Warrior By Name, Champion By Nature

The final two days of the Cheltenham Festival continued to provide drama, tension and more high-octane action, all culminating in the blue riband of jumps racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which saw a new name etched onto the famous Gold Trophy.

No Fact, All Heart

Thursday continued the theme of shock winners during the week, starting in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. Bambino Fever looked to many to be one of the bankers of the week. Even her Closutton yard thought she could not be beaten.

Cue Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls’ White Noise, who came home to deafening silence at 40/1, with Bambino Fever was down the field in 16th. Tom Bellamy may have thought he would be the talk of the town had his mother not upstaged him in the post-race celebrations, advertising that his son is single and pleading with the British public to find him a girlfriend on live national television.

Meetmebythesea finally got Ben Pauling off the mark for the week, and looked to be a positive yard boost to the hopes of The Jukebox Man on Friday, with jockey Ben Jones revelling as he crossed the line with 4.75L in hand.

Wodhooh was once again a reliable winner and, for the second year running, provided Gordon Elliot with his only winner of the week as she took the Mares’ Hurdle.

Willie Mullins created some stir with the withdrawal of Ryanair Chase favourite Fact To File due to the quick ground, even threatening that if the ground was that quick in future, he wouldn’t bother sending his horses over from Ireland for The Festival.

A surprise entry of Jonbon looked to be the next best pick, but his Cheltenham hoo-doo continued as last year’s second Heart Wood went one better in this year’s renewal to take the glory. Jonbon maintained his record of never having finished outside the front two, finishing runner-up.

Supremely West was supremely brilliant in another well-managed Skelton horse in the Pertemps Handicap, whilst 19-year-old Shane Cotter produced one of the rides of the week aboard Ask Brewster in the Kim Muir.

Townend Makes History

Gold Cup Friday started very similarly to last year in the Triumph Hurdle as 50/1 shot Apolon De Charmie took the title of top juvenile. With the furore of last year’s winner, Poniros, triumphing at 100/1 in his hurdles debut, the rules for the race were changed so that horses had to have at least one run prior to running in the champion four-year-old race.

So in true Willie Mullins fashion, Apolon De Charmie had only the one start to his name when beaten by fellow Mullins recruit Proactif in France, and was making his stable debut. Another rule change, anyone?

Wilful ended the Skelton-Mullins domination of the county hurdle, winning for team O’Neill on the day that 40 years ago Dawn Run won the Gold Cup with Jonjo O’Neill in the saddle.

Dinoblue was once again effortless in the Mares’ Chase, giving Mark Walsh a final Festival victory wearing the JP McManus green-and-gold.

The theme of big-priced winners continued in the ever-unpredictable Albert Bartlett with Johnny’s Jury winning at 20/1 for Gavin Sheehan and Jamie Snowden. The favourite Doctor Steinberg was pulled up.

Then we moved on to the highlight of the week, the race that the sell-out Day Four crowd were waiting for - The Cheltenham Gold Cup.

And from that race, we saw a new chasing star born. Gaelic Warrior had question marks to his name. Would he stay on the extended trip? Was he tough enough to beat a talented field?

In the end, the questions were answered with a flawless round of jumping, and Paul Townend hardly moved a muscle when jumping the final two fences to win by an astonishing eight lengths.

The famous Ricci colours were now carried to victory in two of the more celebrated Championship races, the first time since Dorothy Paget in 1940 to own both Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horses in the same year.

Paul Townend also created history, becoming the winning-most jockey in the race with five victories to his name and only riding three horses in the space of seven years.

And bringing the festivities to a close, Barton Snow defeated the forever bridesmaid, It’s On The Line, in the Hunters’ Chase.

Air Of Entitlement brought down the curtain in the Martin Pipe for Henry de Bromhead, his second winner of the week.

So that’s it, Cheltenham over, the flat season about to get its traditional start in a couple of weeks and soon the Grand National.

Or 362 days to go until the best week of the year returns.