Key events
It’s all about Galopin Des Champs now.
Paul Townend called this “a trying week”, as he collects another two winners. It could be worse, he could be a British trainer or rider. Still, a win in the next will cure plenty of ills.
Daryl Jacob, a fine rider in his time, tipped that one up this morning. Daryl, one of the nicest men in show business, has become a welcome media presence.
So that’s four from four for Willie Mullins. There’s always one day when he utterly dominates. Now for the big one. “Every win is special,” says Paul Townend. “Let’s keep this short and sweet.” His next ride is Galopin des Champs. No pressure, Paul.
Cheltenham 3.20 result
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1. Jasmin De Vaux (P Townend) 6-1
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2. The Big Westerner (D J O’Keeffe) 9-2 Fav
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3. Derryhassen Paddy (D R Fox) 10-1
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20 ran
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Also: 33-1 Yellow Car 4th
Jasmin de Vaux wins the Albert Bartlett Hurdle
Wendigo is making progress. Jasmin de Vaux is making progress from the back, too. She comes down the hill. The Big Westerner gets squished. Jasmin de Vaux sweeps round from the Big Westerner. Jasmin de Vaux jumps it better, for another winner for Paul Townend and Willie Mullins. Make that 10 to Mullins. He rode from front to back, the former Champion Bumper winner.
3.20 Albert Bartlett Hurdle
Not much happening as they past the stands, big noise as they swing past. Ten lengths between them. Wingman, Derryhassen Paddy and Jack Junior involved, at the front. It’s a bunch and a blanket finish may well beckon.
3.20 Albert Bartlett Hurdle
The Big Westerner, who went off favourite, is midfield with Wendigo. Derryhassen Paddy is towards the front. Yellow Car, as owned by Harry Redknapp, is prominent, too.
3.20 Albert Bartlett Hurdle
The field gathers in front of the stand for this near-marathon trip. There’s some idling to do. They got there early. There’s boos from the Best Mate stand, where booze flows freely, for a false start that never was. But then comes a real false start. Then they are soon let go. Long way to go. Wingman among the first to show.
Guy Lavender, CEO of Cheltenham, has been on the defensive on falling gates. It looks packed enough on the Friday. If that drops, we’re all in trouble. Interesting quote here, though: “Every sport is different, whether it’s at Wimbledon or Augusta. The race course is incredibly successful, it’s hugely profitable. The thing for us is you have to make sure the balance is right for the customer. You have to make sure ticket prices are competitive but food and beverages are probably something we can look at.”
The price of concession food is mental, true. Beer at £7.80 is London-ish prices. West End. Same in many cities. The Guinness tastes like Guinness.
3.20 Market Movers via Oddspedia
3.20 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle odds
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The Big Westerner 5/1
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Jet Blue 13/2
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Jasmin De Vaux 7/1
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Derryhassen Paddy 9/1
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Wingmen 10/1
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Wendigo 11/1
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Argento Bay 14/1
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Ballybow 16/1
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Intense Approach 16/1
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Flicker Of Hope 20/1
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BAR 22/1 – 20 Runners
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Jasmin De Vaux’s odds have been cut from 10/1 to 6/1 over the course of the morning.
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Venetia Williams’ Derryhassen Paddy is another market mover, shortening from 10/1 to 15/2.
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No favourite has won this race in the previous 11 renewals. 10 out of 11 of those winners have been at an SP of 10/1 and bigger.
Greg Wood
3.20 ALBERT BARTLETT NOVICE HURDLE, GRADE ONE, 2M 7F 213YD
The festival’s novice hurdle for staying hurdlers, and also for the top-class chasers of the not-too-distant future, with two subsequent Gold Cup winners – Bobs Worth and Minella Indo – on the roll of honour since 2011, as well as a future winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle (Penhill). Irish runners have taken five of the last six and they field 11 of the 20-strong field, but David Cottin’s Jet Blue is a very live runner to give France a first win in this race since the glory days of Francois Doumen and his success with Moulin Riche in 2005. Jet Blue is currently the second-favourite behind Henry de Bromhead’s The Big Westerner, with Darragh O’Keeffe in the saddle, while de Bromhead’s stable jockey, Rachael Blackmore, is aboard Willie Mullins’s Argento Boy, who was just behind The Big Westerner in second when the two horses made their racecourse debuts at Punchestown in November. Wingmen, from the Gordon Elliott yard, is another to consider after his second-place finish behind Final Demand, the beaten favourite in Wednesday’s opener, in a Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival, while the Irish will not necessarily have it all their own way with Wendigo (Jamie Snowden) and the unbeaten Derryhassen Paddy Lucinda Russell) in the field. The latter has shown a good attitude in three starts to date and could be a slightly under-the-radar runner for his ultra-shrewd trainer, while Wendigo seems sure to improve for the step up to three miles and his form behind The New Lion in the Challow Hurdle in December was thoroughly franked on Wednesday when Dan Skelton’s runner took the Turners Novice Hurdle.
