Horse Racing

Alan King’s five best Cheltenham Festival winners

Tom ReedTom Reed8 March 2022
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alan king

Popular dual-purpose trainer Alan King had had some fantastic Cheltenham horses over the years. Planet Sport runs down his five best winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Barbury Castle trainer Alan King is the ideal antidote to the huge trainers who tend to dominate the Cheltenham Festival.
King always sends out hard working horses and goes to Cheltenham 2022 with a leading chance of taking the Arkle with the talented Edwardstone.

Planet Sport goes through the standout five winners for King in the Cheltenham Festival.

When horses of the calibre of Fork Lightning, Nenuphar Collonges and Bensalem not making the list, you know there are some fine animals included.

5. Penzance

Cheltenham win: Triumph Hurdle (2005)

This useful Pennekamp gelding hit the ground running after switching from James Fanshawe on the flat.
A remarkable four win streak in 2005 saw the then four-year-old go from Class 4's to a Grade 1 win at the Cheltenham Festival in three months.
The bookies only rated Penzance as a 9/1 shot for the Triumph Hurdle behind Howard Johnson's favourite Akilak, part-owned by Alan Shearer.

Yet it was the strapping chestnut Penzance who had the power in the final furlong under Robert Thornton, seeing off Nicky Richards' Faasel by a head at Prestbury Park.

After the race, King said: "It was the longest furlong of my life.The second horse closed and closed and I thought the winning line would never come, but he travelled throughout the race and then battled up the hill."

4. Katchit

Cheltenham wins: Triumph Hurdle (2007), Champion Hurdle (2008)

Another recruit from the flat, Katchit only won one race for Mick Channon before being sent over hurdles with King.
Yet a couple of wins over December and January of 2006/7 at Cheltenham was enough to convince King he had a Triumph Hurdle contender on his hands.

Again, Katchit didn't catch the eye of the betting market for favouritism particularly, going off at 11/2 behind the Irish raider Lounaos.

Robert "Choc" Thornton put in a sweet ride to have the four-year old Katchit on terms from two out, before making the other try and "Katchit" when storming home to a nine lengths win.

The next year, Katchit returned for the 2008 Champion Hurdle and rated even more of an outsider at 10/1.

Yet, the Triumph Hurdle-Champion Hurdle double was completed by a game as they come Katchit, who outfought and outran a stellar field to beat David Pipe's Osana by a length.

Katchit never won again but the image of Thornton flashing home in the pink and green silks will live long in the memory of one of the most thrilling Champion Hurdles.
— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) July 14, 2016

3. Medinas

Cheltenham win: Coral Cup (2013)

A 2013 win in the Welsh Champion Hurdle wasn't enough to stop Medinas going off at a huge 33/1 for the Coral Cup at Cheltenham that year.

A total of 28 runners went to post in this highly competitive Grade 3 over two miles and five furlongs with Charlie Longsdon's Pendra the favourite.

Few would have noticed the six-year-old Medinas held up in midfield for a portion of the race and who began to turn the screw from two out.

Wayne Hutchinson pushed on from the final hurdle with none other than King stablemate Meister Eckhart the nearest challenger in second.
Medinas ran on for a two length victory, giving King a remarkable one-two.

There may be pound-for-pound better horses in the King portfolio but Medinas certainly had the Midas touch that day and at a bookie-bashing price.

2. My Way De Solzen

Cheltenham wins: World Hurdle (2006), Arkle Challenge Trophy (2007)

A 15th in the 2005 Supreme Novices' Hurdle wasn't exactly an indicator of just how good My Way De Solzen was.

The then six-year-old bounced back to win the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell before being targeted by King for the World Hurdle, now the Stayers' Hurdle, at the Cheltenham Festival in 2006.

As is traditional for King runners, there was plenty of value about the 8/1 offered for My Way De Solzen to waltz off with the long distance race.

Punters who backed the 8/1 shot would have been having kittens as My Way De Solzen battled it out with Michael Halford's Golden Cross but Thonton got up to win by a head.

After switching to fences, My Way De Solzen was aimed at the prestigious Arkle in 2007 by King and put in a powerhouse performance to romp to a five lengths win.

These were glory years for King and My Way De Solzen but another horse would top the lot.

1. Voy Por Ustedes

Cheltenham wins: Arkle Challenge Trophy (2006), Queen Mother Champion Chase (2007)

This horse's name roughly translates as "I'm coming for you" in Spanish and this class horse was often breathing down top animals' necks.

The french-bred Villez gelding went on a five race unbeaten run from November 2005 and arrived to the 2006 Arkle as a 15/2 chance.

As we know, King laughs in the face of outsider status and regular jockey Robert Thornton had Voy Por Ustedes in front at the business end in the pink and mauve silks of leading patron Sir Robert Ogden.

After unseating his rider in the Game Spirit at Newbury in the build up to the Queen Mother Champion Chase of 2007, Voy Por Ustedes started at 5/1 as a general afterthought to David Pipe's evens favourite Well Chief.

Yet again, King showed his horses are the ones to produce the goods when it matters at Cheltenham as Voy Por Ustedes was driven out for a one and half lengths win from Carl Llewellyn's Dempsey.

This time, Well Chief fell and even though Voy Por Ustedes clattered the second last, he ran on to prove his own class as top of the tree for Alan King's 15 Cheltenham Festival winners.

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