GOLDEN RACHAEL WINS THE CUP
John Anthony reports on the final day of the Festival
TRIUMPH HURDLE
Vauban (6-4 favourite) landed a third Triumph Hurdle success for Willie Mullins.
He got the better of Gordon Elliott pair Pied Piper and Fil Dor but ran out a comfortable winner.
Winning trainer Mullins said: “He has a lot of ability and his Flat racing experience helped him. He could be a nice horse for the future. It is just inexperience with his jumping, but he has got so much speed. It was a great decision by Rich (Ricci) as I wanted to keep him as a novice for next season but he said no, we are going racing this season, so it is one up for him on that.
“He is the type of horse we could bring back to go Flat racing later on in his career but I think we will pursue this career first.
“He has had a Flat racing season now and he has now had a jump racing season he might want a break before going flat racing so we might leave it for another year.
“I’d imagine the Champion Hurdle is the obvious place to go.”
COUNTY HURDLE
State Man was one of the talking horses of the Festival and duly obliged as 11-4 favourite for a convincing enough County Hurdle success.
First Street was a closing second for Nicky Henderson, with Colonel Mustard third and West Cork filling the final placing in fourth.
Five-year-old State Man is owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly, best known as owners of dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo and Shishkin and is their fifth Festival winner.
Yet again it was Willie Mullins in the winners’ enclosure. He said: “I could see Paul Townend coming down the hill - he had so much horse - trying to pick the right one to follow through, and he picked the right one, came through and got the outside rail, and things, when you are riding with confidence, things just fall into place for you, and that’s where Paul is at the moment.
“It’s the same with Paul every year when things get bad, he gets better. That’s just the nature of sport, and racing, but he just fights back.
“This horse could easily have gone to the Supreme Novices’, and we’ll go back Graded race hurdling probably after this. Perhaps we’ll go for the top level at Punchestown.”
ALBERT BARTLETT HURDLE
The Willie Mullins show rolled on as The Nice Guy (18-1) took the Albert Bartlett.
He saw off stablemate Minella Cocooner by five lengths with Bardenstown a gallant third.
It was a second Festival winner for jockey Sean O’Keeffe.
Owner Malcolm Denmark has now enjoyed three Festival wins. His two previous successes were both provided by Monsignor in the 1999
Champion Bumper and 2000 Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle.
Mullins said:“What a ride from Sean O’Keeffe. He rode Galopin Des
Champs last year for me. He is a very cool rider who is an up and coming rider. I think he is someone who is going to come through the ranks and it is nice to have people coming through but Paul is not going anywhere for a while yet.
“Things didn’t go to plan for The Nice Guy. I said to him to be on the first six or eight and he just couldn’t go the pace so he dropped him back in and elected to creep his way round. That is the good thing about riders like that they have the confidence to change. He didn’t rush him up because he couldn’t go fast enough. I like a jockey with that sort of confidence.”
CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP
Rachael Blackmore completed her set of Britain’s biggest jumps races when she became the first woman to ride the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner on A Plus Tard.
The 3-1 shot scored by 15 lengths, one of the biggest ever margins for a decent ground Gold Cup.
A Plus Tard was second last year and reversed those placings with Minella Indo while Protektorat was third. It was a one-two for trainer Henry De Bromhead for the second year running.
Blackmore said: “I can’t believe winning the Grand National is not even 12 months ago. I don’t know how I am this lucky! It’s phenomenal.
“I was happy, I was kind of where I wanted to be, there were probably more horses in front of me throughout the race than I wanted. I had the three horses around me that I wanted to be around me, I had a wall of horses in front of me turning in, but they made sure I didn’t go too soon like I did last year. It’s just incredible. I tried to hold onto him a bit more this year and look, it worked.
“I was happy if Minella Indodid go and I didn’t get him, I was just happy I wasn’t upsides him this year and I was trying to do something different. I kind of knew after the second last that I had more horse under me than I did last year, I didn’t think I would be 15 lengths clear though.
“It was ideal for me that they went steady early] he jumped really well this year, I was in my comfort zone everywhere and I was just happy everywhere. It’s lovely when you’re in a race like that and you’re where you want to be.”
FESTIVAL CHALLENGE CUP HUNTER CHASE
Billaway (13-8 favourite) grabbed the most dramatic win of the week as he came from a mile back to nail Winged Leader right on the line.
It was a thrilling finish under the trainer’s son Patrick to score by a. It was Patrick’s third victory at the Festival
in 2022 and his seventh overall.
Mullins senior said: “We’ve been waiting for this for three years, so it’s brilliant. Patrick never gave up. He had the confidence to keep going, keep going. But much as I enjoy winning I feel sorry for David Christie with Winged Leader, as it would have been huge for him. I know what it’s like losing in the last stride and that’s really his Gold Cup, because he’s a hunter chase man.
I’m delighted for owner John Turner as we nominated this race three years ago and we’ve had two seconds. It looked as if he was going to be second again until Patrick pulled it out of the fire. Billaway idles and idles and idles he’s just that type of horse - and that’s why we put the cheekpieces on.
I’m very pleased for Patrick to do it. As a father and son team It’s a trophy we’ve been trying to win for years, but we don’t have too many hunters.”
MRS PADDY POWER MARES’ CHASE
Willie Mullins made it a record ten Fes
tival winners this year when Elimay landed the Mares’ Chase.
It was the 88th winner overall for the Irish champion and a seventh for winning rider Mark Walsh.
Elimay beat 33-1 shot Pink Legend into second with Scarlet and Dove third at 28-1.
Walsh said: “She’s got the heart of a lion, she’s so small but she’s so brave. All she wants to do is please you and win for you and thankfully she did that today. Early on she was jumping to her right a little bit, so she just took a while to warm up but once I pulled her out in the straight she put her head down and galloped all the way to the line. She’s so tough and fought all the way to the finish. In fairness to her she loves her jumping and loves her racing and she always had enough. It was frustrating to finish second last year after running so well, but she’s done it today.”
MARTIN PIPE HURDLE
Banbridge (12-1) became a third Festival winner for trainer Joseph O’Brien when beating Cobblers Dream by a length and a half.
The six-year-old was a first Festival winner on his first ride in Britain for jockey Mark McDonagh.
It completed a clean sweep for Irish trainers on day four, following five winners for Willie Mullins and one for Henry De Bromhead.
McDonagh said: “He was very sharp away, thank God, and I got a lovely position early. They didn’t go very quick and he was always in his comfort zone. To be fair to Mr O’Brien he kept it very simple for me - just to sit wherever he was comfortable and to hold on to him as long as I could. I’m just delighted that it paid off.
“There were loose horses coming out past me every few seconds and I thought, Jesus, what’s going on behind me? But I stayed out of trouble, thank God. It was ideal for the horse.
“I wasn’t confident that I would win until about 10 strides after the last. I was always just conscious that something might get to me, but luckily nothing did. “