SELECTION: WENDIGO.
KEY FORM:
It’s been a better day for fav backers after that 100/1 winner. Paul Townend has walked into the weighing room and will ride in the Albert Bartlett and the Gold Cup.
Allegorie De Vassy is up and doing, and so is Paul Townend, who had a difficult ride there. “Fourth time lucky,” says Mark Walsh, the winning jockey. “Both of them look ok,” says Willie Mullins of Allegorie and Townend. “Fingers crossed Paul is OK.”
Cheltenham 2.40 result
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1. Dinoblue (M P Walsh) 6-4 Fav
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2. Brides Hill (K M Donoghue) 9-2
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3. Shecouldbeanything (Danny Gilligan) 12-1
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9 ran
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Also: 50-1 Mayhem Mya 4th
Dino Blue wins the Mares’ Chase
Allegorie still in the lead as they go four out. Dino Blue a patient ride. Brideshill involved, plenty of chances. Dino Blue leads with two out. Allegorie falls at the last, and Dino Blue storms to win her first at Cheltenham, another for Mullins, JP and Mark Walsh.
2.40 Mares’ Chase
Past the stands, Fontaine Collonges drops back. Dino Blue and Limerick Lace sitting off the leader, who jumps out right. Paul Townend had to watch his step on Allegory. Limerick Lace dropping back? Shecouldbeanything joins Limerick Lace with five to leap.
2.40 Mares’ Chase
Again, they whip past the start from a distance. Limerick Lace makes an early error at the first. The Rick Ricci colours of Allegorie De Vassy take up the lead, Dino Blue in second. Limerick Lace is in third with 12 fences to jump.
2.40 Mares’ Chase odds
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Dinoblue 6/4
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Allegorie De Vassy 4/1
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Brides Hill 9/2
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Limerick Lace 6/1
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Shecouldbeanything 11/1
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Royale Margaux 33/1
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Fontaine Collonges 50/1
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Mayhem Mya 66/1
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Je Tai Porte 100/1
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Dinoblue is well fancied by Oddschecker punters this morning, picking up 44% of bets placed.
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Brides Hill has shortened from 7/1 to 9/2 over the last 24 hours.
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None of the four winners of this race have had an SP higher than 3/1.
2.40 Market Movers via Oddspedia
John Hunt spoke to Mark Chapman on his return to BBC service: “I am just thinking about the individuals who illuminate this sport. Nothing else matters Mark. Galopin des Champs is the Antoine Dupont of horse racing. He has looked magnificent. His form is rock solid.”
“It really does take me back. Everything about Best Mate was geared to Cheltenham. I think Galopin is even better than Best Mate. The weight of history can prove too heavy a toll. Strange things can happen – he’s still got 22 fences ahead. If he’s cherry ripe he will bring this home.”
Greg Wood
2.40 PADDY POWER MARES’ CHASE, GRADE TWO, 2M 4F 127YD
A recent addition to the festival schedule and a race that has yet to be won by a British-trained horse in four runnings to date. It is unlikely to be any different today, as the top five in the betting are all trained in Ireland and the shortest price about a British-based runner is 33-1. It is also a race that has been won by a runner in JP McManus’s green and gold colours three years running, and Limerick Lace and Dinoblue, who were separated by less than a length when first and second respectively in this race last year, are back to renew their rivalry. While Limerick Lace just got the better of things last time around, though, Dinoblue is a warm favourite to emerge victorious today, with the thinking being that Mark Walsh should perhaps have been a little bolder on Dinoblue last year, when she was tackling this trip for the first time over fences. Other live contenders include Brides Hill, a stable companion of Limerick Lace at the Gavin Cromwell yard, and Allegorie De Vassy (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend), who was a neck behind Dinoblue in a three-runner race at Naas in February.
