Day Four schedule
- 1.20: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
- 2.0: William Hill County Handicap Hurdle
- 2.40: Mrs Paddy Power Mares Steeple Chase (Grade 2)
- 3.20: Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle (Grade 1)
- 4.0: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
- 4.40: St James’s Place Festival Hunters Chase
- 5.20: Martin Pope Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
It’s yet another win for Willie Mullins with Dinoblue - Allegorie De Vassy, who was in second, fell at the last. That makes it Mullins 9, Britain 8 - a hoot. Mullins says that Allegorie De Vassy and Paul Townend appear to be fine after their fall.
Three fences to go and Allegorie De Vassy leads Dinoblue and Brides Hill.
The Mares’ Chase is up and running, can Dinoblue or Allegorie De Vassy make it three-in-a-row for Willie Mullins today?
2.40 Mares’ Chase
Malachy: This has become a slightly dull race with the same names coming back to oppose each other in it as last year. On that occasion, Gavin Cromwell’s Limerick Lace got first run on Dinoblue, catching the Willie Mullins horse slightly on the hop and skating up the hill in front. Plenty fancy Dinoblue to turn that form around here, particularly since she beat stablemate Allegory De Vassy in Naas last month despite conceding weight.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a British challenge in this one – Venetia Williams can generally be relied upon to find a contender or two at Cheltenham each year but her runner in this race Fontaine Collonges has done most of its best work on heavier ground than this.
Here’s the betting:
- 11/8 Dinoblue (Willie Mullins) Mark Walsh
- 4/1 Allegorie De Vassy (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 7/2 Brides Hill (Gavin Cromwell) Keith Donoghue
- 11/2 Limerick Lace (Gavin Cromwell) Jack Kennedy
- 10/1 Shecouldbeanything (Gordon Elliott) Sam Ewing
- 50/1 Bar
Horse racing is meant to be enjoyable ......
That’s Willie Mullins' eighth winner of the week - and with Dinoblue and Allegorie De Vassy leading the betting for the next race, the Mares’ Chase, Kopeck De Mee the favourite for the last, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, and a certain Galopin Des Champs in with a shout in the Gold Cup, he’s unlikely to be done yet.
County Handicap Hurdle result
- 1 Kargese 3/1
- 2 Ndaawi 25/1
- 3 Absurde 9/2
It’s another Willie Mullins winner, Paul Townend timing his run on Kargese to perfection!
Two hurdles to go and it’s Our Champ and Spirit Daunou out in front, but it’s all very tightly packed.
The County Handicap Hurdle is under way, the way things have been going for the bookies they’ll expect 50-1 outsider Norman Fletcher to triumph.
2.0 County Handicap Hurdle
Malachy: This could turn out to be very simple altogether. Willie Mullins has won this race seven times, Paul Townend has won it four times. They won it together last year on Absurde but even though that horse is in the race again this time around, Townend has got off it to ride Kargese.
Since this time last year, the only horses to beat Kargese are Majborough, Sir Gino and Take No chances, who was third in the Mares’ Hurdle on Tuesday. The County Hurdle is never straightforward – and Joseph O’Brien’s Lark In The Morning has festival form so can’t be dismissed. But don’t be surprised if Kargese is just a class above the rest of these.
Here’s the betting:
- 3/1 Kargese (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 4/1 Lark In The Mountain (Joseph O’Brien) JJ Slevin
- 9/2 Absurde (Willie Mullins) Danny Mullins
- 9/1 Valgrand (Dan Skelton) Harry Skelton
- 17/2 McLaurey (Emmet Mullins) Mark Walsh
- 14/1 Bar
Triumph Hurdle result
- 1 Poniros 100/1
- 2 Lulamba 11/4
- 3 East India Dock 5/4f
Even Willie Mullins is gobsmacked....
Willie Mullins’ debutant Poniros, ridden by Jonjo O’Neill Jr, is the shock winner - at 100/1! The bookies are jiggin' and reelin'.
Lady Vega Allen leading East India Dock and Lulamba with three hurdles to go.
And they’re off in the Triumph Hurdle.
1.20 Triumph Hurdle (Grade One)
Malachy: The prestige race of the season for juvenile hurdlers, the Triumph Hurdle has tended to throw up some really top class horses in recent years, among them former winners Clair Soleil, Persian War, Kribensis and Katchit who all went to success in the Champion Hurdle. Another former winner you might just have heard of was Tiger Roll, the Grand National victor in 2018 and 2019.
Willie Mullins has had four of the last five winners of the race, including Majborough and Lossiemouth, but the leading fancies this time around are from English yards. East India Dock for James Owens would undoubtedly be a shorter price if it bedded down in Mullins’ yard and has been untouchable in his three races so far this season in England.
Nicky Henderson’s Lulamba is similarly well-regarded, having been impressive in Ascot in January. Hello Neighbour for Gavin Cromwell seems the best of the Irish, although Mullins does have a scarcely credible 11 (!) horses in this and has already shown plenty of capacity this week to win with an outsider.
You can read Brian’s preview of the race here:
Here’s the betting:
- 5/4 East India Dock (James Owen) Sam Twiston-Davies
- 11/4 Lulamba (Nicky Henderson) Nico de Boinville
- 9/2 Hello Neighbour (Gavin Cromwell) Keith Donoghue
- 12/1 Lady Vega Allen (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 22/1 Gibbs Island (Tom Lacey) Stan Sheppard
- 40/1 Bar
By the way, if you sense that the previews you’ll read for each of today’s races sound suspiciously well-informed, that’s because Malachy Clerkin wrote them. So, if any of his fancies come a cropper, you know who to contact. His mobile phone number is available on request. The first preview is coming up.
Gold Cup - the last decade:
- 2016: Don Cossack (Gordon Elliott) Bryan Cooper
- 2017: Sizing John (Jessica Harrington) Robbie Power
- 2018: Native River (Colin Tizzard) Richard Johnson
- 2019: Al Boum Photo (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 2020: Al Boum Photo (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 2021: Minella Indo (Henry De Bromhead) Jack Kennedy
- 2022: A Plus Tard (Henry De Bromhead) Rachael Blackmore
- 2023: Galopin Des Champs (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 2024: Galopin Des Champs (Willie Mullins) Paul Townend
- 2025: ?
That’s some Irish record, only Native River interrupting the streak. Will it be nine out of the last 10 today? If Galopin Des Champs makes it so, then Paul Townend will overtake Pat Taaffe (Arkle (3) and Fort Leney) as the Gold Cup’s most successful jockey with five wins. And Willie Mullins will equal Tom Dreaper’s trainer record of five victories (Prince Regent, Arkle (3) and Fort Leney).
Going in to the final day....
Leading jockey
2: Rachael Blackmore, Paul Townend, Mark Walsh
1: Nico de Boinville, Keith Donoghue, Sean Flanagan, Harry Skelton, Danny Mullins, Danny Gilligan, Ben Jones, Seán O’Keeffe, Brian Hughes, Harry Cobden, Jody Townend, Lorcan Williams, Barry Stone, Paddy Wadge, Jonjo O’Neill Jr
Leading trainer
6: Willie Mullins
2: Henry de Bromhead, Nicky Henderson
Prestbury Cup
Ireland 13, Britain 8
There’s a person wandering around Cheltenham dressed as the Gold Cup because, well, why not?
After a frosty night, the going for today is good to soft.
And so we come to the final day of a memorable Cheltenham Festival, one that has produced no end of terrific stories but all of which might just be trumped if Galopin Des Champs can complete a Gold Cup three-in-a-row.
In doing so, he would become only the fifth horse - after Golden Miller (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936), Cottage Rake (1948, 1949, 1950), Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966) and Best Mate (2002, 2003, 2004) - to win it three times or more, and the first since Best Mate to do it three times on the trot.
And to top all those chunks of history, his trainer Willie Mullins said he would regard him as his greatest ever horse if he achieves the feat. And coming from Willie Mullins, that’s some accolade.
Earlier in the week, Galopin’s groom Adam Connolly told the BBC about how big-headed the horse can be, and “the more he wins, the bigger he gets in himself”. Can you imagine him today if he triumphs? There’ll be no livin’ with him.
Brian O’Connor previews Galopin Des Champs' shot at steeplechasing immortality.
More of the Gold Cup anon, we have four races before then, and two more to wind up the meeting after the big one. And you have some more reading to do too, Brian reflecting on another magical Cheltenham day for Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore on Thursday.
