Cheltenham Gold Cup 2023: Galopin Des Champs wins from Bravemansgame – NewsEverything England

Galopin Des Champs stormed clear to win a dramatic Cheltenham Gold Cup from Bravemansgame.

Conflated was third after Ahoy Senor and Hewick, who had both looked in contention at one stage, had falls.

It came down to a duel with Galopin Des Champs coming out on top up the hill to win by seven lengths.

“It wasn’t clean sailing that is for sure,” a delighted Townend told ITV Racing. “Everywhere I went I was running into trouble.

“But this is a proper, proper horse because he ran three different races and still won a Gold Cup.

“I was delighted to see it all going on in front of me. It gave me a chance to fill him up after making up a lot of ground.

“This race is just different. It brings winning to a different level.”

Ahoy Senor had set the pace until his mistake six from home and Townend waited patiently on the Irish Gold Cup winner before moving into contention coming down the hill.

After pulling clear with Bravemansgame, both jumped the last strongly but the Paul Nicholls-trained King George winner just did not have the pace of the winner.

It gave Mullins his 94th Festival win and his sixth of the week.

“I am feeling great, feeling emotional. It is fantastic,” he told Radio 5 Live.

“We had confidence in the horse but you don’t realise how much pressure that puts on you until jumping the second last and you wonder will he stay or not and he stayed. But we are delighted.”

It was a second win of the day for the Mullins-Townend combination after Lossiemouth led home a 1-2-3-4 for the trainer in the Triumph Hurdle, with the first 10 horses all trained in Ireland.

Final-flight drama at Cheltenham

Trainer Paul Nicholls celebrated his second winner of the week when 18-1 chance Stay Away Fay took a dramatic Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle where 150-1 outsider Afforrable Fury was second.

Favourite Corbetts Cross was in contention at the final flight but swerved right across the wing of the flight and sent jockey Mark Walsh flying.

Walsh walked away gingerly afterwards but was unable to ride in the Gold Cup and was replaced by Nico de Boinville on Conflated.

It was a family affair for Bridget Andrews who won the County Hurdle on 33-1 chance Faivoir for her brother-in-law, trainer Dan Skelton, who was landing the race for the fourth time in eight years.

Stablemate Pembroke had been sent off 9-2 favourite but despite finishing down the field, jockey Harry Skelton – Bridget’s husband – was among the first to congratulate her after Faivoir pipped Pied Piper by a head.

“Coming here is just a dream come true. I never thought I would be in this position,” said Andrews.