Spot is back!!
 

The grand old boy, Spot Thedifference returns to his happy hunting ground tomorrow, where he runs in the BGC Cross Country Chase over 3miles 7furlongs.

Can't wait to see this old boy run again tomorrow. Many are saying this will be his last run, and at the age of 14, i think he deserves it.


Friday November 16 2007
Cheltenham 14:30

Bgc Cross Country Chase
£35000.00 added, 5yo plus, 3m 7f, Class 2, £21921.00 penalty
15 runners
Going: Good, Cross Country Course; Good to Firm

1 1-00015 Dom Fontenail (FR) 65 8 11-8 bt1 F Cottin Mr Richard Hume
2 5736F-8 Royal Auclair (FR) 13 10 11-8 t P F Nicholls L Heard 143
3 01141-8 Spot Thedifference (IRE) 18 14 11-8 p E Bolger Mr J T McNamara 150
4 81077-7 Florida Dream (IRE) 28 8 11-5 N A Twiston-Davies David England 118
5 0P504-3 Omni Cosmo Touch (USA) 22 11 11-5 p H De Bromhead A E Lynch 125
6 05/2-016 Juful Tennis (FR) 68 10 11-2 t1 F Cottin P A Carberry
7 21-P12P Metal Detector (IRE) 19 10 11-2 K C Bailey J M Maguire 115
8 P-15514 Millanymare (IRE) 46 8 10-12 A J Martin K Whelan 105
9 306263 Casadei (IRE) 13 8 10-10 t T G McCourt D J Condon 105
10 P-42UP6 Dulgodti Bob (IRE) 50 7 10-10 b J G Carr J M Davies 115
11 4U202-1 Freneys Well 26 7 10-10 E Bolger Mr G M Mangan 101
12 8-F19U7 Happy Hussar (IRE) 8 14 10-10 Dr P Pritchard O Dayman 68
13 43UP-2U Le Duc (FR) 19 8 10-10 P F Nicholls S Thomas 133
14 527P8-7 Puntal (FR) 195 11 10-10 pt D Pipe J W Farrelly 130
15 94P489 Sybellius D'artaix (FR) 3 7 10-10 Paul Murphy T J Dreaper 112

Betting Forecast: 4/1 Spot Thedifference (IRE), 5/1 Puntal (FR), 11/2 Freneys Well, 7/1 Royal Auclair (FR), 8/1 Millanymare (IRE), 10/1 Juful Tennis (FR), 10/1 Le Duc (FR), 12/1 Omni Cosmo Touch (USA), 14/1 Dom Fontenail (FR), 20/1 Florida Dream (IRE), 20/1 Casadei (IRE), 25/1 Metal Detector (IRE), 33/1 Dulgodti Bob (IRE), 33/1 Sybellius D'artaix (FR), 100/1 Happy Hussar


Good luck old fella. I will be there to see you tomorrow! :)

Come home safe.

Me, him or both? :D

Oh Jesus... this is why i never ever watch till after the fact....

He won, collapsed and got up?

Thrilled he won but for the love of God can they please retire him now?

Him. :p

havent seen the race yet, but superb for him. 14 years old and still brilliant. The increasing focus on X Country races, though short on quality are a nice welcomed addition in my eyes

Just back from Cheltenham (after losing my phone in a taxi :( and getting on a broken down train)...... not been a good day.

Thrilled for 'Spot' though. I stood in the middle of the course to get a close view of some of the cross country fences. Turned to see the final few furlongs and he was struggling in second place, and looked booked for second or even third, but as JT has said before, the horse seemed to see that demanding hill, put his hears back and find anther two gears.

Was brilliant to be there, even though i've had a terrible day.

Immortal Spot shows just what makes him different




by Lee Mottershead

HIS place in immortality is assured. For on Friday at Cheltenham, on the stage he rules like few others ever have, he seemed to achieve the impossible. Spot Thedifference is the horse who came back from the dead.

Now, with the comfort blanket of his safety to warm us, we can look back and smile that we had feared for him when there was no need to fear.

It had only been a slip, nothing more sinister than that.

