Blast From The Past: Challow Hurdle

Anybody who’d overdone the celebrations of seeing in the New Year in 2006 might have missed the race in which Denman first showed that he was a star in the making. Newbury’s meeting at the end of December that season succumbed to frost and the Challow Hurdle was run instead just before midday on Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day card, making it the very first race of the year in Britain and Ireland in 2006.

Just turned six, Denman had had only three starts by then, winning a maiden point in Ireland and then a couple of novice hurdles at Wincanton for Paul Nicholls in the colours of Paul Barber. Filling the eye in the paddock, Denman was sent off the 5/2 favourite for the Challow under Ruby Walsh, though was just one of several in the line-up who had made promising starts to their hurdling careers. Here’s how Chasers & Hurdlers described the race:

‘Denman faced much stiffer opposition than on his first two starts over hurdles, his seven opponents including Boychuk, Its a Dream and The Cool Guy who were also unbeaten over hurdles, the first of those successful in a Grade 2 novice at the same venue on his previous start. Yet in completing his hat-trick over hurdles, Denman was even more impressive than on his previous outing, showing very smart form in the process. Denman, who jumped splendidly, travelled strongly close up and drew clear after The Cool Guy, who had been the only other still on the bridle when disputing the lead going to two out, made a mistake at that flight. Springheeled at the last, Denman forged ahead up the hill to win by twenty-one lengths from The Cool Guy, with Boychuk a further three quarters of a length behind in third.’

‘Slaughtering in his field in the style of one destined for the very top’ in the words of the Timeform report on the Challow, it was thanks to that performance that Denman was considered a banker when he returned to Cheltenham for the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle (he’d also won a little race at Bangor in the meantime) only to meet with his first defeat when turned over by the Noel Meade-trained Nicanor.

However, that was Denman’s last race over hurdles – chasing was always going to be his game - and he went on to win at the next two Festivals, landing the Royal & SunAlliance Chase in 2007 and a memorable Gold Cup (from stable-companion Kauto Star) in 2008 in which he took his unbeaten record over fences to nine.

Denman went on to finish second in the next three Gold Cups – behind Kauto Star, Imperial Commander and Long Run – but he will be remembered at least as much for his record in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury which he won for a second time, again carrying 11-12, in 2009.

As for Denman’s rivals in the Challow, none of them went close to matching his exploits later in their careers, though fourth-placed Ungaro (who was ridden at Cheltenham by current Flat champion Jim Crowley, incidentally) beat Boychuk in the following season’s Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton.