IT’S MULLINS AT LAST IN THE GOLD CUP
Irish champion trainer breaks his duck in style
Ithought I might never win a Gold Cup – admitted Willie Mullins after finally winning Jump racing’s top prize, the £625,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup with 12-1 chance Al Boum Photo.
The Irish champion trainer had had 26 runners in the Gold Cup and had finished second six times before finally coming out on top.
But seven-year-old French-bred Al Boum Photo, owned by Joe Donnelly and his wife Marie, rose to the occasion under Paul Townend – for whom it was also a first Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup success – and beat the Tony Martin-trained Anibale Fly (Barry Geraghty) by two and a half lengths.
Mullins added: “I’m delighted, and especially for my owners. Marie and Joe have put a big commitment into our yard, so it’s great to get one like that. And I’m absolutely delighted for Paul Townend and to do it on this horse would be special for Paul.
“Going to the second-last Paul said, ‘time to go’, and all he had to do was jump the last, which he did. We didn’t have any last-fence worries, and it was fantastic. After the last, I just looked at the winning line and what was coming behind us and thought that he will win unless he stops or runs out.
“We’ve had placed horses, obviously, but it’s nice to get one on the board. Between Ascot, here and Melbourne, we’ve been hitting the board the whole time, so I am very proud for the whole yard and all my owners who
give huge commitments to our yard. It’s a victory for them as well.”
HILLS CLIMBS HIGHEST
The 20-1 shot Pentland Hills landed the opening race – the Triumph Hurdle – for trainer Nicky Henderson.
The four-year-old son of Motivator challenged for the lead approaching the final flight and, following a good leap under Nico de Boinville, the gelding powered away up the Cheltenham hill to score by three lengths.
The master of Seven Barrows was capturing a record seventh success in the G1 event.
Discussing Pentland Hills, who won a Plumpton maiden hurdle in February on his only start over hurdles, Britain’s champion Jump trainer said: “He nearly fell at the first and I was thinking this wasn’t such a good idea, but the rest of it was good. I am sorry about the other horse (Sir Erec, who sustained a fatal injury during the race), such a gorgeous looking horse.
“When Pentland Hills went to Plumpton, I was very impressed with him because he was so professional – he raced professionally and jumped very well. There is a huge great team in this group of owners, it’s sort of an
off-shoot of Elite Racing Club and I said we might as well have a day out because I think he knows enough to risk doing it.
“He was far enough behind but good enough and Nico gave him a great ride. He stayed on well up the hill. He has got a very long way to go, it was only the second hurdle race of his life.
“We will probably try and go somewhere else before it’s all over but there is no reason why he shouldn’t run on the Flat again. He is slightly a Punjabitype of horse and you never know.”
SKELTON FOLLOWS THE COUNTY LINE
“We love the County Hurdle!” said trainer Dan Skelton after winning the £100,000 race for the third time in four years.
Ch’Tibello, ridden by Skelton’s brother Harry, beat We Have A Dream by a length and a half at 12-1.
He said: “Harry gave him a magic ride. We’ve talked about it all week, and you say, ‘do this, do that and do the other’.
With this horse we’ve had a season, maybe an 18-month plan. And I said, ‘there are no instructions for you today – you do what you want to do. You’ve got maybe 10lb in hand; use it. You’ll do it.’
“It’s easy to be confident after the event. But he’s a Graded horse coming back from those races that he couldn’t win. With The New One maybe 15 months ago at Haydock (the Unibet Champion Hurdle Trial in January 2018, where Ch’Tibello finished second by half a length), I said to the team that own him, ‘He’ll feel that for some time, but don’t worry, he’ll win the County Hurdle in 15 months time.’”
DE BROMHEAD BACK IN BUSINESS AS MINELLA INDO STRIKES AT 50/1
Henry de Bromhead left Cheltenham deflated on Thursday after the strongly-fancied Monalee finished only fourth in the Ryanair Chase, but he was back on very good terms with himself when 50-1 chance Minella Indo pulled off one of the shocks of the meeting by beating Commander Of Fleet (4/1 favourite) by two lengths in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over three miles.
