Ben Linfoot reflects on a dramatic week at Cheltenham with his analysis on the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase and Gold Cup.
Day 4 | Gold Cup analysis: Will Thinkin' men go for it?
It was the Gold Cup where we expected to see just the fifth three-time winner in almost a century. A slice of history.
Instead all the talk is about whether INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN can become only the second horse of all time to win the Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year.
In a week that turned into a bookies’ benefit - a crazy amount of odds-on favourites were turned over - this was a fitting end. Majborough (1/2), Constitution Hill (1/2), Ballyburn (4/7), Jonbon (5/6) and Galopin Des Champs (8/13), all beaten. Add in Teahupoo (7/4) and East India Dock (5/4) failing to win. There isn’t a layer in the land who would’ve dreamt up those results at the start of the meeting.
Three of those are trained by Willie Mullins who still won a staggering 10 races during the week. Imagine if his odds-on chances had gone in.
The one he wanted above all the others, though, was Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup. This was career-defining stuff, even for a man with 113 Festival winners to his name, and son Patrick underlined that in the build-up.
Golden Miller is currently the only horse to have won the Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season and he was also the first horse to win the Gold Cup three times. He won it five times in the 1930s and was followed by Cottage Rake in the 1940s, Arkle in the 1960s and Best Mate at the start of the 21st century, who all also won the most prestigious race in the jumps calendar on three occasions.
It’s an incredibly difficult thing to do. You need bags of class and speed and stamina and good jumping. You need a sound constitution. You need to be trained to the minute and you need some luck.
You also need to see off a new generation, year after year. Galopin Des Champs did that 12 months ago and this season he looked to be doing the same. After all, Inothewayurthinkin was over 15 lengths behind him at Christmas and seven lengths adrift in the Irish Gold Cup, too.
Optimists would point out he was getting closer. Confidence in those observers will have bloomed when he was supplemented into the race at the six-day stage.
And trainer Gavin Cromwell was having some week. He won the Cross Country with Stumptown but had had five seconds, too, by the time the tapes went up for the Gold Cup. Even with the courage to supplement, perhaps that was the best that was expected against a horse of the calibre of Galopin Des Champs.
But this was a convincing and deserved success for Inothewayurthinkin. Mark Walsh rode him on the steel out the back and as Monty’s Star made an error on the first circuit he had enough time to avoid the incident without drama.
When the front-running Ahoy Senor departed on the second circuit Monty’s Star was impeded and he in turn took Galopin Des Champs wide as well. Walsh, however, down the inside on Inothewayurthinkin, did not have to alter his course.
There’s the bit of luck. But the class, speed and stamina were all in evidence thereafter. As the race began to develop Walsh tracked Paul Townend on Galopin, pulling off the fence downhill to the third last. Briefly the winner looked like he might be outpaced there, but he came back on the bridle amongst horses and jumped upsides the two-time champion at the second last.
Suddenly it was between the two, but after a spring-heeled jump at the final fence it became solely about Inothewayurthinkin, who sprinted clear for a commanding six-length success.
There are no excuses for Galopin Des Champs. He was simply beaten by a younger horse on the day, the baton passed. Only nine himself, he could still get the chance to go for three again next year, but he might well have the new hero to dethrone.
It will be interesting to see the path Inothewayurthinkin charts now. Owner JP McManus, who had six winners during the week, will do what is right by the horse. Cromwell, who trained the son of Walk In The Park to perfection, his jumping in particular improving run to run, will judge how he comes out of the race.
McManus also owned the fatally-injured Corbetts Cross, as well, Emmet Mullins’ horse taking a crashing fall at the second last when in contention for a place. Such are the highs and lows of this game.
But McManus and Cromwell could now go for their own piece of history with Inothewayurthinkin, if he is given the green light for the Grand National in 22 days’ time. Off a mark of 160, he is somewhat well-in given he’s just beaten a 177-rated horse in spectacular fashion.
The bookmakers rate him a 3/1 chance for Aintree at best. Rarely will we see a horse have such an outstanding chance of recording the most famous of National Hunt doubles.
Will they go for their own slice of history? You know the way I'm thinking.
