant change from the 2mm-4mm initially forecast, and with a further 4mm-6mm forecast today (Tuesday 12^th March), there will now be an inspection on the Cross-Country course at 8am tomorrow (Wednesday 13^th March). The Cross-Country course is currently waterlogged in places.

In the unfortunate event that the Cross-Country course fails tomorrow’s inspection, Cheltenham is working alongside the BHA on a contingency plan for the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase to be run on Friday 15^th March, Gold Cup Day.

The Old and New Course have taken the rain well and the Going is now Soft, Heavy in Places.

Hip Hop Conti’s performance in the Grand Cross de Pau was underlined yesterday as runner-up Saint Godefroy ran out a 2 1/2l winner in the Grand Cross de Mont de Marsan, under champion rider Felix de Giles.

The €52,000 contest over 4,700m (2m 7f) took place at Pau in the absence of a serviceable track at Mont de Marsan.

Already a winner of no less than 8 cross country races at Pau alone, including the 2022 Grand Cross, over multiple distances, Saint Godefroy certainly knows his way around Pau’s impressive fences, and this race never really looked in doubt despite the best efforts of second-placed Iridia and third,  Riskman.

His Dragey – based trainer Patrice Quinton is France’s leading exponent of cross country racing, and a previous winner of the Crystal Cup award for leading trainer. He had been expected to assert his lead in this season’s Crystal Cup leaderboard with a Cheltenham runner in Wednesday’s Glenfarclas Cross Country, but this was withdrawn at the 6 day entry stage, leaving only British and Irish runners for the £75,000 (€87,000) contest.

Meantime, in a busy weekend for followers of the cross country discipline, a new candidate for senior honours emerged in the Prix Malicieuse over 4,900m (3m) at Durtal. Nine year old gelding Ever Forget Me demolished the 8 runner field with a comprehensive 12l victory, having been held up in rear till half way, when he took it up and gained distance with every stride. One has to hope trainer Eric Leray will push the gelding into higher class events henceforth.