SELECTION: DINOBLUE
Someone won £18,000 on Poniros, £100 EW. It certainly wasn’t me. That may the the Mullins plot of all time.
Special mention to John Hunt, the BBC race commentator, who is back trackside, doing what he does so well. Welcome back, John, an occasional visitor to the football press rooms, too. All thoughts with you.
Kenny Alexander, who owned Honeysuckle, and now owns Kargese, spoke to the BBC: “She was second last year and she ran against Sir Gino, troubled him. It’s a tough race and she won as we hoped she would. I couldn’t believe it. Phenomenal. This was the one I was quite confident but you can’t be confident in that race. Paul [Townend] is a champion jockey, incredible.”
2.00 County Hurdle result
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1. Kargese (P Townend) 3-1 Fav
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2. Ndaawi (J W Kennedy) 25-1
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3. Absurde (D E Mullins) 5-1
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4. Ethical Diamond (Mr P W Mullins) 16-1
16 ran
That’s the eighth Mullins win of the Festival. Will their ninth be the Gold Cup. Kargese, she’s way ahead of the rest. A fav goes in.
Kargese wins the County Hurdle
Plenty of chances as the second goes by. Kargese goes away. Looks the class horse. A Mullins plot. Absurde and Ndawi go in chase. Kargese has the class to go out front and hold them off. That looks a horse for a higher grade.
2.00 County Hurdle
Our Champ and Spirit Daunou are the pacemakers, three hurdles to go but a long way. Kargese takes the third-last well. Hansard and Kargese are close as they climb the hill and now descend. Kargese looks full of pace.
2.00 County Hurdle
This is a low-amped renewal – only 16 horses go to post. We’re used to a bunfight, and will need to find some pace from somewhere. The start is again well early. Kargese, the fav, is keen to get going. Our Champ, the outsider, is up there with Norman Fletcher as they spin past the cheering stands. The crowd have started early on the beers.
2:00 Market Movers via Oddspedia
“Fair play to Willie for putting 11 in,” says a disappointed Nico de Boinville, who rode the second Lulamba.
2.00 County Hurdle odds
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Kargese 3/1
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Lark In The Mornin 9/2
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Absurde 11/2
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Mclaurey 9/1
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Valgrand 9/1
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Hansard 14/1
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Ethical Diamond 14/1
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Daddy Long Legs 14/1
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Irish Panter 14/1
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Pinot Gris 22/1
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Bar 66/1 – 16 Runners
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Kargese is a clear favourite amongst punters today, picking up 18% of all bets placed.
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Daddy Long Legs’ odds have been cut from 25/1 to 14/1 today.
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Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins have won nine of the last 10 editions of this race.
Greg Wood
2.00 COUNTY HANDICAP HURDLE, 2M 179YD preview
A relatively modest 16 runners for the festival’s open handicap hurdle over the minimum trip, with Willie Mullins fielding four runners – including last year’s winner, Absurde – in search of an eighth County winner since 2010. Absurde received a superb hold-up ridefrom Paul Townend 12 months ago, but Mullins’s stable jockey has switched to ride Kargese, another strong traveller that needs delivering late, today and the market has taken note, pushing the mare to the top of the betting at around 7-2. Next in is last year’s Fred Winter winner, Lark In The Mornin, who has had just two somewhat uninspiring outings since his festival success but is clearly expected to improve significantly for the return to Prestbury Park. There has also been some money this morning for another Mullins-trained runner, Daddy Long Legs, who was a poor second to State Man in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time, while the handicap maestro Dan Skelton, who has saddled four winners of this race since 2016, relies on Valgrand, the winner of a Grade Two novice on the Old course in October, who has been freshened up since a sub-par run at Kempton over Christmas.
SELECTION: KARGESE.
That’s the longest-ever odds win of a Triumph Hurdle. It was available at 150/1 at certain bookies. Incredible. Fav backers will be living off floor shavings.
1.20 Triumph Hurdle result
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1. Poniros (Jonjo O’Neill Jr.) 100-1
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2 .Lulamba (N de Boinville) 11-4
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3. East India Dock (Sam Twiston-Davies) 5-4 Fav
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17 ran
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Also: 14-1 Lady Vega Allen 4th
Poniros, ridden by Jonjo O’Neill Jnr, and 100/1, owned by Tony Bloom, the Lizard himself, and the owner of Brighton. “A funny old game,” says Jonjo. “I was supposed to be in Doncaster today. That’s the first time he’s ever seen a hurdle in public. I felt I could nick a little bit and they weren’t get away from me.”