Day 3 | Ryanair Chase analysis: Performance of the week - Fact
We’ve had some drama at the Cheltenham Festival this week but the first ‘wow’ performance went to Willie Mullins’ FACT TO FILE in the Ryanair Chase.
This intermediate trip over fences at Cheltenham can lend itself to beauty – think Vautour sauntering to success in the Golden Miller as a novice – and Fact To File can add himself to the list of barnstorming halfway house champions.
The Ryanair Chase doesn’t receive universal love given it is another of those races that can take the shine off championship events, in its case both the Champion Chase and Gold Cup, but it has grown as a contest since its inception and there’s no doubt it can be a springboard to even higher glory.
Imperial Commander won this race on his way to winning the 2010 Gold Cup and you would think Fact To File will take his chance in next year’s Blue Riband event after this.
He was favourite for this year’s Gold Cup until stablemate Galopin Des Champs pulled rank by beating him in both the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, but as it turned out the Ryanair was the perfect race for FTF at this stage in his development.
Only eight-years-old with seven steeplechases under his belt, he wasn’t quite ready to take on the mantle from Galopin, but he absolutely loved sitting off Il Est Francais on the second circuit in the Ryanair and some fantastic jumping took him to the front on the bridle.
Il Est Francais ran well, but he cried off up the hill and faded into sixth, leaving Fact To File to storm his way to a sumptuous nine-length success over the running-on Heart Wood.
The performance of the week so far, this was a career-best from Fact To File and it confirmed that he can bring his best form out on livelier ground. He stayed three miles well in last year’s Brown Advisory and with this experience under his belt he looks all set to be campaigned towards the 2026 Gold Cup.
Slightly more immediately it would be interesting if he came over to Kempton for the King George to take on Il Est Francais at his favourite stomping ground. The French horse jumped really well for a long way here before the closing incline just seemed to catch him out, but a rematch over three miles at Kempton would be an interesting head to head.
Henry de Bromhead, who won two races on Thursday including Bob Olinger in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, has his team in fantastic shape again and he trained the second and third here with Heart Wood and the 11-year-old Envoi Allen.
Last year’s winner, Protektorat, was caught out by the livelier ground and on softer conditions he’d have had a better chance. As it was he was outpaced but ran well enough in fourth.
Djelo was well backed for Venetia Williams but was taken off his feet at the back of the field and could only manage seventh.
But this was all about Fact To File, simply too good for the Ryanair division. Time will tell if it helps propel him into the big league in 12 months' time.
Day 2 | Champion Chase analysis: The beginning and the end
The story is MARINE NATIONALE winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the swelling of emotion that was felt as his success brought back memories of his first Cheltenham Festival win under the late Michael O’Sullivan.
That is the story, but this is the analysis and it all began with a most unsatisfactory start, a theme of the week. Even before that Solness started playing up as they circled at post time, kicking a wing and getting in Jonbon’s face.
“What is he ****ing doing?” said an exasperated Nico de Boinville before holding his hands up to apologise for his profanity in front of the TV cameras. His reaction was understandable, though, to all those who know Jonbon. That was not what he needed.
Nor did he need further shenanigans at the start. There was an eagerness from Paul Townend on Energumene and Darragh O’Keeffe on Quilixios to get on with it and they charged the tapes first time, triggering a false start.
Second time Energumene’s head was over the tapes but the starter let them go, catching Jonbon on the nose as well as the back foot and even perennial front runner Solness couldn’t lead under an alert J J Slevin.
At the first Jonbon had to switch inside Solness and already things were not going to plan. Energumene and Quilixios got what they wanted, a prominent pitch, and the rest were jostling in behind.
Sean Flanagan, who in the preceding race went the wrong way momentarily on the Cross Country course, arguably costing Vanillier the victory, had a nice position down on the inside on Marine Nationale and he tracked the leaders.
Nicky Henderson’s horse was sixth at the third and De Boinville was keen to nudge him forward. He was fourth with eight to go and easing his way into things, but he wasn’t too fluent at the one before the water jump and then five from the finish came the drama.
