Gold Cup Day Day Four 15March
First run in 1924, this day’s most prestigious race, now proudly known as The Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup, is The Festival’s pinnacle: a dream for owners, trainers and jockeys alike. Years of hard work and dedication go into preparing a horse for victory, which is why soaking up Gold Cup Day is a bucket-list favourite for many. Join the 70,000-strong crowd as they watch the trophy’s winner cross the line. It’s one you won’t want to miss. 2018 Festival flashback – Betbright Prestbury Cup final standings: GB 11 IRE 17 Under a brilliantly bold, front running ride from Champion Jockey Richard Johnson, the white-blazed Native River was cheered on by a record crowd as he entered the Winner’s Enclosure after his Cheltenham Gold Cup victory on the final day of The Festival. Worth nearly £650,000, it was a first win in National Hunt racing’s most prestigious contest for Dorset trainer Colin Tizzard and for Native River’s owners, Brocade Racing. “It’s unreal,” an emotional Tizzard exclaimed. “It’s the fourth day and the Irish have been winning everything. Then Richard Johnson gives that brave horse that sort of ride and everything changes. I came here at 17 and 18 years of age and never thought I would win the Gold Cup, and I’ve just done it.” The truly thrilling race saw Nicky Henderson-trained favourite, Might Bite, head Native River at the second-last fence, but the eight-year-old fought back and powered home to win by four and a half lengths. Johnson had last triumphed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2000 with Looks Like Trouble. “It’s been a long 18 years!” he said. “The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most important race of the year; the best of the best. It’s everyone’s dream to own a Gold Cup horse and to ride one is brilliant; to win it now twice is extraordinary.” Tizzard also took the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices’s Hurdle, with Kilbricken Storm, who was ridden by young star, Harry Cobden. Cobden’s primary employer, Paul Nicholls, posted a double on the card by virtue of Pacha Du Polder’s St James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup success under Harriet Tucker, and Le Prezien’s Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase victory with Barry Geraghty. There was more success for female riders too – Bridget Andrews took the Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle on Mohaayed, trained by Dan Skelton. Gordon Elliott punched in two more winners – Farclas in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Blow By Blow in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, giving him the Irish Independent Leading Trainer Award and bringing home the Betbright Prestbury Cup win for Ireland. Davy Russell was crowned Holland Cooper Leading Jockey with four victories. But there was no doubt that Gold Cup Day belonged to Richard Johnson, Colin Tizzard and Native River.
The Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle
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