Paul Townend's Gold Cup joy as Roscarberry native Brian Hayes wins first at Cheltenham
Impervious and Brian Hayes win The Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase (Grade 2) for trainer Colm Murphy. Picture: Healy Racing
GALOPIN Des Champs and Paul Townend justified the hype and delivered a master class to land the Gold Cup for Willie Mullins on the concluding day of the Cheltenham Festival.
On another tricky card for punters, Roscarberry native Brian Hayes rode his first Cheltenham winner aboard Impervious for Colm Murphy. This was a huge success for the West Cork man who had the biggest smile at Cheltenham Racecourse.
"Oh it’s a brilliant victory and we just got there. We were headed after the last but we battled back right at the end. Colm Murphy is some trainer and they were very optimistic coming here.
"I’ve had five victories on her now. It’s my first Cheltenham Festival winner and its magnificent."
But this day was all about the short-priced Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs and this brilliant chaser was sent off the 7-5 favourite after winning the John Durkan Chase and Irish Gold Cup with the minimum of fuss, but doubts lingered over his ability to handle this 3m2½f trip.
However, under one of the greatest ever Cheltenham Gold Cup rides, he answered those fears under an audacious Townend, who settled him towards the tail of the field as Ahoy Senor carved out the early fractions.
Galopin Des Champs made steady headway on the final circuit and Townend was travelling best on the coattails of the leaders turning into the straight, and he responded generously to his rider's urgings to go level with Bravemansgame at the last. He was a dramatic final-fence faller in the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last year but made no mistake this time, producing a clean leap before stretching seven lengths clear up the hill.
Townend said: "It wasn't clean sailing everywhere I went I ran into trouble. His jumping got a bit careful for the first circuit but going out I had full faith in him that he'd get me out of trouble and he did.
"I was delighted to see them all going at it in front of me as it allowed me a chance to fill up and be the last one on the scene. This race is just different – it brings winning to a different level."
It was a fifth Grade 1 victory of the week for both trainer and rider, with Mullins also picking up the National Hunt Chase with Gaillard Du Mesnil. It was a third Gold Cup for both after Al Boum Photo's back-to-back successes in 2019 and 2020.
Mullins said: "We put ourselves under pressure by saying he had enough stamina to win a Gold Cup, I thought he had enough class to win a Gold Cup. He won a three-mile hurdle as a novice but when Al Boum Photo won it there wasn't a weight of expectation behind it, but there was behind this guy. I didn't realise how much pressure there was on us until the third-last."
Mullins was momentarily concerned the waiting game wouldn't pay off but paid tribute to Townend's bold tactics.
"I was wondering if we'd overdone it a bit at the halfway stage but they were pouring it on at the front.
"Adam Connolly, his groom, keeps the lid on him. We don't do as much fast work with him, it's all about stamina and getting him switched off and Paul has ridden him like that. I was wondering if we'd overdone it a bit at the halfway stage but they were pouring it on at the front.
"We won the Gold Cup this year and you'd like to think we'd come back next year and be favourite and win it again."
The Savills Chase winner Conflated finished third under Sam Ewing, who was deputising for Davy Russell after he was stood down before the race, while the Grand National winner Noble Yeats stayed on best to snatch fourth.
Finally, it was also a week to remember for young Michael O’Sullivan who stole the show on the opening day with a double aboard Marine Nationale in the opening Supreme Novice Hurdle and Jazzy Matty in the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle. His ride aboard Marine Nationale was ice cool and this horse looks destined for great things going forward.
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