Jonbon put down, not raising a leg, crashing through it, De Boinville doing well to keep the partnership intact.
He went from fourth to last and from there on it looked race over. It looked like he might be pulled up, but De Boinville hunted him back into things, much to his credit.
Up front the complexion changed again three from home. Libberty Hunter fell and Energumene began to struggle, eventually pulling up on quicker ground that didn’t play to his strengths.
Quilixios went on, going well. Marine Nationale tracked him, going well. The rest had work to do, not least Jonbon who was 10 lengths off the main group on the turn for home.
At the last it looked a two-horse race, but Qulixios crashed out leaving Flanagan to soak it all up as Marine Nationale bounded away for such a poignant win. Jonbon, incredibly, stayed on for second, prompting a million ‘what if’ questions.
If he hadn’t made the shuddering error five out would Jonbon have won? Possibly, but this is the Cheltenham Festival and they have to be jumped. This is the third Festival he has been defeated at and, 10 next year, it may never happen for him now.
It has happened for Marine Nationale and this was a fabulous training performance from Barry Connell. He has slowly brought him to the boil all season and he had him pitch perfect, the best he has jumped over fences, on the day when it mattered.
The foundation for this success began in the Supreme Novices’ at this meeting under an ecstatic Michael O’Sullivan in 2023. It’s gut wrenching he couldn’t see this, but his talents will never be forgotten.
Day 1 | Champion Hurdle analysis: Are we having a Mares'?
There’s a certain degree of irony that this year’s Unibet Champion Hurdle turned into a ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ renewal 40 minutes after Lossiemouth had sauntered to a second Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle success.
Supposedly trained for the Champion Hurdle since the last campaign, connections decided upon a late U-turn, going for easier pickings in the Mares’ once Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead had been given the green light to take on Constitution Hill and State Man in the big one.
It was easy pickings, as well, a seven-and-a-half length victory over stablemate Jade De Grugy; a canter, a cruise, her jumping not put under pressure at any point under a smiling Paul Townend.
That might not have been the case in the Champion, as things turned out. Pacemaker King Of Kingsfield set the gallop for stablemate Brighterdaysahead who sat on his shoulder and hurdling, who would’ve thought it, became the main talking point of the race.
Constitution Hill fell at the fifth. Huge gasp. Sent off the 1/2 favourite, this was expected to be a statement performance, an announcement that he is back and as good as ever.
But the warning from his prep run in the Unibet Hurdle on Trials Day – he lost his focus when clumsily stepping through the last – was not heeded. He simply didn’t pick his feet up in time four from home and gave himself and Nico de Boinville no chance. The favourite was down and out.
All eyes on Brighteradaysahead now. But quickly those eyes are drawn to State Man. She’s struggling to go the gallop, he’s cruising and he’s six lengths clear at the last. Down. Even bigger gasp. State Man over jumps just when he looked a certainty to seal a second Champion Hurdle under Townend.
All this time GOLDEN ACE had been picking up the pieces. With Brighterdaysahead cooked Jeremy Scott’s mare looked all set for second when the race was handed to her on a plate, reward for just simply being in the race when she too could’ve run in the Mares’.
Unsurprisingly the Mares’ Hurdle debate is not going away. Lossiemouth’s connections have felt plenty of heat this week for backtracking on what they said was the original plan, but they have done nothing wrong. The option is there. The debate is about whether the option should exist.
My own personal opinion is that it should not. This is because I feel that the Festival’s crown jewels – the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup – should be protected at the expense of the rest of the schedule.
The Champion Hurdle division has suffered for various reasons, including the lack of recruits from the Flat as they are shipped off to earn riches on the level abroad, and so when you’re fishing in a shallow pool cutting off that supply further makes no sense.
We have a situation where the best hurdlers aren’t taking each other on because of another option on the very same afternoon.
This year’s Champion Hurdle was compelling and dramatic. It will be remembered for two high-profile falls and the luckiest of winners. But it won’t always be compelling and dramatic while the other option is there.
As for Golden Ace, her team were rewarded for dismissing the Mares’ Hurdle. The Cheltenham Festival can do the same.
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