It was an action-packed day two of the Cheltenham Festival as Willie Mullins secured his 100th winner, and Rachael Blackmore won the Queen Mother Champion Chase with Captain Guinness.
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5:51pm - Willie Mullins reached the magical 100-winner mark at the Cheltenham Festival as the Patrick Mullins-ridden Jasmin De Vaux provided him with a 13th victory in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
It is 29 years since the master of Closutton broke his Festival duck with Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Twelve months later he trained and rode Wither Or Which to claim his first Champion Bumper success.
Wind the clock forward almost three decades and Mullins is out on his own as the most successful trainer in the history of National Hunt racing’s showpiece meeting, with his tally of 94 ahead of his return to the Cotswolds this week putting him well clear of his great friend and rival Nicky Henderson on 73. In contrast to Mullins, the Seven Barrows handler has not enjoyed a good time of things, having to withdraw a number of his leading contenders.
Having sent a terrifically strong squad across the Irish Sea, it was a matter of when, not if, he would reach the century, and following a Tuesday treble courtesy of Champion Hurdle hero State Man, Mares’ Hurdle victor Lossiemouth and Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle, the figure loomed large.
With Ballyburn and Fact To File delighting favourite-backers in the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase respectively, El Fabiolo was widely expected to be the history maker in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but he was dramatically pulled up after hitting the fifth fence and the wait went on.
The Coral Cup and Grand Annual also came and went without a Mullins winner, but it was fitting that the big one came in the Festival race he has won more than any other as Jasmin De Vaux obliged at 9-2 with the trainer’s son in the saddle.
“It’s a wonderful day, it’s fantastic. As much I enjoy what’s happening, I think of my colleague and fellow trainer Nicky Henderson and what’s happened with his yard this week,” Mullins said.
“That’s always a worry that we have in the two or three weeks coming up to Cheltenham, that something will come in and bite you from outside. As much as we’re enjoying it, I don’t know how he must be feeling.
“You want competition and it must be gutting for him. You’d like good opposition to have fun with because I’m sure he would have beaten us a few times this week.”
He went on: “I thought my lifetime achievement was when I had a winner here in Cheltenham in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle back in 1995 and who ever dreamt any trainer, never mind me, could do it .
“The team of owners we have help and I can’t train winners without a team of owners who have horses and then the team from my wife Jackie, to David Casey, Patrick, Ruby (Walsh), all our head people, it’s huge for them. I think they are probably going to enjoy it more than I will. It’s extraordinary stuff.”
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4.49pm – Captain Guinness came out on top in a dramatic renewal of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, in which red-hot favourite El Fabiolo was pulled up.
Trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore, the nine-year-old was sent off a 17-2 chance, with Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo starting as the heavily-supported 2-9 market leader in the absence of supposed main rival Jonbon.
However, a jumping error led to Paul Townend’s mount being pulled up, and when the front-running Edwardstone fell two out – albeit when looking beaten – it was Captain Guinness who went on prevail, holding off El Fabiolo’s stablemate Gentleman De Mee in a real battle up the hill.
Winning the race for the fourth time, De Bromhead said: “Obviously after El Fabiolo went you knew then that the race had opened right up and we felt we had a right chance then.
“Can mistakes happen more at the speed they go in this race, I don’t know.
“He had his thing at Christmas (fibrillating heart) and I just kept thinking the horse deserved to get his Grade One so much, to get this one is amazing.
“Everyone at home has done a fantastic job and the vets. The tests he went through after Christmas, his heart specialist was happy and the IHRB (Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board) was happy and everyone was. In fairness to Sam who looks after him, he hadn’t known him in such form.
“We took a view from Leopardstown in February we just wouldn’t train him hard and keep him fresh and happy and that’s what we did. We just wanted him really bullish and he’s been trying to buck Sam off for the last two weeks, so I’m not sure he was as happy with the plan as I was, but it’s worked out for us all now.”
He added: “We’ve been so lucky in this race, it’s such an exciting race. You can’t make any mistake really, it’s about speed and accuracy.
