As it happened: Cheltenham Festival, Gold Cup day 

It's the final day of action at Prestbury Park and the biggest prize is on the line.
As it happened: Cheltenham Festival, Gold Cup day 

The Gold Aboard Harry Des Galopin Chase After Celebrates Cheltenham Champs Murphy/sportsfile Townend Winning Picture: Paul Cup Boodles

Fri, 15 Mar, 2024 - 12:50
PJ Browne

5:51pm: Trainer Gordon Elliott on winning the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap: "I got as big a kick out of that as any winner this week. To win the Martin Pipe race... He's my idol in life."

5:47pm: The full result of the Martin Pipe:

1. Better Days Ahead 5/1

2. Waterford Whispers 10/3f

3. Quai De Bourbon 4/1 2f

Cheltenham 2023

Cheltenham Festival

The latest news, views, analysis and opinions on Cheltenham 2024 from the Irish Examiner sports desk and our  team of award-winning horse racing writers, tipsters and fans

Go

5:39pm: 5-1 shot Better Days Ahead wins the Martin Pipe for Gordon Elliott!

5:33pm: They are off in the Martin Pipe!

5:12pm: Mares Chase winning trainer Gavin Cromwell on Limerick Lace and jockey Keith Donoghue: "She showed a bit of heart. Delighted for Keith. He's a big part of the team and it's well deserved. He gave her a lovely ride. She was genuine. She was in front from a long way out and had to battle."

5:06pm: The final race of the week is the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap. They go off at 5:30pm. Henry de Bromhead's Waterford Whispers is the 11/4 favourite.

5:00pm: The full result of the Mares' Chase:

1. Limerick Lace 3/1

2. Dinoblue 15/8f

3. Marsh Wren 28/1

4:58pm: It's a second winner of the week for Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell.

4:57pm: It's a 1-2 for JP McManus as Limerick Lace beats Dinoblue to win the Mares' Chase!

4:50pm: They are off in the Mares' Chase!

4:33pm: The Mares' Chase is up next. Willie Mullins's Dinoblue, ridden by Mark Walsh, is the 13/8 favourite.

4:21pm: The result of the Hunters Chase:

1. Sine Nomine 8-1

2. Its On the Line 11-8

3. Time Leader 50-1

4:19pm:  Sine Nomine wins the Hunters Chase for Fiona Needham. 

4:11pm: They are off in the Hunters Chase!

4:00pm: Up next is the Hunters Chase. Emmet Mullins's Its On The Line is the 11/8 favourite.

3:58pm: Willie Mullins on Gold Cup winner Galopin De Champ: "I just think he put himself in the superstar category... We'll have to come back next year and try to win a third one if we can. He has the ability to do it."

3:43pm: The full result of the Gold Cup:

1. Galopin Des Champs 10-11f

2. Gerri Colombe 13-2 2f

3. Corach Rambler 14-1

4. L'homme Presse 16/1

5. Bravemansgame 14/1

6. Jungle Boogie 16/1

3:40pm: Gold Cup winning jockey, and Corkman, Paul Townend: "Unbelievable. We had to go for reserves that I wasn't sure that was there. I rode him different to last year. He was in between at the last. I wasn't sure he had enough but we had to go for it. It's a Gold Cup. We had to go for reserves there that only the special horses have."

3:37pm: Galopin Des Champs wins the Gold Cup for the second time! 

3:30pm: They are off in the Gold Cup!

3:28pm: The runners are on their way to the start for the Gold Cup. 

3:18pm: Willie Mullins's Galopin Des Champs is the 5/6 favourite for the Gold Cup. 

"We have won eight of the last 10," Ruby Walsh writes in his Irish Examiner column about Ireland's chances in the big race.

"This afternoon, I do not believe there will be any other result than an Irish horse making it nine from 11, but racing is a sport.

"What I am getting at here is the belief that the tide will turn again, so enjoy whatever horse reaches the pinnacle of the sport today.

"That will probably be Galopin Des Champs, who has put up two awesome performances in the last 12 months and has been primed to repeat them."

3:12pm: Up next is the big one of the week. It's the Gold Cup. 

3:07pm: "The way the week was going, you think it's never going to happen," said jockey Sam Ewing about getting his first Cheltenham winner. "Absolutely brilliant. He's a horse who jumps very well, loved that ground today. He battled very hard for me. He was brilliant at the last as well. I can't believe it."

3:04pm: The full result of the Albert Bartlett:

1. Stellar Story 33/1

2. The Jukebox Man 18/1

3. Dancing City 8/1

4. Spread Boss Ted 40/1

Groom Emilie Seigle celebrates with Absurde after winning the County Handicap Hurdle. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Groom Emilie Seigle celebrates with Absurde after winning the County Handicap Hurdle. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

3:01pm: Jockey Sam Ewing from Antrim gets his first Cheltenham winner.

