Friday is Gold Cup Day at the Cheltenham Festival, hosting the most prestigious race in the jump racing calendar, the 3 mile 2 furlongs Cheltenham Gold Cup. As such, it's the busiest day of the Festival by far, making the previous crowds seem easy in comparison. Over 70,000 people were packed into the course on Friday, which made it difficult for me to find anywhere with enough space to draw. I managed to get a view of the parade ring before the second race of the day, the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle.
The day turned out to be an unlucky one for several high-profile jockeys - except for Davy Russell, who had three wins including the Gold Cup. First to go was Festival favourite Ruby Walsh, who suffered a broken arm in a fall in the first race. Next it was Daryl Jacob's turn. Having won the second race - his first of the Festival - his luck turned immediately for the worse when his horse, evidently spooked by something, careered at pace into railings in front of the Best Mate enclosure before the start of the third race. I drew the unfortunate Jacob as he was being tended to by medics. His horse, Lac Fontana, is being led away in the foreground.
The ensuing delay lasted 10-15 minutes as Jacob was stretchered into an ambulance. Later, it emerged that he had broken his knee, leg and elbow. Meanwhile, the rest of the riders circled uneasily on their horses, waiting for the course to be cleared.
The third race won by Very Wood, it was time for the biggest race of the Festival - the Gold Cup. The race had been billed as a return clash between the two heavyweight trainers, Nicky Henderson with last-years winner Bob's Worth and his rival Paul Nichols with King George winner Silviniaco Conti. With nerves still jangling after the previous injuries, the race had to be restarted twice before they finally got away. I was drawing up in the stands above the Tattersalls betting ring as this was going on and was able to capture the close finish as three or four horses crossed the line neck-and-neck.
In the end, after a lengthy stewards enquiry, Lord Windermere, ridden by Davy Russell, was proclaimed winner. I caught Russell in a quick sketch as he pumped his fist in celebration parading past the crowd, few of whom must have backed him as he set off at 20-1.
The Gold Cup over and done, but there was more incident still to come. I crossed the track and drew the Grandstand as the evening sun dipped below the roof, hoping to catch the horses running up past me to the finish in the last race of the day. What actually happened was that A.P. McCoy was unseated about five metres in front of me and the spectators I was with, dumped on the floor and trampled badly. As McCoy writhed in pain, the area was quickly sealed off by stewards. About five minutes later, the champion jockey pulled himself up and limped away across the grass, assisted by medics.
I emerged feeling somewhat privileged not to be a jockey. I didn't feel much like drawing after that, but here is a picture of some bookmakers packing up their pitches at the end of this year's Festival.
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