“Another year when we won it Douvan was odds-on for the whole year. You can’t be afraid of one horse, but you pick your spots. You don’t do it every day of the week, but this place is different.”
Mullins said: “I was very concerned that he reached for an early one and then stood back too far at the fence going away from the stands and didn’t get high enough.
“He got very low over a couple of them and I know he was a bit chancy before, but I was very concerned. He jumped the last one good and then of course he just stood back too far and didn’t get high enough. It’s very disappointing.”
He added: “I’m delighted for Henry and delighted for Rachael and our Gentleman De Mee ran a cracker, so we’re delighted.”
3.38pm – Langer Dan retained his title for Dan and Harry Skelton in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old struck last year off the same mark and started as a 13-2 chance to return the trophy to owner Colm Donlon’s mantelpiece.
After moving sweetly in the mid-division Langer Dan inched his way into the race as it developed before powering into the lead up the hill, pulling away to win comfortably on the line, by three and a half lengths from Ballyadam.
The winning trainer said: “He’s a remarkable little horse. He had surgery after winning this last year, which made him miss Aintree.
“Colm has had a torrid time with his two big guns ruled out, but this horse just knows how to do it on the big day.
“I’m very proud of the whole team, he’s bled on occasions this year and he had ulcers which we’ve treated – he’s just remarkable.
“Just in the last few weeks he’s started to come alive. The plan on Saturday was to work him with the slowest horse we had and to make sure he won and he won by a head.
“I just thought a head was better than nothing as he hadn’t been winning a raffle recently – he’s remarkable.”
He added: “Winners here mean so much. While we do the job 365 days a year, these four mean more than any other so you have to bring the right horse.”
3.14pm – Fact To File maintained his huge reputation with a straightforward success in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase for Willie Mullins.
Talked of as a serious Gold Cup horse of the future, the JP McManus-owned 8-13 favourite was given a patient ride by Mark Walsh through the early stages, before things tightened up, with the field almost inseparable over the third-last fence.
Around the bend horses started to drop away, however, and nothing could go with the market leader – who was second in the Champion Bumper here last year – as he accelerated clear after the last.
Monty’s Star (Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) was three and three-quarter lengths back in second, with Giovinco third at 40-1 for Lucinda Russell.
McManus said: “I was nervous and I thought he got a little warm and on his toes beforehand.
“I think Mark did a great job to get him settled and I think he will learn a lot from that race, I’m just relieved.
“It’s all in front of him and when Willie decided to go straight chasing with him I had no objection, it sounded good to me. It has been vindicated.”
Mullins, who was taking his Cheltenham Festival career tally to a remarkable 99 winners, said: “That was very impressive, it was a Gold Cup performance potentially, but he’s been like that since the day he came into the yard. I thought he’d win the Champion Bumper last year, then of course JP came and beat us with A Dream To Share, but that’s how good I thought he was.
“The fact that he was a ready-made steeplechaser from the first day he came into the yard is why I skipped hurdling with him and I’m very happy we did that now. I think JP had a nice little wager for the staff earlier in the season on this fellow for this race, so he more or less made the decision.
“He’s a beauty of a jumper and he gave Mark a tremendous ride, I’d say it was some thrill riding him round there. He’s just a real gentleman of a horse, that’s what he is.
“I’ve seen the potential. He’s like a child’s pony in the stable, he’s got the temperament for it.
“You know the plan (for next season), he could start off in the John Durkan, then run at Christmas, then the Dublin Racing Festival and back here. That’s the bones of the plan, but he has to stay right and JP might have other ideas, so I’ll have to have a chat with him about that.”
Meanwhile, De Bromhead said of Monty’s Star: “We’re delighted, it was a really good performance.
“Obviously we wanted to win but the winner looks really good and has all year. I think we lost little in defeat.
“He’s improving all the time, he’s a really exciting horse for us.
“We’ll target the Gold Cup and work our way back from there and hope for better weather.
“He’s a big, raw horse, only seven and Rachael just thought on a bit better ground it would have helped his jumping, but he ran his heart out. The winner is really good, but we’re delighted with our horse.”
Russell said of Giovinco: “I’m really pleased, he ran ever so well.