2:59pm: Sensational finish to the Albert Bartlett as Gordon Elliott's Stellar Story gets up on the line to beat The Jukebox Man. 

2:51pm: They are off in the Albert Bartlett!

2:48pm: Up next is the Albert Bartlett. Willie Mullins's Readin Tommy Wrong is the 2/1 favourite. 

2.36pm Ahead of the 2.50, PJ Browne is strapping in for the rest of the day's action... best of luck with the rest of the day! 

2.16pm Absurde wins the County Hurdle! Willie Mullins makes it two from two as Paul Townend picks his way through the traffic for a great 12-1 win.   

Cheltenham 2.10 result 

1 Absurde (P Townend) 12-1 

2 L’Eau Du Sud (Harry Skelton) 7-2 Fav 

3 Pied Piper (DJ Gilligan) 14-1 

4 Magical Zoe (Adrian Heskin) 8-1

2.10pm And they're off in the County Handicap Hurdle... 

1.58pm Right, on we go to the County Handicap Hurdle at 2.10pm. 

"Plenty of people fancy Bialystok," Ruby writes, "but I fear both might not be strong enough finishers to win this, so I prefer Zenta."

1.51pm 'When God made eejits, he made plenty of them,' professional punter Luke McMahon tells Brian Gleeson on the ITC coverage as a boisterous group of racegoers file past as he's interviewed. Other nuggets of wisdom? He says Its On The Line is the bet of the day. 

1.40pm The drought is over for Willie Mullins - the maestro hadn't win since all the way back to Wednesday, before the 1.30pm!  

1.35pm Willie Mullins and JP McManus win with Majborough, as Tommy Lyons told us he would! Mark Walsh held off Kargese.  

Salver comes home in third after a brave effort in tough going.

1.30 result 

1 Majborough (M P Walsh) 6-1 

2 Kargese (D E Mullins) 4-1 

3 Salver (G Sheehan) 10-1

Louise Keppler from Tyrone ahead of the races. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher
Louise Keppler from Tyrone ahead of the races. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher

1.33pm The first race off the day was sent off with a full-throated roar from the grandstand. Attendances have been down all week and the atmosphere has been flat at times, it seems, but today promises to be a proper Cheltenham day judging by this video Darren just sent us from the stands. 

1.29pm We're under starter's orders... and they're off in the Triumph Hurdle!

1.19pm We're 10 minutes out from the Triumph Hurdle, the championship race for four-year-olds.

A reminder of the state of play in the Prestbury Cup, for those interested: Ireland lead 12-8 heading into the final day. 

One of the hosts' main hopes in this race, Sir Gino, was withdrawn earlier in the week of course, in more bad news for Nicky Henderson.

Darren has earmarked Salvator Mundi while Tommy Lyons gives the nod to Majborough. 

1.15pm Ruby and a couple of other men who know about winning Gold Cups, reflect on how much the little trophy means.

1.05pm Some more pre-race reading? 

This is what we'll learn today, according to Colm Greaves. 

"Although weakened both in quality and romance by the withdrawal of Hewick yesterday the Gold Cup remains a very strong contest and probably a lot deeper a field then the one Galopin beat last year. Fastorslow, Gerri Colombe, L’Homme Presse Corach Rambler and Gentlemansgame make their first appearance in the race and all look capable of putting it up to the favourite, especially if he has an off day. Otherwise, they may be racing for place money."

Horse owner Davy Mann, from Limerick, ahead of the races. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher
Horse owner Davy Mann, from Limerick, ahead of the races. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher

12.55pm Ruby was out and about early doors and sent this update. 

Read his preview of the day here.

12.51pm Saddle up, it's the final day of a hectic Cheltenham week - and today is, of course, the big one. 

The Gold Cup will go off at 3.30pm with punters attempting to solve a puzzle of a race for the 100th time. 

Darren Norris, Tommy Walsh and, the most successful jockey in Festival history, Ruby Walsh are there for us and we'll have updates throughout the afternoon's action. 

Here's your schedule: 

1.30 JCB Triumph Hurdle 

2.10 BetMGM County Handicap Hurdle 

2.50 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

3.30 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase

4.10 St. James Place Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase

4.50 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

5.30 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

More in this section

Oisin Murphy File Photo Murphy can't wait for jumping debut
Cheltenham Racing Festival 2024 - Day One Corbetts Cross not certain to run in King George
Murphy poised for first ride over jumps at Wincanton on St Stephen's Day Murphy poised for first ride over jumps at Wincanton on St Stephen's Day
#Cheltenham Festival
<p>STIFF TEST: Constitution Hill will face the sternest of examinations on his first run for 12 months up against Lossiemouth in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle. Picture: John Walton/PA </p>

Constitution Hill faces 'mighty task' against race-fit Lossiemouth

READ NOW

Latest

Sport Push Notifications

By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser.

Sign Up
Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Ruby Walsh
Ruby Walsh

Racing Voice The Of

Most Read

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

Limited © Echo Examiner Group