The Festival TM | Day Four | 13 March 2020 Presented by Magners
The Festival™ presented by Magners, Day Four heard 70,000 voices rise to a crescendo as the Cheltenham Roar drove Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders up the Cotswold hills for the final time. And what an apt finale as Willie Mullins got to take home the one trophy that had eluded him
THE JUMP RACING calendar is focused around these four days in March, and there is one race that trumps them all – the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup. A day that will enter the history books year-on- year, a day that will be the topic of conversation for years to come. A bucket list event that captures a nation and produces extraordinary moments to last a lifetime. A sell-out crowd are welcomed through the gates, with an incomparable feeling in the air. Everyone eager to discover what is to come, knowing that they are there to see the creation of a legend. From the greats such as Dawn Run and Best Mate, to modern day heroes like Kauto Star, Denman and 2018 star Native River, all have found their way into Cheltenham history, each responsible for sowing the racing seed and giving a racegoer somewhere ‘that racing bug’. March 2019 finally saw Irish Champion Trainer and Cheltenham favourite, Willie Mullins, get his hands on the trophy that had evaded him for so
many years. The legendary trainer has trained 65 winners at The Festival ™ presented by Magners in his career, yet the blue riband in Jump racing had always escaped his grasp, finishing in second place on six occasions. Friday 15 March 2019, courtesy of Al Boum Photo, and the drought finally ended, as the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup found its way to County Carlow. Al Boum Photo and Paul Townend had entered the race fairly under the radar, with last year’s Champion Native River, Clan des Obeaux and Presenting Percy stealing the headlines. Paul and Al Boum Photo stalked the leaders throughout, and came to the fore two fences from home. As the pair flew the last, the nightmares of the Irish Gold Cup 12 months prior vanished from Paul’s mind as he pulled clear of the field. Owner Mrs J Donnelly had stayed loyal to Townend following the ‘brain freeze’ moment in the 2018 Irish Gold Cup which saw him pull the horse out of the race when in contention before the final fence, having thought he had heard a
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