'They aren't just trials' - Geraghty calls for introduction of jumps Classics

Barry Geraghty has said more should be made of the Grade 1 races that take place before the Cheltenham Festival and called for the introduction of Classics over jumps.

The legendary jockey, who retired in 2020, was talking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday's newspaper in which he discusses what it was like moulding Constitution Hill into a superstar, his best and worst moments in the saddle and an exciting new career which he is about to dive into.

Geraghty does not see the fascination with the Cheltenham Festival as a negative despite many prominent voices in the industry believing it is one of the biggest problems in the sport. He does, however, feel more should be made of races like the King George, the Tingle Creek and the Savills Chase.

"It's a positive, an absolute positive," Geraghty said of the festival fascination. "Every sport needs to build up to something. You need the big ones. The Olympic Games, the Ryder Cup, whatever sport it is, you need to build up to the big ones. Cheltenham is the big one in our sport. We need it."

However, he added: "What does need to happen is for the big races outside of Cheltenham to be celebrated more, be it the King George, or the Tingle Creek, or a Savills Chase, or the big races at the Dublin Racing Festival. They are big races in their own right and they need to stand alone.

"They need to be celebrated as races on their own and not just as trials for Cheltenham. They are proper races. They are well supported, they are competitive and it was always brilliant to ride in them."

Geraghty recalled winning the Tingle Creek, Sandown's two-mile Grade 1 in early December, on Defi Du Seuil in 2019, having won it earlier in his career on Moscow Flyer (twice) and Sprinter Sacre.

"I remember winning the Tingle Creek one day on Defi Du Seuil and coming back and thinking to myself that if this was Flat racing this would be one of the Classics that we have just won," he said. "These races need to be recognised as Classics. They are our Classics. They are jump racing's Classics. They are standalone races and they need to be recognised more."

Read more from Barry Geraghty in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday. Click here to sign up

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