Galopin Des Champs justified his favourite tag as the horse produced a sublime finish to just take Cheltenham Gold Cup glory.
Having fallen at the final fence 12 months ago, there was no such mishap this time around as the favourite chased down Bravemansgame in a thrilling run for the line. And it meant a third Gold Cup win for both jockey Paul Townend and trainer Willie Mullins.
“Brilliant. As brilliant a ride as I’ve ever seen in any horse race," Townend said afterwards. "Talk about a horse with bottle. Pressure - the privilege of pressure - and he coped with it better than anyone."
Much of the pre-race type centred around A Plus Tard and Rachael Blackmore, with many punters backing the duo to repeat their historic success of 2022. However, amid a quick pace, the horse never got going and having been disrupted by Ahoy Senor falling with six fences to go, eventually pulled up short of the finish.
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