It’s a day to remember as on-fire Mullins is top trainer
AFTER a quiet Thursday, Willie Mullins was on fire on Gold Cup day, kicking off with Frenchbred Majborough under Mark Walsh in the Triumph Hurdle.
The 6/1 shot reeled in stablemate Kargese to draw clear up the hill and give Mullins a fifth success, and third in a row, in the two-miler for four-year-olds.
‘When he came into the yard and they said he was our Triumph Hurdle horse, I said I thought he was a Gold Cup horse, a threemile chaser.
‘He’s very “trained” at the moment; a bit angular, like all the French horses, but when he comes in from a summer’s grass, he will be some beast,’ warned Mullins.
Forty minutes later, Paul Townend slalomed through the field like Franz Klammer as Ebor winner Absurde (12/1) came from last to first to capture the County Hurdle.
It was another masterful ride and a record seventh win in the two-miler for Mullins, who hailed Townend’s execution.
‘What a rider that man is. There can’t be one bit of warm blood in his veins — it’s all cold I’d say.
‘To ride it the way he rode it — to me that’s the ride of the week. I said that to Paul and he said “So far!” but it’ll be hard to beat that I think,’ said Mullins.
GORDON Elliott finished the Festival on a high with a final-day double ignited by Stellar Story (33/1) who arrived later than the head waiter to snatch the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.
‘We didn’t think he was a 33/1 chance but we only made the call at ten to ten on Wednesday to run him. He was going to go to Aintree but another horse had a niggle and I couldn’t run him,’ said Elliott.
It was a first winner for Sam Ewing, whose father Warren sold Constitution Hill to Nicky Henderson. ‘For Sam to win here means more than seeing Constitution Hill win the Champion Hurdle,’ he said.
Winning owner Michael O’Leary said: ‘It’s a relief as I was getting a bit desperate. I had a bad day yesterday as my wife was presenting the Ryanair trophy to an ex Manchester United manager (Alex Ferguson) and I’m a lifelong Man City supporter.
‘I’m happy that’s the only trophy Man United are going to win this year, but I’m a bit disappointed it was the Ryanair trophy.
‘It’s a complete fluke as we had Croke Park for this race and Gordon only put this horse on the box on Wednesday night. Sam gave him a peach of a ride.
‘It was just a slog fest, but I’m very happy to win it. That relieves an awful lot of pressure. Winners here are so hard to get, if you don’t appreciate being in here, you should give this game up. I tried to give it up about five years ago! ‘To get in here is just fantastic.’ Elliott was chuffed his 40th winner came in the race named after his mentor Martin Pipe and was also a first Festival winner for owners Noel and Valerie Moran.
Better Days Ahead scored by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Danny Gilligan, enjoying his first Festival success, in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
‘I got as big a kick out of that as any winner this week. To win the Martin Pipe race — he is my idol in life,’ said Elliott.
‘Noel and Valerie Moran of Bective Stud sponsor my yard. No people deserve it more, they are putting so much money into the game.
‘I’ve been trying to get them a Cheltenham winner and have been hitting the crossbar, they are going to enjoy this.
‘I’ve had three winners this week, 17 or 18 placed horses, so I can’t complain,’ he said.
JP McManus had already been crowned leading owner at the 2024 festival when his famous green and gold silks were carried to victory by Limerick Lace in the Mares’ Chase.
The seven-year-old held on to see off the challenge of Dinoblue, also owned by McManus, by three-quarters of a length, for a second winner of the meeting for Gavin Cromwell.
‘That was fantastic. Keith (Donoghue) was very good on her as she’s not straightforward,’ said Cromwell.
‘She’s a bit of a madam and she nearly kicked a cameraman on her way out. She’s broken a lot of white rail at home. She’s a bit of a lady, but you don’t mind when they are as good as that.’
Irish-trained horses won 18 of the 27 races with the wins shared by Willie Mullins (nine), Elliott (three), Henry de Bromhead (two), Cromwell (two), Joseph O’Brien (one) and Emmet Mullins (one).
Irish horses also completed a clean sweep of the four championship races.