One of the Cheltenham Festival Races Will Be Named in Honor of Jack de Bromhead Next Year
The Cheltenham Festival is one of England’s most prestigious horse racing events. Trainers, jockeys, and horses from all over the UK, and even the world, gather during Cheltenham to test their mettle. Winning events at Cheltenham is call for celebration for everyone involved, from horse to trainer. The four-day festival takes place annually, and usually happens in March.
Some of the most popular events that take place in Cheltenham are the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and of course the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The massive popularity that Cheltenham enjoys, naturally, attracts many bettors and punters from all over the world. Some of the most popular events of the event take place on day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival, and they attract a huge crowd.
Tragedy Strikes
However, while the goal of Cheltenham, and other horse racing festivals is to titillate and excite, sometimes tragedy is unavoidable. On September 3, 2022, during the Glenbeigh Racing Festival, Jack de Bromhead, son of famous Irish horse trainer Henry de Bromhead was involved in a riding accident. The injuries resulted the boy’s passing, and naturally, the rest of the festival was cancelled.
According to sources present at the 2-day racing event, Jack de Bromhead was participating in a pony race during the festival. News at the time reported that the boy fell from his horse during a race at County Kerry’s Rossbeigh Beach. The bad fall resulted in some terrible injuries, which eventually led to Jack’s passing. The boy was only 13 at the time.
Cheltenham Will Honor the Boy
The 2022 Cheltenham Festival came and went, and already horses, trainers, and jockeys are preparing for the 2023 iteration of the event. Recently, Henry de Bromhead, Jack’s father and one of Ireland’s premier trainers, received some heart-warming news. It seems that Cheltenham has decided to rename one of their popular events in honor of Jack.
The Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle will now carry Jack’s name. The news was confirmed by his father Henry de Bromhead just a week ago. After a conversation with Michael O’Leary, Henry de Bromhead went public with the news that the Cheltenham Festival will be dedicating the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle to Jack, starting next year.
What is the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle?
As the name implies, the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle is a hurdle race for novice mares. The race is open to fillies and mares older than four years old, all of whom are novices to hurdle racing. The event takes place on the New Course during the Cheltenham Festival. And though fans of horse racing and sports are looking forward to 2023’s Cheltenham, there is another big tournament that will take place sooner than that. We are, of course, referring to the Qatar World Cup, scheduled to take place in only a couple of days. Excitement is high and football fans are awaiting the first match with baited breath.
Henry de Bromhead is one of Ireland’s most-renowned horse trainers. So, he will certainly be placing a few of his horses in the tournament. Already, he has announced that quite a few of his mares are capable of taking on the challenge. Among them, he has named Magical Zoe as a standout. However, it is still too early to say exactly which mares or fillies trained by Mr. de Bromhead will be taking the field.
Conclusion
Cheltenham’s kind gesture is certainly heartwarming. A few days after Jack de Bromhead’s passing, the family issued statements, in which they said that Jack was a one-of-a-kind kid, who touched all of their lives. His passing was a major tragedy, and he will certainly be missed by friends and family.