THIS week’s column covers just the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival where, on day one, it was great to see the colours of the Try Ravenhill Syndicate carried to success on the Aaron Metcalfe-bred Ravenhill in the concluding Grade 2 National Hunt Chase.

Now trained by Gordon Elliott, the 2010 Winged Love gelding began his career at Danescroft with George Stewart, pulling up on his debut in a Punchestown maiden in mid-February 2015 and winning on his seventh and final start between the flags at Loughanmore in late March 2016.

Then transferred to Elliott, Ravenhill won three hurdle races and two chases before his Tuesday triumph, giving the Syndicate their first good reason to celebrate locally at Downpatrick in June 2018. In July last year, he won the Galway Plate Trial at Limerick before running well in that Galway chasing feature, finishing fifth.

The owners then headed down to the Listowel Festival where Ravenhill just failed by a head to reward their support in the Kerry National. Rarely out of the first four, he fell for the first time in his career in the Troytown Chase at Navan in November but Elliott produced him bang on form on Tuesday when he was given a brilliant ride by Jamie Codd to notch up win number seven.

History

Ravenhill is the last of just five foals out of the Orchestra mare Rhythm Hill, dam also of the three-time winner Ballycarney (by Classic Cliche).

When Ravenhill won his point-to-point maiden he was ridden by Mark O’Hare who was also on board Tuesday’s Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle winner Honeysuckle when she scored on her only start between the flags at Dromahane in April 2018.

Then trained by Jerry Cosgrave and running in the colours of the rider’s wife Sara, the now six-year-old Sulamani bay had been well spotted and bought for just €9,500 by O’Hare at the 2017 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale. Four days after winning at Dromahane, the Banbridge farrier sold Honeysuckle to Rathmore Stud’s Peter Moloney for €110,000 at Goffs Punchestown and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Kalanisi gelding Imperial Aura, who won the Listed Novices’ Handicap Chase on day one, was purchased on behalf of his owners, Imperial Racing Partnership, at the 2016 Goffs Land Rover Sale by the Newtownabbey-based agency, Kevin Ross Bloodstock.