Tom and Peter Scudamore on the point of it all: winning at Cheltenham

‘No, no, I’m quite happy not to have ridden a winner here . . .’

Year after year, jump racing folk try to convince themselves that there’s a whole season full of races to aim at, and that success in November can be just as gratifying as success in the middle of March. But, for as long as most folk can remember, the Cheltenham Festival has been the place where everyone wants to win.

PETER SCUDAMORE
There’s no other meeting like it, even Grand National week. At Cheltenham, every single race is a life-defining moment. It was three days in my time, the be-all and end-all of everything. You started on the Tuesday, and suddenly you’re walking out of the weighing room on the Thursday night. It’s all rushed into one, and the emotional turmoil of that is draining.