THE build-up to Cheltenham 1967 from an Irish point of view was very much muted, and the three-day festival of racing proved to be an overall disappointment for Irish-trained runners.

A single Irish success was scant reward from the large travelling party, but a Cheltenham winner lives long in the memory for connections. The sole Irish triumph came from Johnny Duffy’s seven-year-old gelding Arctic Stream who won the Cotswold Chase, the opening race on day two, from First Audition, and the owner had the added pleasure of having also bred the winner.

Arctic Stream had to call on every ounce of courage he possessed to defeat First Audition, and as he crossed the winning line he had less than a length to spare. The man in the saddle was Irish champion jockey Ben Hannon and the winner was trained by Pat Rooney.

Looking back 50 years to Cheltenham evokes many memories, and one of the most striking things about the records for the meeting was the quality of the jockeys riding at the time. At different periods we wonder about it being a golden age for horses, jockeys and more. However, a scan through the 19 races run – these were the days of six-race cards but the Gloucestershire Hurdle was divided – show that this could well be considered the golden age for riders.

Among the many well-known names to compete but fail to win were household names such as David Nicholson, Tommy Carberry, Richard Pitman, Bobby Beasley, Stan Mellor, Barry Brogan, Eddie Harty, Tommy Stack, Tommy and Christy Kinane, Paul Kelleway, Graham Thorner and Andy Turnell. And that list is in no way exhaustive, though mention should be made of two men who went on to successful careers in the media – Brough Scott and John Lawrence, later Lord Oaksey.

Sharing the riding honours at the Cheltenham Festival 1967 were Jeff King and the amateur Nick Gaselee, both recording doubles. King, noted for his bravery and strength in the saddle, opened his account in the second division of the Gloucestershire Hurdle (now the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) on Early To Rise. Trained by Bob Turnell, the gelding was sporting the colours of Paul Mellon and was a homebred seven-year-old son of the great Ribot. Mellon is famously associated with the brilliant Mill Reef.

Two days later, King and Turnell combined to land the Spa Hurdle with Jim Joel’s French-bred Beau Normand, denying Paddy Woods on King Vulgan by three-parts of a length. Meanwhile, Mellon and Turnell also captured the Two-Mile Champion Chase with Drinny’s Double.

Nick Gaselee, later to become a successful trainer with such as the Grand National winner Party Politics, was an accomplished amateur rider, partnering more than 100 winners in a decade-long career in the saddle. The highlight of his riding career was his double at Cheltenham in 1967, first on the William Hill-bred Chu-Teh in the Kim Muir, and 24 hours later on the hot favourite Mulbarton in the four-mile Foxhunters’.

The Festival opened with the first division of the Gloucestershire Hurdle and the Irish-bred Chorus was a smooth winner for owner Lord James Crichton-Stuart, Newmarket trainer Tom Jones and jockey Johnny Haine.

This was the fifth consecutive Cheltenham Festival at which Haine rode a winner – he later added four more – and followed his Champion Hurdle success the previous year on Salmon Spray. It is generally acknowledged that Haine was the most stylish rider of the era.

Chorus had started his racing career in Ireland, enjoying much success from the Grangecon stables of Paddy Sleator, and was ridden all his four Irish successes by Jackie Power.

The actor Gregory Peck owned the National Hunt Handicap Chase winner Different Class, trained by Peter Cazalet. The gelding had a year earlier won the Champion Novice Chase at the Festival, and on both occasions he had David Mould in the saddle.

Mould had an injury-plagued riding career, once saying that: “I spent more Christmases in hospital than I did at home.” He rode 606 winners, and incredibly 106 of these were in the colours of the Queen Mother.

Ben Hannon was on the Toss Taaffe-trained Tobraheela, the runner-up to Different Class, and he was also in the frame in the Champion Novices’ Chase (today the RSA Chase) on Busty Hill, behind Border Jet and Bowgeeno, The Ryan Price-trained winner, formerly trained in Ireland by Willie Rooney, had the considerable assistance of Josh Gifford in the saddle.

This was Gifford’s record-breaking season as he became champion jockey for the third time when he notched up 122 wins. This compared to tallies of 70, 94 and 82 wins in his other championship seasons. He later trained many racing stars, and is especially remembered for his Grand National win with Aldaniti.

Saucy Kit won the Champion Hurdle and was yet another who started his career in Ireland, winning on the flat for Micky Rogers. He then joined Peter Easterby and gave him the first of five wins in the hurdle feature, being later joined by the dual winners Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse. Roy Edwards had the leg up on the winner and it was the highlight of his 500-win career.

The late Terry Biddlecombe got his name on the roll of honour in 1967 when he fought out the finish with Stan Mellor to win the Gold Cup, Woodland Venture scoring by three-parts of a length from Stalbridge Colonist. Paul Kelleway was third on What A Myth. Mill House fell when leading, while the field included the Irish hope Fort Leney and the subsequent Grand National winner Foinavon.

Two of the other winners at the meeting deserve a mention. Amateur Ben Hanbury made the Mildmay of Flete Chase a family affair, winning on the family’s French March. Hanbury spent a great deal of time riding in Ireland before he later became a classic-winning trainer.

The meeting ended with the Cathcart Challenge Cup and the Irish-born Ron Barry, later to become champion jockey and beat Josh Gifford’s tally of winners in a season with 125 victories, landed the spoils with Prince Blarney. J