ABP out to join Cheltenham legends with third straight Gold Cup triumph
TRAINER Willie Mullins believes Al Boum Photo has a ‘fantastic chance’ to join the Cheltenham Festival greats as he looks to land the Wellchild Cheltenham Gold Cup for a third year in row.
Mullins’ nine-year-old is out to emulate Golden Miller (who won the Gold Cup five times), Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate and grab victory in National Hunt racing’s blue riband event three years in a row.
Al Boum Photo - who will again be ridden by Paul Townend - has had just one run since his second success here, winning again at Tramore in the same Savills New Year’s Day Chase he took en route to Gold Cup glory 12 months ago.
Mullins also runs multiple Grade One winner Kemboy, who landed the Betway Bowl at Aintree’s Randox Grand National meeting in 2019 and the Irish Gold Cup on his most recent start at Leopardstown. He will be having his third crack at the Gold Cup as well having unseated his rider in 2019 and finished seventh last year.
But Mullins’ main hopes are on Al Boum Photo joining the elite.
The County Carlow handler, who has already been among the winners again at Cheltenham this week, said: “He is going to come into the race nice and fresh, off a nice confidence-boosting prep run.
“It can be very hard sometimes for Gold Cup winners to come back and win after their Gold Cup. He has done that, albeit in a Grade Three race, and that is a fair statistic compared to recent Gold Cup winners.
“Traditionally, they don’t come back and win the following season or their form takes a huge drop. Some of them don’t come back at all and at least he has done that.
“I don’t think it is a tougher Gold Cup - I thought last year’s race was very tough. I don’t know if he is a better horse this year, as I have not pressed many buttons and he is not a horse who advertises himself at home. All I know he is on target from where we were last year and, with age and experience, he should improve.
“But statistically, Gold Cup winners find it very hard to come back and win. That is against him,
“Normal improvement should come given his age and everything, and if that happens, he should have a fantastic chance.”
Fresh from becoming the first female rider to win the Champion Hurdle Rachael Blackmore is out to complete a historic double on Henry de Bromhead’s A Plus Tard, who won the Savills Chase at Christmas.
Nicky Henderson’s Champ heads the home challenge having made a belated seasonal reappearance when second in the rearranged Game Spirit 26 days ago over two miles. Last year’s runner-up and stablemate Santini is also back for more as is Colin Tizzard’s Lostintranslation, who was third but he has failed to shine in three runs this season.