“There was a moment just coming down the hill I did begin to get excited, but he travelled beautifully and jumped really well.
“He’s a fantastic horse and I’m really pleased.”
His rider Stephen Mulqueen was equally thrilled with the run, saying: “It was massive and I’m in a fortunate place. Scu (Peter Scudamore, assistant trainer) told me to drop him out because he’s been a bit keen, and going to two out I was getting excited.
“Lucinda put the red hood on him as he’d had the odd excuse and it definitely helped.”
3.10pm – The going was good for Britain's Queen Camilla, who enjoyed a family day-out at the races as punters packed the stands for the Cheltenham festival.
Camilla, who is a keen horse racing fan, joined her children and other close relatives at the biggest week in the jump racing calendar.
Known to love a flutter on the horses, Camilla took her place in the royal box after arriving at the Cheltenham racecourse and walking past racegoers who stopped to watch her pass.
Zara and Mike Tindall were already in the exclusive spot overlooking the course, as were Camilla's son Tom Parker Bowles, daughter Laura Lopes and her husband Harry, alongside Camilla’s nephew Sir Ben Elliot.
Camilla is a regular at the Cheltenham festival and an honorary member of the Jockey Club which runs the major sporting event.
Also, among the guests in the royal box were Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank, and Camilla’s friend and official queen’s companion, Lady Sarah Keswick and Princess Anne.
The day was billed as Style Wednesday by festival organisers, with racegoers encouraged to wear sustainable fashion.
2.27pm – Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend.
When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths.
Another Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, was a further three and a half lengths back in third. Just for good measure Mullins was also responsible for Mercurey (fourth) and Predators Gold (fifth).
“It’s the first time he’s wowed me, I thought ‘wow, what a performance’ and to me that was a Champion Hurdle performance,” said Mullins.
“It was really really spectacular. With his size, scope and pedigree our owners might decide to go chasing with him next year, I don’t know. But with that performance he can go anywhere.
“Our team are in flying form, but we are just so sorry for Nicky Henderson that he has had to pull his good horses out. It could be us, so our sympathies go to him.”
He went on: “My heart hasn’t skipped a beat when a horse jumps a hurdle since Annie Power, but it skipped a beat there!
“I thought he was a good horse, but I didn’t view him as the horse that people were saying until today. When he jumped the last and went away up the hill I just thought ‘wow’.
“This fellow could be anything, he could be a Champion Hurdle horse, a Gold Cup horse or both with his size, scope and pedigree. He’s made for fences but looks to have the ability for a Champion Hurdle.
“I didn’t realise we’d had the first five, Michael Dickinson obviously did it in the Gold Cup but it’s nice to do it in a Grade One at Cheltenham.
“I hadn’t even got my licence then, but it was extraordinary to look at a man having so much firepower in one stable and now it looks like we’re in the same position at the moment.
“It’s nice to do that at the Festival.
“I know how good our others are, they would be top-class horses any other year and they deserve to be here, the strength behind him – he blew me away.
“When we saw Slade Steel win yesterday that really franked the form and gave us an even better chance.”
Bartlett said: “He jumped well, we didn’t know how he was going to handle the ground, but that was exciting.
“Let’s enjoy the day and the future is in front of him, so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed.
“He had lots of different options and in typical Willie style he didn’t want to tell us too much, but listen it all came right in the end.”
2.18pm – Wednesday's Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham has been abandoned due to waterlogged ground on the inside circuit.
Following 11mm of rainfall throughout Tuesday, there has been no improvement in the conditions on the Cross-Country course and areas of the track remain unraceable.
The forecast for the remainder of the week continues to look unsettled, with further showers likely on both Thursday and Friday.
There will therefore be insufficient improvement to the Cross-Country course and the decision has been taken not to reschedule the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at this year’s festival.
Due to the abandonment, the revised race times for Wednesday are: Race 1 – 1.45pm, Race 2 – 2.30pm, Race 3 – 3.15pm, Race 4 – 4pm, Race 6 – 4.50pm, Race 7 – 5.30pm.
The going on the regulation Old and New courses is described as soft, heavy in places.