Yet, for those few awful seconds, it seemed as though events in the amphitheatre of emotion were about to take the cruellest turn. No wonder, then, that when he rose from behind the green screens, the place went crazy.

It seemed impossible that he could have been cheered louder than he was cheered up this hill of hills, but the noise that accompanied him on his long, riderless walk back to the winner's enclosure was the sort normally reserved for great Gold Cup winners.

It was a roar to warm the heart. Be in no doubt.

This horse is loved by Irishmen and Brits alike. And apparently loved by the one whose love matters most. For it was not just after the race was over that divine intervention seemed to be at work.

All through the glorious marathon of mayhem that was this BGC Cross Country Chase, somebody important appeared to be helping, doing his best to ensure that Spot Thedifference would secure his fourth successive win in the race and his seventh on the course. With no little help from John Thomas McNamara, the battle was won.

“He was going so fast, he just skidded and slipped up,” said McNamara, explaining the incident that silenced the stands. As he said it, just a few feet away, devoted owner J P McManus stood admiring his 14-year-old hero, a hero he had not long earlier thought might be lost.

“You always fear the worst, but thankfully all's well,” said McManus.

“I went through every emotion; the thrill of his win, the sadness of him going down and then the great relief of him getting up.”

Nobody was more relieved that trainer Enda Bolger, who nominated Saturday's victory as the greatest of his career.

“He is a wonderful horse,” said Bolger, lips quivering, tears approaching.

“When he won at Punchestown this year, that was unbelievable, but this beats it - no doubt, this is the proudest moment of my career.
“He is an amazing horse, and when he comes to the last fence, he just flies. His battling qualities are his forte. He is never beaten here when he gets in a fight. He is unbelievable.”

As was this race, a race in which Spot Thedifference found himself in front much earlier than usual when Puntal and Florida Dream took the wrong course after the fourth fence, earning their riders Noel Fehily and David England 12-day suspensions in the process. Much, much later, French raider Juful Tennis fell at the 27th jump, all but taking out Royal Auclair, who had been travelling as easily as was stablemate Le Duc when he unseated Sam Thomas atthe 30th fence.

Even then Spot Thedifference had a mountain to climb. Turning for home, there were three lengths to make up on compatriot Casadei, but make them up he did before powering clear for a one-length victory. Will it be his last? Bolger willbe the one who decides if Spot Thedifference runs again, and he was no mood to decide on Friday. This was a day when he and McManus - and everyone else - just wanted to appreciate one of the finest four-legged wrinklies the sport has ever seen.

“I think he has a place in everybody's hearts,” said McManus. He does. And, to universal delight, one special equine heart still beats strong.

The thrills and spills

* 14 runners line up at start.

* Omni CosmoTouch unwillingly approaches first tailed off having initially refused to partake. Promptly refuses at the first

* Dom Fontenail unseats Mr Richard Hume at obstacle number four of 32, the 'Canal Turn' where David England on Florida Dream and Noel Fehily on Puntal head straight on, carrying Ollie Dayman and Happy Hussar onto the wrong course

* Before the next Philip Carberry and Juful Tennis nearly crash through the rails

* Absence of canal allows Puntal, Florida Dream and Happy Hussar to aboutturn and they rejoin main pack, now tailed off

* Puntal somehow manages to rejoins leading group

* Dulgodti Bob and James Davies part company on the flat when squeezed out on bend with 12 to jump

* Six to jump, and Juful Tennis unseats Carberry and nearly carries Royal Auclair off course. Millanymere attempts the splits out the back

* Le Duc, travelling well three from home, deposits Sam Thomas unceremoniously out the side door

* Turning for home, Casadei takes it up from long-time leader Spot Thedifference but J T McNamara and 14-year-old Spot Thedifference hold on to win

For anyone interested, a replay can be seen at www.channel4.com/racing

Friday 16th November, 2.30 Cheltenham.

I'm glad i couldn't have seen him slip from where i was standing. I would have been in pieces if anything bad had happened.

There is something about Cheltenham that this horse adores. :)


Thank you, Spot.

NoChance very jealous of you being there on Friday, work is infringing on my racing too much..

I'm there again Sunday :D

At least i won't have a phone to lose!