Mullins finally ends his Gold Cup hoodoo
(14) D McCain 10 11-12 (D) ................. Mr T Gillard (7)
(179) Miss L Russell 10 11-10 ... B Campbell (5)
(85) J Ewart 8 11-8 (BF) ............ Steven Fox (5)
(26) Mrs B Butterworth 10 11-4 (CD) .......... S Quinlan
(10) Miss L Harrison 8 11-2 (CD) ............R Chapman
(19) C Grant 8 10-7 (CD)............................ H Brooke
(11) M Hammond 8 10-3 (D) ... E Smith-Chaston (10)
(10) A Crook 7 10-0 ................... D McMenamin (7) BETTING: 9-4 Bingo D’Olivate, 7-2 Wazowski, 4 Snowed In, 7 Instingtive, 10 Make It Happen, 12 Theatre Act, Strait Run, 14 Cyrano Star.
5-4fav Tracked leaders, effort 3 out, soon lost place, 6th of 12, 15l behind Green Zone at Newcastle 2m hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft in Dec. won at Sedgefield 2m 1f hcp hdl 0-100 (5) gs, 1 ran.
12-1 Chased leaders, pushed along before 3 out, left in close 2nd between last 2, kept on same pace from last, outpaced into 3rd towards finish, 3rd of 17, 2l behind Rodeo Dodo at Wetherby 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-105 (4) gd in Feb.
14-1 Chased leading pair, pushed along when left 2nd 3 out, no chance with winner, 2nd of 6, 8l behind Never Up at Carlisle 2m 4f hcp chs 0-120 (4) hvy. 17-2 Always behind, struggling before 2 out (usual 4 out), tailed off, last of 10, 41l behind Slaney Craiglegacy at Kelso 2m 2f hcp hdl 0-100 (5) gf in Sep. 9-2 Chased leaders, hit 3rd, pushed along and badly outpaced after 3 out, rallied from next and went remote 2nd last, 2nd of 8, 14l behind Hey Bob at Catterick 2m (5) gs. 14-1 Held up towards rear, pushed along halfway, soon tailed off, pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by Trapper Peak at Catterick 2m 3f ldys hcp hdl 0-100 (5) gd in Feb, 8 ran. 14-1 Chased leading pair, went 2nd 3 out, pushed along and closer before 2 out, upsides and every chance when flattened last, kept on same pace run-in, 2nd of 8, 2 1/4l behind Christmas In Usa at Carlisle 2m 1f nov hcp hdl 0-100 (5) sft. AL Boum Photo gave trainer Willie Mullins his first victory in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup following a dramatic race for the showpiece event at the Prestbury Park course.
Leading at the second-last fence, Al Boum Photo (12-1) dug deep for jockey Paul Townend, who was also winning the Gold Cup for the first time.
Anibale Fly stayed on strongly to finish second, two-and-a-half lengths away, with Bristol De Mai another three and three-quarter lengths back in third.
After six second places, Mullins finally broke his Gold Cup hoodoo. His three other runners - Kemboy, Bellshill and Invitation Only - failed to finish. It was later reported Invitation Only had suffered a fatal injury.
Mullins said: “I’ve got used to the disappointment of finishing second.
“I thought Bellshill would take a lot of beating, but Ruby (Walsh) wasn’t happy with him and pulled him up early. To have three of the four runners out of the race before they came to the second-last first time round - I was depending on one.
“Every time I looked at Paul, his body language told me was very happy and the horse was relaxed.
“When he came over the last, I just looked at the winning post and thought nothing would come and get him unless he stops or runs out or something like that.
“I was here when my dad (Paddy Mullins) won with Dawn Run and I didn’t get home for two days.
“I sort of resigned myself to never winning a Gold Cup. Certain jockeys may never win the feature race of their lives, like the Grand National or the Champion Hurdle. I thought maybe I’m not going to be lucky.”
He added: “It was Paul’s plan to jump out and get a position and just keep jumping and getting balanced. From an early stage he got him jumping in a rhythm. Every time he needed a squeeze, the horse responded.
“Paul started off with us when he was 17. He was riding as a claimer for me and he won the Galway Hurdle for John Kiely and that really put him on the scene.
“He has just been unlucky he has been alongside Ruby.”