Gold Cup

Bookmakers may have edged ahead of punters on day two and three of the Cheltenham Festival but Friday started in the worst possible fashion for the layers ...

"A Plus Tard was by far the best-backed horse in the Gold Cup, having been smashed into favouritism early this morning. Betfred spokesman Matt Hulmes said: "Willie Mullins has caused chaos on the trading floor and ensured we have done our conkers. "When you have four big-name favourites winning on Gold Cup day and a jolly winning the big race itself it’s going to be painful. It's unbelievable." Rachael Blackmore is just unreal." Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes added: "Rachael Blackmore has done it again.

The show has returned for 2022, with an action packed weekend of racing and the prestigious Gold Cup.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt run over a distance of about 3 miles 2 ½ furlongs with 22 fences to be jumped. The most successful horse at the event is Golden Miller, who secured five wins between 1932 and 1936. The festival, which started on Tuesday, will finish on Friday, March 18 and will showcase seven races every day.

The Irish jockey rode the Henry de Bromhead-trained horse to defeat of last year's winner, Minella Indo, on a day otherwise dominated by the Willie Mullins ...

Even Santini at 66/1, the slow himself, might have a chance. That’s equalling his best ever tally of eight and he will win a record-breaking ninth top trainer award. Jack Kennedy, who rode Minella Indo last year to win the Gold Cup, has no ride. Off the final bend, Minella Indo goes and has gone well clear, and A Plus Tard is after him, and jumps to the lead and Rachael Blackmore has done it, Minella Indo second, a reverse of last year! A patient ride, so cool considering what happened last year when A Plus Tard lost out to Minella Indo. They won by 15 lengths or so. To quote a friend who knows more than I do: “[Rachael] kept [A Plus Tard] covered up so brilliantly and then used his pace to perfection. The second running of this Grade Two contest, which produced a thrilling finish 12 months ago as Colreevy got up in the final 50 yards to beat Elimay, the likely favourite today. Elimay starts off strongly but drops back as Zambella looks keen in front, and Elimay is slow to jump. That was a tenth Mullins win, a fifth of the day, and in the last, the assistant trainer, David Casey, once a good rider himself, suggests Adamantly Chosen can win the last. Mark Walsh, the winning jockey on Elimay in that mares’ race, says to Racing TV: “I had to give a squeeze and got us to the line. And Banbridge takes it for Ireland, a clean sweep on the day. A perfect ride on A Plus Tard to take the Gold Cup and write herself further into history.

Rachael Blackmore continued her remarkable rise in jump racing history when she won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on runaway winner A Plus Tard.

I said to her to do whatever she wanted, and she started banging on about what she was going to do as we were about to leg her up. “Cheltenham is such a special place, but it is so special because of the atmosphere and the people,” she said. By the last, A Plus Tard was a split-second in front of Minella Indo and an excellent jump there carried him into an ever-widening lead. “Thankfully he was just good over the last two and he picked up incredibly over the last. She backed herself, in other words, and the punters took the hint, supporting A Plus Tard down to 3-1 favourite at the off. Twelve months ago, Blackmore’s decision to ride A Plus Tard rather than his stable companion, Minella Indo, in the Festival’s showpiece event was the only wrong move she made all week.

We could see an amazing comeback completed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup today as Davy Russell goes for glory aboard Galvin.

Billaway deserves to win the St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase (4.10). Beaten by a short head in the race last year, he was second in it under Patrick Mullins the year before. The Albert Bartlett (2.50) has seen horses win at big prices in recent years. He won an ordinary race on soft ground at Limerick at Christmas and is essentially very hard to assess. But Vauban, who is closely matched with Pied Piper on Irish form, looked superb at Leopardstown. Russell’s sole Gold Cup victory was an unlikely one on Lord Windermere in 2014. Russell was off for 11 months with a serious neck injury before returning last year.

After a momentous week of racing, it is time for the grand finale of Gold Cup day at the Cheltenham Festival. Stay tuned with Mirror Sport's live blog for ...

