Cheltenham Festival 2021: Gold Cup day – live!

The novice hurdle of choice for future staying chasers, with winners since 2000 including Bobs Worth, who landed the three-mile novice chase and then the Gold Cup in the next two seasons; Minella Indo, who runs in today’s Gold Cup; and Monkfish, who added another Festival success in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase on Wednesday. Penhill, who took the Stayers’ Hurdle a year later, is also on the roll of honour. So who will join them?

Fakiera has been the one for money overnight, supplanting Stattler at the head of the market, while Torygraph is also prominent in the betting. Perhaps Michael O’Leary will avoid accusations of bias by naming one of his horses “The Grauniad” when he gets a moment. Paul Nicholls’ only winner this week was at Taunton on Monday, but Barbados Buck’s and Threeunderthrufive have done little wrong season and along with Tom Lacey’s equally likeable Adrimel, seem likely to offer the most resistance to the Irish onslaught.

Such is the week that Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore are enjoying that the punters are starting to back them blind, and Champagne Gold could well start favourite here having opened at around 14-1 on Wednesday. He has a fair chance, but a 12lb hike for finishing second at Leopardstown in early February does not make his life any easier.

Ganapathi, meanwhile, raced in Grade One company last time and finished a close-ish second in a Grade Two in January, yet carries 4lb less than Blackmore’s mount here, which just doesn’t feel right. Elsewhere in the field, Denise Foster’s Eclair De Beaufeu is also prominent in the betting and can boast some decent course form – albeit over fences – when second here last year in the Grand Annual Chase.

Third Time Lucki bids to improve Dan Skelton’s record in this race to what would be a fairly mind-boggling four out of the last six, while Fifty Ball and Edwardstone represent the Betfair Hurdle form having finished second and third at Newbury last month.

Former stable companions Quilixios and Zanahiyr head the market for an eight-runner Triumph, which in terms of numbers at least is a pale shadow of the 28-runner spectacles that once marked the start of proceedings on Gold Cup day.

The arrival of the juvenile handicap hurdle on Tuesday has done for those, though eight runners is an unusually small turnout even by modern standards.

Quilixios, of course, was in the Gordon Elliott stable until shortly before it turned into the Denise Foster stable a week and a half ago, and has attracted plenty of money overnight as Rachael Blackmore is in the saddle on Henry de Bromhead’s runner.

Tritonic, on the other hand, is on the retreat in the market, and after a brutal three days for British-trained runners, it is understandable. On the other hand, his form looks rock-solid, and he is, by Alan King’s own admission, the best Flat horse that he has ever sent over hurdles.

The shape of the race makes it hard to see a winner from outside the top three in the betting, although David Pipe’s Adagio was very impressive in the Finale at Chepstow and stormed to victory in the trial over course and distance at the December meeting.

Good morning from Cheltenham on Gold Cup day, ahead of a Friday afternoon that could well deliver an “I was there” moment, even though there’s no-one here. Rachael Blackmore seems likely to set off as joint-favourite at least to win the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard at 3.05, and victory in the Festival’s showpiece event would make her the first rider since Norman Williamson in 1995 to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup at the same Festival.

Oh, and the first female jockey to win the Gold Cup, of course, but then that was only ever a matter of time, because men and women have been competing as equals in racing for decades…

Anyway, Blackmore is having an almost Dettori-like effect on the betting markets on Friday morning, having racked up five winners over the first three afternoons including doubles on both Wednesday and Thursday. She is also 1-6 to end the week as leading rider – Jack Kennedy (6-1) and Paul Townend (14-1) are the only plausible rivals still standing – and has an obvious chance for a sixth winner of the week on Quilixios in the opener.

Blackmore has five rides on today’s card while Kennedy – who is 2-0 up in terms of second places, which could be significant if it comes to a countback – has six. The Triumph Hurdle at the top of the card is the most interesting head-to-head between the two, as Quilixios and Kennedy’s mount Zanahiyr were stable companions at the Gordon Elliott yard until three weeks ago. A win for Blackmore should pretty much seal the deal in terms of the top jockey prize, while Kennedy getting to within one winner would open it right up.

Simon Claisse, Cheltenham’s head of racing, reports this morning that the ground has continued to dry, and the going is now good-to-soft, good in places. Some thoughts on possible winners this afternoon are here, and all the news, views and images of one of the great days in the racing calendar will be here all afternoon. Good luck and enjoy the ride!