That was a true bookies’ testimonial. Though a Mullins win, as expected. “If Tony had a bet on that, it wasn’t on my advice,” says Willie himself. “They’re the fun ones, aren’t they?”
Poniros, at 100-1, wins the Triumph Hurdle!
1.20 Triumph Hurdle
Mondo Man and Blue Lemons prominent. Lots of chances as they approach two out and down the hill. Lulamba and East India Dock are side by side, the former going out in front. The big two go for it. East India Dock takes it over the last, and just as it looks like Lulamba will take it, Poniros, a debutant, takes it.
1.20 Triumph Hurdle
Opec drops back, as East India Dock and Lady Vega Allen lead. The Lady has a big lead with three hurdles but a long way to go.
1.20 Triumph Hurdle
The stands look and sound full. Big roar as they go away first time. Lulamba and Opec are to the fore, as is East India Dock. Huge noise as they pass the stands.
Jack Kennedy sits out this race, as he can’t make the weight with his ongoing injuries. He will be back later. The money has been plunged on East India Dock – 5/4.
Lulamba is Nicky Henderson’s fancy in the first. “He’s a big baby, he will be lovely, he’s got to get 11 of Willies.”
The Mullins team have thrown in that many. Shades of the O’Brien team throwing darts on the Flat. Even Mullins the master doesn’t know much about his horses today. Harry Cobden is riding one of them.
1.2o Market Movers via Oddspedia
1.20 Triumph Hurdle odds
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East India Dock 6/4
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Lulamba 5/2
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Hello Neighbour 5/1
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Lady Vega Allen 16/1
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Blue Lemons 16/1
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Mondo Man 22/1
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Gibbs Island 25/1
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Sainte Lucie 50/1
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Larzac 50/1
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Willy De Houelle 50/1
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Bar 66/1 – 17 Runners
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East India Dock has taken 39% of all bets placed through our platform this morning with his odds cut from 2/1 to 6/4.
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Nicky Henderson’s Lulamba has gone the other way, from 2/1 to 5/2.
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Seven of the past 10 winners of this race have been French-bred horses.
The start has been a problem all week, and Racing TV’s Lydia Hislop is quizzing head starter Robbie Supple, who is being defiant to say the least. “All these suggestions we’ve had, they’re nothing new.” There’s been several false starts and bans, too, Rachael Blackmore and Keith Donoghue included. Whatever Supple says, it’s been a mess.
Shaun Parker, BHA head of stewarding is equally defiant, if a little more conciliatory.
Here’s where your money went on Thursday.
Timeform, the venerable racing data bible, has given its view on Galopin des Champs, as compared to the beloved Best Mate, whose third win came in 2004.
Best Mate earned a career-best Timeform rating of 182 when a comfortable ten-length winner of his second Gold Cup in 2003. However, that was the only time in his 16 starts over fences that he produced a rating worth at least 175.
Galopin Des Champs, in contrast, has a peak rating of 181 but has produced six performances worth a rating of at least 175 from his 16 starts over fences, including both of his Cheltenham Gold Cup wins.
Timeform chase handicapper Phil Turner said: “Galopin Des Champs has repeatedly run to a level that very few horses reach. He has a stronger body of work than Best Mate, helped in part by taking on better calibre rivals and by forcing tactics that have allowed him to assert his dominance, and he sets a high standard for Friday’s Gold Cup rivals to reach.”
Galopin Des Champs, who is currently rated 179, is 9lb clear of King George winner Banbridge and 15lb higher than Inothewayurthinkin who is third on the list.
Greg Wood
1.20 TRIUMPH HURDLE, GRADE ONE, 2M 179YD
The biggest field for the Triumph Hurdle since 2012, and the old-fashioned feeling about it only increased by the fact that the two market leaders, East India Dock and Lulamba, are both trained in British stables. East India Dock has replaced Lulamba as the favourite over the last week or two, and goes into the race off the back of two high-class performances at the track, at the meetings in November and January. James Owen’s gelding had a double-digit winning margin in both races, and also posted exceptional times for a juvenile while he was at it. Lulamba has less British experience over hurdles, having won his only start here so far at Ascot in January, but he was also an impressive winner at Auteuil in October, prompting a big-money sale to join Nicky Henderson’s stable. Henderson was the last British trainer to saddle the winner of this race, all the way back in 2019, and the Irish challenge for a sixth straight win is led by Gavin Cromwell’s Hello Neighbour, unbeaten in two starts on the Flat and two over hurdles. He took the Grade One juvenile at the Dublin Racing Festival by three-quarters of a length, having previously edged out Lady Vega Allen, the pick of stable jockey Paul Townend out of an extraordinary 11-strong challenge team from the Willie Mullins yard.
