Heart Wood secured a dramatic victory in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on Thursday, but the win was overshadowed by the late withdrawal of hot favourite Fact To File. The JP McManus-owned and Willie Mullins-trained horse was pulled out due to concerns over the ground, which was described as good, good to soft in places.
Owner McManus defended the decision, stating he left the call to trainer Mullins. 'I found it too much for him. It was a bit, part of the course, all together, not to my liking,' McManus said. He criticised the track conditions, suggesting more could have been done to water the course, especially at the top of the track.
Heart Wood, trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Darragh O'Keeffe, stayed back in fourth or fifth before making a move on the outside at the turn. He took the lead two fences from home and cleared the last with ease, holding off Jonbon, who finished second. JPR One set the pace but fell away, while Banbridge mounted a late challenge that proved insufficient.
Mullins later lambasted the ground conditions, threatening to stop bringing his best horses to the Festival if improvements are not made. 'It's jump racing, we want soft in the ground... if the ground is like this, we won't bring them,' he told Racing TV. He expressed annoyance over the lack of watering, saying it was not good enough for top horses.
In other action, Lossiemouth's absence from the Mares Hurdle paved the way for Wodhooh to claim victory. The Gordon Elliott-trained mare, ridden by Jack Kennedy, took control from the third position and led after the turn for home. She held off a late charge from Jade De Grugy to secure Elliott's first win of the week. Kennedy praised the mare, saying, 'She's some mare. It has been a frustrating couple of days, but we knew we had a proper shot.'