De Bromhead said: “We’ve been trying to get one for a few years, and although Monalee ran well we were a little bit flat afterwards.
“It’s amazing to come back with this guy. We always liked him and Rachael Blackmore (winning rider) thought he’d improve for Clonmel. He just dragged her around for three miles. It was brilliant.”
De Bromhead has been a big supporter of Blackmore and said: “We’ve been so lucky to have her. She’s a brilliant rider. What can you say - she just wins.”
ROWLEYS FINALLY CLIMB FOXHUNTER HILL
Shropshire point-to-point trainer Philip Rowley and his wife Mel finally won the St James’ Place Foxhunter Chase having gone close in the previous two runnings. Hazel Hill, owned by Diana Williams and ridden by Alex Edwards, came good for the Rowleys’ stable after Barel Of Laughs had won place money in the ‘hunters’ Gold Cup’ of 2017 and 2018. Today there was to be no near miss, as Hazel Hill (7/2f) raced to the lead in the home straight, jumped the final fence big and bold, and scored by four lengths and seven lengths from Shantou Flyer (7/1) and Top Wood (33/1) – the lastnamed was runner-up last year. Also worthy of mention was fourth home Road To Rome, a maiden point-topointer at the start of the season, and whose bid to make all only faded from the second-last fence.
Phil Rowley, who is Britain’s reigning champion point-to-point trainer, said: “I can’t quite believe it’s happened.
“We felt the horse had a massive chance, but two years ago Barel Of Laughs was 100/1, so no pressure and a lovely day out, and then today this horse goes off favourite and there is a lot of pressure. It puts a totally different perspective on the race.
“Alex did really well and eventually
the horse won quite easily. He came up in his hands at the last. We knew Road To Rome would set the pace and so Alex and I chatted and agreed that he might not stop, so he knew where he had to be. He sat behind him, but close enough to stay in touch. Our lad has only run under Rules three times and we wanted to switch him off and get into a rhythm.
“Alex and I have formed a great team and get on so well. He works so hard, we all do, and all the clichés fit when this happens. We were lucky that Jane Williams gave up riding, and her mother very kindly asked if we would train him. I doubt he would go to Aintree, and I doubt the owners would want him to, but Punchestown is a possibility, and back here next year.”
66/1 CROCO BAY A FIRST FESTIVAL WINNER FOR BEN CASE
Ben Case was associated with some of Oliver Sherwood’s best horses when an assistant trainer in Lambourn, but veteran Croco Bay was a first Festival winner of his own after 20 years with a licence when the 66/1 winner from Bun Doran (11/1) in the meeting’s penultimate race, the two-mile Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase.
Appropriately the 12-year-old races for Lady Jane Grosvenor, who has supported the Wardington Gate Farm yard, north of Banbury, from the word go.
Case has never trained in great numbers and had 18 winners in his best season, but he has always known what he was doing and he had Croco Bay fit to run for his life despite a 227-day absence from the track, which was just as well as he had to dig deep to repel Bun Doran by a length and a half after forcing the pace throughout.
Wiping away tears, he said: “I don’t know what to say. A week ago I wasn’t sure we would get in, and I have to thank Paul Webber, who let me swim Croco Bay. I knew he was fit, as he went to Newbury the other day and never blew a candle out.”
EARLY CLOSES THE DOOR ON THE FESTIVAL
There was a poignant success in the final race as the Joseph O’Brien-trained top-weight Early Doors (5/1) captured the £70,000 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle under jockey Jonjo O’Neill jnr, giving owner J P McManus a fifth win over the four days.
The six-year-old son of Soldier Of Fortune ran on strongly in the closing stages to defeat the well-supported 7/2 favourite Dallas Des Pictons, trained by Gordon Elliott, by a length and a quarter.
O’Brien, recording his second winner of the week following Band Of Outlaws’ victory in Wednesday’s Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, said:
“Early Doors has been running in Graded company all year. He came back to handicaps today and Jonjo gave him a great ride,
“Jonjo is a fantastic rider. A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to Frank Berry and he said we could get Jonjo for the Martin Pipe, so I said let’s have a go at that then.”