It's the closest thing to feeling like a rock star I think that you'll ever feel when you aren't able to sing." 6 The Goffer (IRE) 5 11 6 Mr Allan Snow Gordon Elliott Ireland 11 Banbridge (IRE) 6 11 3 Mr R. A. Bartlett Joseph Patrick O'Brien Ireland It has been a Festival for the ages. 13 Chemical Energy (IRE) 6 11 3 Caldwell Construction Ltd Gordon Elliott Ireland 2 Hollow Games (IRE) ts 6 11 9 Bective Stud Gordon Elliott Ireland And we might even get five days out of it..... But today, the world will be watching at 3.30pm when 2021 champion Minella Indo, runner-up A Plus Tard and Al Boum Photo are among 11 contenders in the showpiece race. Racing TV is the only channel broadcasting every race live from the Cheltenham Festival, with two exclusive races each day. 3rd Hollow Games (IRE) ts 6 11 9 Bective Stud Gordon Elliott Ireland Well, time to round up our live coverage from an epic four days. 1st Banbridge (IRE) 6 11 3 Mr R. A. Bartlett Joseph Patrick O'Brien Ireland

Blackmore, the leading jockey at last year's meeting who went on to win the Grand National on Minella Times, is looking to become the first female rider to win ...

"This is the big day in jump racing and everyone sets out trying to win the Gold Cup. You need lots of stamina to win the Gold Cup and I don't think A Plus Tard is that easy a ride. "He's a very good traveller and a very pacey horse but staying is a little worry for him if he gets to the front too soon. Last year's winner Minella Indo is third in the betting at 5/1

Rachael Blackmore already has two Champion Hurdles and a Grand National on the mantlepiece at her Carlow home but on Friday her solo rocket reached the ...

So many in with a chance, the time is coming for State Man to make his charge. However, this is far-and-away his toughest assignment to date and cases can be made for several of his rivals, with dangers headed by MINELLA COCOONER, who heads up the Willie Mullins four-pronged assault on the race off the back of a taking victory on his first try at Grade 1 level at Leopardstown last month. The Mullins-Townend horse in the Albert Bartlett at 2.50pm is Minella Cocooner who is now the third favourite - bookmakers running for cover from the liabilities of potential Mullins multiples. His stablemate The Nice Guy is unbeaten in three starts and can be right in the mix here; he completes the shortlist. But when they were looking to become major players in jumping again, A Plus Tard was one of the first horses they bought in 2018. “But 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 was another Mullins winner, but fortunately for bookies it was not the more fancied Minella Cocooner who finished a creditable second. There used to be a big thing about horses not being able to win the Gold Cup at their second attempt but Native River did it and now A Plus Tard has. Whilst he is greatly respected, a flyer is taken on ASTERION FORLONGE, who on more than one occasion has been let down by his jumping but has long threatened to produce an effort out of the top drawer; he can surprise them all here. A Plus Tard put in one of the best performances of the season when demolishing six rivals by upwards of 22 lengths in the Betfair Chase last November. He followed that up with a narrow defeat to Galvin in the Savills Chase and, having been freshened up for this, is taken to reverse the placings with his Leopardstown conqueror. “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,” she added. Last year, with Aintree and Cheltenham held behind closed doors, the receptions Blackmore received was on a par with quiet hour at a Trappist monastery.

Blackmore becomes the first woman to ride a Gold Cup winner, adding to her two Champion Hurdles and the Grand National.

This is what it’s all about. Robbie [Power] was brilliant on Indo and Rachael amazing on A Plus Tard. De Bromhead said: “The class of him there – he was so impressive and Indo ran an absolute blinder as well, he really did. “Rachael was brilliant on him. “You can’t do this without the horses and being attached to Henry’s yard is just absolutely phenomenal. Racing doesn’t let that happen all the time and for some reason it’s happened to me today.

Rachael Blackmore powered clear over the final fence to defeat 2021 victor Minella Indo on A Plus Tard, pulling away to win by 15 lengths; it was another ...

"It definitely does (feel different this year), just the crowds looking here at the stand - it's just incredible. Robbie (Power) was brilliant on Indo and Rachael amazing on A Plus Tard. "Rachael was brilliant on him. Winning trainer Henry De Bromhead added: "The class of him there - he was so impressive and Indo ran an absolute blinder as well, he really did. "You can't do this without the horses and being attached to Henry's yard is just absolutely phenomenal. I just can't explain how lucky I feel."

Rachael Blackmore has become the first female jockey in history to ride the winner of a Gold Cup after a strong finish on A Plus Tard, with Minella Indo ...

A Plus Tard's impressive display added to De Bromhead's tally at the meeting, after Honeysuckle and Bob Olinger also struck at the highest level. Blackmore was positioned in mid-pack but had to be patient to make her run on the course specialist. "Rachael was brilliant on him and Robbie was brilliant on Indo. Rachael said she wanted to ride him for his pace and use his pace and she did. Blackmore bided her time aboard A Plus Tard, who won at the 2019 Festival – and has not been out of the first three in 19 career starts. It added to her glittering CV, as she was also the last female rider to win the Grand National and Champion Hurdle in 2021. I just can’t. You have all these plans about how things are going to work out.