Richard Mann Journalist

07:19 March 04, 2020 6 min read

Richard Mann ponders whether the mighty Alitor and Ronnie O'Sullivan can defy father time in their quest for sporting immortality this spring.

It might have been Alastair Down who once quipped that 'Cheltenham is no place for old bones.'

It's certainly a saying that has stuck with me over the years and the sight of Kauto Star and Istabraq before him being pulled-up in their respective bids for one last hurrah did nothing to weaken that theory.

The white-hot heat of the Cheltenham Festival is a gruelling test for horses and punters alike. The track provides a unique test for the thoroughbred with its undulations and stiff uphill finish requiring horses to be nimble enough to travel and jump well through the early part of their races before having the guts and desire needed to navigate the final and famous climb for home.

For punters and racegoers it isn't much easier, four days of top-class and incident-packed action often leaving even the strongest feeling weary by Friday evening.

In many respects, Cheltenham is the ultimate test, particularly for the chasers who must negotiate some notoriously difficult fences, and you can usually feel satisfied that winners of the Champion Chase and Gold Cup are deserving champions, blessed with that rare mix of class and heart that sets the very best apart from the chasing pack.

One horse who has done just that at the last four Cheltenham Festivals is the mighty Altior, a brilliant winner of a vintage renewal of the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle before bolting up in the Arkle and then claiming glory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase two years running.

Put simply, Altior is a racing superstar and while arguments will rage across the land, in public houses and on social media platforms, about just where he stands in the pantheon of National Hunt greats, he remains, until a week on Wednesday at least, the undisputed king of the two-mile chasing division.

With a CV as decorated and distinguished at the one Altior can boast, it is hard to believe there is anything left for him to achieve or to prove to anyone, not least the racing public that have taken him to their hearts, if not to the same level of adoration enjoyed by former stablemate Sprinter Sacre or indeed Tiger Roll.

Should he claim a record-equalling third Champion Chase at Cheltenham, there will be no question that he will have elevated himself to racing immortality but for now, the vultures are circling on and off the track.

On it, Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi are two young pretenders with age on their side and in the midst of stellar campaigns.

In the case of Defi Du Seuil, he has already this season brushed aside the same rivals Altior had to work hard to see off at Cheltenham last year and as an improving seven-year-old with an impressive record at Prestbury Park, he looks to have a huge chance of dethroning the reigning champion.

It's not just the prospect of two progressive, younger rivals snapping at his heels that will worry Alitor fans either. Nicky Henderson's stable star lost his proud unbeaten record over obstacles when left toiling in Cyrname's wake at Ascot in November as plans for a possible tilt at the King George were torn to shreds in the Berkshire mud.

Seventy-seven days later, Altior finally returned to the track to defeat old foe Sceau Royal in the Game Spirit at Newbury but there are chinks in his armour now that we hadn't seen previously. His big, bold jumping is now making him appear slow and sluggish at his fences while his customary flat spot threatens to see him caught out with fatal consequences against younger, fresher legs in the Champion Chase.

Henderson's faith in Altior is unwavering but his charge is now ten years old and just about to face the toughest test in a career that has already seen him dig deep at four previous Festivals and again as recently as November when finishing very tired at Ascot.

Just how much is left in the tank will be revealed next week but there is no doubting the Champion Chase is brewing up to be the race of the week. A clash of the titans, young rising star against old champion, the prince hoping to dethrone the king and take the crown as his own.

It's not just at Cheltenham where this narrative promises to play out this spring, with Sheffield once again hosting the World Snooker Championship where Ronnie O'Sullivan appears to be going all out in his quest for a sixth Crucible crown and record 37th ranking title.

Like Altior, O'Sullivan has entered the twilight of his career and despite dominating snooker for much of the last 30 years, he now finds himself fighting to hold off the advances of a relentless Judd Trump, whose richly fruitful last 18 months have already seen him rise to the top of the world rankings.

When O'Sullivan lifted the UK Championship for a record seventh time in December 2018, passing Stephen Hendry's record for Triple Crown victories in the process, he appeared untouchable as he belied his advancing years with a level of snooker we thought might never be bettered.

Ronnie O'Sullivan reigns supreme in York

Of course, elite sport moves quickly and within a matter of months Trump had become world champion for the first time, routing John Higgins in the final, while O'Sullivan currently finds himself out of the top 16 in the one-year world rankings having failed to enjoy the level of success this term we have become so accustomed to.

Last week's Players Championship went ahead without its defending champion, O'Sullivan having failed to quality, and in claiming his fifth ranking title of the season in that event, Trump will line up as hot favourite for this month's Coral Tour Championship with The Rocket again a notable absentee.

The most significant thing about O'Sullivan's slide down the rankings is that it can't be blamed on a lack of focus or the carefree approach to the game that undoubtedly cost him titles earlier in his career, when he was troubled by personal problems.

O'Sullivan has remained dedicated to the sport and despite opting to skip this year's Masters in a bid to freshen himself up for the latter part of the season, he fought tooth and nail when beaten by Graeme Dott in the World Grand Prix recently and again in the semi-finals of the Welsh Open against Kyren Wilson a week later.

It was the same in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Open and when losing out to Trump in a high-quality final of the Northern Ireland Open earlier in the campaign.

The hunger and desire remains but at 44 years of age, his powers are on the wane and he is struggling to keep the wolves from the door.

The pack, led by Trump, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy, are circling for the kill but beware the wounded warrior, especially one as good as O'Sullivan, and his earlier victory at the Shanghai Masters and that final defeat to Trump in Belfast illustrate that he remains a very fine operator.

We might ponder where Altior stands amongst the National Hunt greats of the past but most observers have already concluded that O'Sullivan will leave snooker as the best the sport has seen and while his peers will arrive in Sheffield on the back of long and arduous seasons, he won't.

As Eurosport pundit Neal Foulds has suggested in recent weeks, that might work in O'Sullivan's favour given his last two World Championship bids saw him fall early at the end of trophy-laden campaigns and while 37 remains the magic number, he is sure to prepare well for what might be his last realistic chance of again tasting Crucible glory.

Passing Hendry's record remains the ultimate goal, the icing on the cake for a career that has seen O'Sullivan master his craft like no other, and it would be typical of the man to become the most decorated player in snooker history by winning the World Championship in the most iconic snooker venue of them all.

Like Altior, O'Sullivan is fighting to defy Father Time and a host of younger pretenders snapping at his heels in two of the most intriguing sporting events I can recall.

Cheltenham might be no place for old bones, The Crucible Theatre, too, but these great warriors aren't listening and they'll need to be carried out on their shields if they are denied one final triumph in the autumn of two remarkable careers.

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Alitor and Ronnie O'Sullivan chase sporting immortality at the Cheltenham Festival and World Snooker Championship - Sportinglife.com