I was at Cheltenham for Best Mate’s three Gold Cup wins.
I knew it was significant. The first since Arkle, we were taking in rarefied air.
But on reflection I definitely underplayed it at the time. He was dominating a shallow division and the third win, a hard-fought and rapidly diminishing half-length verdict over a dour stayer in Sir Rembrandt, wasn’t a performance that went down in the pantheon of great Gold Cups.
Yet it was gained on deep ground, which didn’t play to Best Mate’s strengths, and after he was denied a clear run as they rounded the final turn.
He found a way to win ugly when it mattered most.
I’ve been thinking about my reaction to that moment for a while now, ever since Willie Mullins made it clear standing outside Galopin Des Champs’ box in Closutton at the start of February that if his runner can repeat the feat next week, it will be – by some distance – the pinnacle of his era-defining and record-shattering training career.
There’s an argument that the history seeker isn’t even the star turn next week. Plenty of people seem to think Constitution Hill’s bid to regain his Unibet Champion Hurdle crown on day one deserves that honour.
Not for me.
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Because I was at the Dublin Racing Festival to see Galopin Des Champs win a third Irish Gold Cup, to hear the roars of approval from the stands as he took dead aim at the second last and with the chasing pack snapping at his heels, put the race to bed.
The reception he received afterwards was one of those moments that will never fade.
Maybe it will be a little more restrained at Cheltenham should he complete a second Golden hat-trick inside the space of six weeks. But it shouldn’t be.
Yes, he’s trained in Ireland, yes, he runs in Britain once a season, but for a fall at the last when he was about to produce a performance of the ages in the Turners Novices’ Chase of 2022, he’d be bidding for a fifth successive Cheltenham Festival win.
It’s utterly remarkable.
He's a horse right at the peak of his powers now, completely dominant at Leopardstown over Christmas and again last month.
His power at the end of his races has sent Fact To File scurrying to the Ryanair. There’s no Gerri Colombe or Fastorslow either.
The British defence is down to Ahoy Senor, Royale Pagaille and The Real Whacker.
The dangers to the champion will all be aboard the ferries this weekend bringing another team of unrivalled power to a quiet corner of the Cotswolds.
Banbridge is the one. There’s something of Kicking King about him. He’s very ground dependent but even John Kettley’s bespoke forecast isn’t sending any rain over Cleeve Hill next week.
He then needs to prove he stays the trip. But he wasn’t stopping when reeling in the freewheeling Il Est Francais in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. He brings speed to the table, and a fresh challenge for the favourite.
Maybe the second season chasers Corbetts Cross and Inothewayurthinkin have their biggest performances to date in the locker.
But the more you look at the race the more you think it’s purely down to whether Galopin Des Champs can break Banbridge in the way he’s done the pretenders to the throne for the last two years.
It doesn’t need to be pretty, it doesn’t need to be dominant, it just needs to be done.
Best Mate found his way and if Galopin Des Champs follows suit then it’s a genuine moment to savour.
In that moment don’t worry about how he’d have fared against Kauto Star, Denman and the last golden age of staying chasers.
Don’t concern yourself about the horses in behind, the horses who were missing or the performance rating he ran to in winning it.
Just enjoy the achievement.
I didn’t in 2004. I fully intend to this time around.
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