SELECTION: EAST INDIA DOCK.
KEY FORM:
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JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, Cheltenham, 25 Jan 25 (East India Dock)
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BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle, Ascot, 18 Jan 25 (Lulamba, Mondo Man)
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Spring Juvenile Hurdle, Leopardstown, 1 Feb 25 (Hello Neighbour)
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O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Juvenile Hurdle, Leopardstown, 26 Dec 24 (Hello Neighbour, Lady Vega Allen, Willy De Houelle)
Cheltenham Gold Cup day race schedule
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1.20 JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1)
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2.00 William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
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2.40 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Registered As The Liberthine Mares’ Chase) (Grade 2)
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3.20 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered As The Spa Novices’ Hurdle)
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4.00 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
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4.40 St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
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5.20 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
Official going news from the Jockey Club.
Friday 14th March
The going for day four of The Cheltenham Festival 2025 today, Gold Cup Day, is:
Good to Soft
Action takes place on the New Course today, which was also in use yesterday (St Patrick’s Thursday). The first two days of The Festival, Champion Day and Style Wednesday, took place on the Old Course.
Jon Pullin, Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham Racecourse, said this morning: “We have had three fantastic days of racing so far. We are very much looking forward to another good one today and hoping to see Galopin Des Champs join greats of the past in winning three Cheltenham Gold Cups.
“There are seven races again today, with the first off at 1.20pm and the first six races live on ITV.
“The going for today is Good to Soft. Temperatures dipped down to -3.5C overnight, but we had covered yesterday’s racing lines, so it’s all systems go for the day ahead.”
Greg Wood
And unlike Mullins’s Al Boum Photo, who came up short as a 9-4 shot when attempting a third straight win in 2021, it is very hard to see Galopin Des Champs being beaten.
With the sole exception of his stumble three years ago, Galopin Des Champs has scarcely made a mistake in any of his previous starts at the festival, but the real secret to his dominance, the special power that sets him apart not only from the current crop of chasers but all but a handful of the greats of the past, is the raw finishing power that kicks in as he closes out a race.
Greg Wood
Cheltenham 1.20 James Owen’s East India Dock has already posted two outstanding performances for a juvenile at this track when successful at both the November and December meetings. Both wins were recorded in notably fast times and a repeat of either performance would probably be enough here, although further progress from this hugely promising four-year-old would be no great surprise either.
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Cheltenham on one of the most eagerly-awaited days of the racing year: Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, the pinnacle of the National Hunt season and this year a very rare opportunity to see a two-time winner of the race attempt to join the tiny band of immortals – Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate – with three Gold Cup victories to their name.
We have been here once before quite recently, as another Willie Mullins-trained chaser, Al Boum Photo, went for the three-timer just four years ago. But even with the benefit of hindsight – he finished third as the 9-4 favourite – his tilt at racing history lacked conviction. Galopin Des Champs, by contrast, will be long odds-on to get the job done this afternoon, even with the Grand National favourite, Inothewayurthinkin, in the field as a late supplementary.
He is also a festival stalwart, making his fifth visit to the meeting and looking for his fourth success (the only blip being a bizarre stumble after the last when victory seemed assured in a novice chase here three years ago).
Banbridge, the King George VI Chase winner, is another live rival, but his stamina at this extended three-and-a-quarter miles is far from assured, and Galopin Des Champs will set off at around 4-7 to secure his membership of a very elite club.
The going remains good-to-soft, the covers on the track did their job after temperatures dipped to -3.5C overnight, and the gates have opened to welcome what is certain to be the biggest crowd of a week when attendance has been a concern. When Cheltenham is packed, the customer experience is not always what it should be, but for many National Hunt fans, the chance to be here on one of those festival days that no-one will ever forget is simply too much of a draw.
You can follow all the action live as the final day of the meeting unfolds here on our live blog, and we are underway at 1.20 with the juvenile hurdling championship, the Triumph Hurdle.
