Today is a perfect day. Not just any old great day, but the first truly perfect one for over six months. As I write this, I sit at my desk looking out over the green acres of a north London park. The leaves are that glorious autumnal reddish brown, the weather is crisp and bright, and God is in his English heaven. But those are merely some of the necessary parts of a perfect day. Because what lifts today from being merely wonderful to perfect is that, for the first time in half a year, there is racing at Cheltenham.
The first day of the annual two-day October fixture is the moment when we can start to properly enjoy racing again
The first day of the annual two-day October fixture is the moment when we can start to properly enjoy racing again. The flat serves its purpose in the months when the ground is too firm for proper jumps racing, but for many of us flat is an adjective rather than a noun; we feel the same way about flat racing as we do about flat champagne.
There is summer jumping, but it’s an irrelevance really. Summer means flat racing. And while we can all appreciate the skill and sport involved in it, it’s a pale imitation of proper – i.e. jump – racing. At its most basic level, nothing tests a horse like the need to jump at speed – upwards of 30 mph – whether it’s flicking past a hurdle or leaping over a fence. Whether it’s a pacey two-mile hurdler or a strapping three-mile chaser, jumping is a breathtaking combination of equine brilliance and human endeavour. And while the best flat horses grace us fleetingly with their presence, jump horses can race for many years, and the more we see of them the more we learn of their foibles or, when we are in the presence of greatness, of their unique talents.
This year, for example, will see the return of the enigmatic hurdler Constitution Hill. Hailed as one of the greats after his Champion Hurdle win in 2023, he had to miss the 2024 running and then – to universal astonishment – fell in this year’s running. After falling again at Aintree and then trailing in at the back at Punchestown, his trainer Nicky Henderson – a genius at bringing horses back from apparent oblivion – is probably as much in the dark as the rest of us as to whether Constitution Hill can resume where he left off before his disastrous sequence began. You don’t get that on the flat.
Technically this season began the day after the old season ended, in April, but it’s only today that the gloves really come off and serious horses start to be brought out by their trainers. Today’s Cheltenham card marks the start of the season proper.
It’s also more than that. There’s a widespread assumption that summer is when the year peaks, and the other three seasons are something to be endured as best as possible until summer returns. But for some of us it’s the other way round. Summer has its high points – cricket and…well, I’m sort of stuck thinking of another. For me, nothing beats a crisp autumnal day, although a crisp spring day comes close. And you can keep your beach summers. If you’ve ever walked along a beach in the middle of winter, with a clear blue sky above, you’ll surely know what I mean.
For those of us who love jump racing, the year is at last getting properly underway.
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