Day 2 Of Cheltenham Festival Sees Big Zeb Claim The Limelight

After a day that belonged to the bookies on day 1 of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival punters arrived on day 2 hoping to win their money back, but it was not to be once again as they were some big upsets on the card. The big race of the day was of course the Queen Mother Champion Chase where Master Minded was going for his third straight win in the race and set off as a big odds-on favourite. It was not to be though as the favourite never travelled leaving the impressive Big Zeb to claim a storming victory with Barry Geraghty on board.

Big Zeb is a horse that has promised much in recent runs and he has finally realised that potnetial with this victory at 10/1 to leave the bookmakers laughing once again. The only horse that got near Big Zeb in the feature was the game Forpadydeplasterer who stayed on well up the hill as he did last year in the Arkle to claim a good 2nd place. In the other big race of the day the RSA Chase there was yet another upset, the 10/1 shot Weapons Amnesty got up in impressive fashion to put himself in line for a big future over the fences. All the money before the race was on Punchestowns and Long Run but a duel between the two failed to materialize as expected. Punchestowns was never in the frame despite going off as favourite while Long Run looked in good shape for a while before failing to get the trip as they jumped the last. He still looks to have a good future but there is no doubting that Weapons Amnesty was a worthy winner at the Festival for the second season in-a-row having won the Albert Bartlett last year.

The first race of the card on Day 2 was the marathon four mile National Hunt Chase that was picked up by Poker De Sivola with Katie Walsh bagging her first Festival winner in the process. It was yet another exciting race which once again saw the favourite beaten with the winner coming home as a 14/1 shot as the punters lost out. The Neptune was perhaps one of the highlights of the day from a spectators point of view as we saw Peddlers Cross get up and he certainly looks to be destined for bigger things on the back o this victory.

Perhaps the most impressive winner of the day though came in the last when Cue Card ran away with the Champion Bumper at yet another long price of 40/1. He simply blew the field away in a similar style to Dunguib last season and looks set to be one to watch next season when he reappears. There was only one favourite win once again today as on day 1 and it was Ruby Walsh who rode Sanctuaire to a good win in the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle. The win saw Ruby Walsh become the most successful ever jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with his 26th victory at Prestbury Park to overtake Pat Taafe. That win though was the only bright spot for the punters on Day 2of the Cheltenham Festival as Big Zeb took the headlines to dethrone the great Master Minded.

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