Turf Talk: Looking back on 2022, the year that saw normality return to horse racing

Baaeed wins the Queen Anne Stakes during Day One of Royal Ascot 2022 at Ascot Racecourse. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Harrogate Advertiser horse racing correspondent Jeff Garlick’s latest weekly column.

So, 2022 finally saw a return to normality following the previous two Covid-ravaged years. Crowds flocked back to the racecourses with record attendance at the pinnacle of the National Hunt year, the Cheltenham Festival.

Irish trainer Willie Mullins won 10 of the 28 races at the festival, including five on the last day. Meanwhile, Rachael Blackmore nailed the two biggest races with Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle and A Plus Tard in the Gold Cup.

Conditional Hill announced his presence on the racing scene with a 22-length win in the Supreme Novices hurdle and remains unbeaten. His clash with Honeysuckle in next year’s Champion Hurdle is eagerly anticipated.

The Grand National provided a fairytale ending to the riding career of top amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. He guided 50/1 shot Noble Yeats to victory at Aintree and immediately announced his retirement from the saddle.

The Flat racing trainer’s championship fell to Newmarket-based Charlie Appleby. He picked up the 2,000 Guineas with Corebus on his way to collecting over £6 million in prize-money for his owners.

I attended Royal Ascot for the first time since 2019 and was lucky enough to see Baaeed winning the Queen Anne Stakes. He went on to win the Juddmonte International at York and was rated the best horse in the world. Despite losing his unbeaten record in his final race, he is undoubtedly the best we have seen since Frankel retired.

Northern trainers enjoyed their best Royal Ascot for many a year with five winners. The Richard Fahey-trained Perfect Power was the most impressive of these, winning the Commonwealth Cup on his return to sprinting.

The racing year ended with a great win in the King George VI Chase for Bravemansgame. L’Homme Presse fell at the last in that race when beaten, but in my view is still a better prospect for the Cheltenham Gold Cup due to his superior stamina. However, Protektorat is still my top fancy for that race.

This is the last column of the year, so may I wish all Turf Talk readers a Happy New Year and a prosperous 2023.