AS he seems to do with each year that passes, Willie Mullins reached new heights in 2019 as his 20-year pursuit of chasing’s holy grail, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, ended with a victory for Al Boum Photo.

After warming up for this test in the unusual surrounds of a listed chase at Tramore on New Year’s Day, Al Boum Photo rose to the challenge at hand in great style. At times it must have seemed to Mullins that he was fated not to win this race. When Florida Pearl finished third in the Gold Cup in 1999 it seemed as though the great race would surely come the trainer’s way in a matter of years.