Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1)

IF the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the ultimate test of thoroughbred ability, then Gaelic Warrior is truly in a league of his own at the top of the National Hunt tree. In a spell-binding, breath-taking display, he hadn’t even come off the bridle at the final fence and powered clear up the run-in to score by eight lengths.

This victory carried extra significance for the winning rider. At the age of just 35, Paul Townend is now the most successful jockey in Cheltenham Gold Cup history on five wins; surpassing the legendary Pat Taaffe of Arkle folklore. And what a week it has been for him in the Cotswolds too, capturing the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup in a Festival that saw him crowned leading rider again on four winners.

Even with his superstar stayer Galopin Des Champs on the sidelines, Willie Mullins was making it Gold Cup victory number five, but it was a key first in the race in the colours of Susannah Ricci. Her husband Rich looked to be walking on air as he returned to the hallowed winner’s enclosure.

In a race where Haiti Couleurs tried to boss affairs until fading to be pulled up before the last, The Jukebox Man was sent off at 7/2 when trying to overcome an imperfect preparation - something that was spoken little about publicly until the 11th hour. He ran below par and beat only one home.

Gaelic Warrior was switched off with hands of gold from Townend, and was constantly poking our eyes out in how sweetly he travelled up between runners approaching the swing for home. The 11/4 favourite sliced through the field with ridiculous ease.

Inothewayurthinkin, last year’s winner who hadn’t shown anything like his old self all season prior to this, raced behind the bridle for much of the journey but vindicated Gavin Cromwell’s faith in him to a fair degree in how he kept on for third behind Jango Baie. The runner-up lost little in defeat and simply bumped into an out-of-this-world performance.

Behind the glow of such a display, however, there was a most sad postscript to the race, as 12-year-old Cheltenham legend Envoi Allen, making his eighth Festival appearance, collapsed post-race and couldn’t be saved. It was a most unfortunate ending to an otherwise exceptional race to watch.

“Oh my God - I’m speechless,” said an elated Townend, well aware of the history books he had just entered in the sport’s greatest race.

“It’s the Gold Cup. I always say they just get better and better. We were dealt a big blow with Galopin Des Champs coming out. I was lucky enough for this lad to be coming along. Patrick [Mullins] was convinced he was the horse for the race. He did a lot of the work with him and my thoughts are with him. It’s a huge team effort. I was just the fortunate one to be on his back today.

Best behaviour

“He might have looked keen, but that’s not keen for Gaelic Warrior! I was delighted I got the position I wanted. When Harry [Skelton on fourth-placed Grey Dawning] went on, I was even happier because we were bumping into each other at a couple of fences and we were just going to keep clashing the whole way around.

“When he went on, this lad went to sleep, jumped from fence to fence, I didn’t ever envision being in front going as well turning in, but I wasn’t going to slow him down after the jump at the third last any more than I did. It was just a matter of not falling off him up the straight.”

Mullins was blown away by the performance and thrilled for owners, who have been some of his most loyal supporters.

“It was just extraordinary,” said the now 120-time Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer.

“I’m just delighted for the Riccis and Paul Townend, who gave him such a great ride. He was so cool on him. Could you imagine what was going through his head going to the last fence? I know what was going through mine! We’ve had so many last fence mishaps around here. It’s fantastic and the way he did it was just spectacular.

“He got everything right and just put in a tremendous round of jumping. We can’t ask for better than that.”

Rich Ricci, speaking after his star chaser became the top-priced 4/1 favourite for next year’s race, added: “I’m a wreck! I’ve been crying since the second-last. I’ve been trying to win this race for 21 years. Brilliant. Magic. People are so lovely to me. And a great ride by Paul. I haven’t seen the race, but I heard it was! It’s been a great week - incredible.

“I’m pleased for the horse - I’m very pleased for [the Riccis’ racing manager] Joe Chambers, because he was the one who really backed the horse, found a new sire - he’s very good at that - and had faith in him from the beginning. We’ve tried to buy Gold Cup winners and have never had it until today.”

As Chambers quipped in the winner’s enclosure: “How on earth did he manage to get beaten in the Fred Winter off a mark of 129 here [in 2022]?”

After this extraordinary display, all is surely forgiven now.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Jango Baie (second)

“What a great winner. The winner is absolutely brilliant, no doubt about that. We made a couple of little mistakes, but they were irrelevant to our finishing position. We are very proud of him. He’s run his heart out, He stayed, but the others stayed a bit better than him. If you are in here after a Gold Cup, you’ve got a very special horse.

“He’s only seven. He’s a baby, put it that way, and he’s stayed on all the way. It certainly wasn’t stamina that beat him, but compared to the winner a lack of turn of foot did. He’s done absolutely nothing wrong, so we’d better come and do it again next year. Let’s see how he comes out of this, but he’s only had two runs before this so you’d like to think he possibly could go on to Aintree.”

Gavin Cromwell, trainer of Inothewayurthinkin (third)

“After the season we’ve had, you’d have to be delighted with his run. He came home strong. There’s no doubt the ability is still there. It is frustrating to look at him jumping out to his right and not travelling. Hopefully we can iron out those problems and we still have a young horse [eight]. Our horses have been running great all week. Plenty have run well in defeat and we were glad to get on the board.”

Harry Skelton, rider of Grey Dawning (fourth)

“He ran very well and gave his all. He just wasn’t good enough on the day but ran creditably.”

Jack Kennedy, rider of Firefox (sixth)

“Ran well. We’re happy with him. He jumped well and the trip probably stretched him.”

Ben Jones, rider of The Jukebox Man (eighth)

“The end result isn’t what we wanted. He jumped, travelled and did everything correctly. I gave him a breather coming down the hill and was in the right place turning for home, he hasn’t quickened up the hill. I wouldn’t be worried about the trip.”

Sean Bowen, rider of Haiti Couleurs (pulled up)

“I didn’t travel at all. He was as flat as a pancake.”