Inothewayurthinkin wins Cheltenham Gold Cup

Inothewayurthinkin triumphed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, shattering the hopes of favorite Galopin Des Champs for a three-peat victory. The 15-2 shot, ridden by jockey Mark Walsh, trained by Gavin Cromwell, and owned by JP McManus, led from start to finish, ultimately defeating the valiant two-time champion Galopin Des Champs by six lengths, with Gentlemansgame taking third place. This victory marked a significant upset in the prestigious race.

However, tragedy struck as another McManus-owned horse, Corbetts Cross, suffered a fatal fall late in the race, succumbing to his injuries. Additionally, Ahoy Senor fell earlier in the race, causing interference to Galopin Des Champs. Inothewayurthinkin's inclusion in the race, with a £25,000 supplementary entry fee just six days prior, proved to be a wise investment, as the winning owner pocketed nearly £280,000 in prize money. The horse's unexpected win highlighted the unpredictable nature of horse racing.

Now, Inothewayurthinkin is the 5-2 favorite for the Grand National on April 5th, with the potential to become only the second horse, after Golden Miller in 1934, to complete the Gold Cup-Grand National double in the same season. Galopin Des Champs, after Poniros' 100-1 shock win in the opening Triumph Hurdle, had hoped to secure a remarkable fifth win of the day for trainer Willie Mullins, but ultimately finished second. The 2023 and 2024 champion aimed to become only the fifth, and first since Best Mate 21 years ago, to win the prestigious race three times.

Walsh shadowed the defending champion aboard the eventual winner, whose mount displayed impressive speed, leading the pack from the front. An emotional Walsh said: "I'm dancing inside, it's unbelievable. I can't believe it. I'm absolutely speechless. He was just so good the whole way, he's a serious horse. He's improved so much over the last year. Gavin is a genius, he had him spot on for today. He's home-bred as well, which makes it extra special." This was also Cromwell's second win of the week, following Stumptown's victory in Wednesday's Cross Country Chase.

Cromwell added: "I never thought I'd have a horse good enough to run in the Gold Cup, never mind win one. Huge thanks to JP and Noreen – it's incredible to have horses like this. Thanks to them for having the confidence to supplement him." However, the joy surrounding Inothewayurthinkin's success was tempered by the news of Corbetts Cross. A Jockey Club statement read: "Corbetts Cross was immediately attended by our expert veterinary professionals during the fifth race of the day, but sadly sustained a fatal injury. Our thoughts are with his connections."

The eight-year-old, trained by Emmet Mullins, was the second horse to die at this year's Cheltenham Festival, following Springwell Bay's fatal fall on Thursday. The British animal welfare organization said the two deaths meant 31 horses have died at the Cheltenham Festival since 2016. The organization stated, "Too many horses have lost their lives at Cheltenham," and added, "We await the British Horseracing Authority's investigation into the circumstances." McManus' racing manager Frank Berry said: "It was a great Gold Cup, but it's taken the gloss off the day, it's always sad to lose any horse, especially a good one that ran so well. He was a lovely horse and Emmet and his team did a great job with him."

Poniros stunned racegoers with the longest odds victory in Triumph Hurdle history. Gasps rippled through the crowd as jockey Jonjo O'Neill Jr. steered him into the lead in the final stages. Mullins is the dominant trainer at the Cheltenham Festival, but his winner was making his hurdles debut and was considered an outsider among his 18 runners, being the 11th in the betting. Poniros, sporting the blue and white colors of Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom, beat Lulamba by a neck, with favorite East India Dock finishing third.

Mullins said: "I knew my owner might have had a few quid on him, but I didn't give him any advice. I don't think I ever gave Poniros a serious piece of work, it was more about giving him a nice experience. He's done a lot of jumping at home. We gave him a break and then brought him back for the spring. I didn't think he'd be sharp enough for this. I saw the blue and thought 'is that my horse?' It shows his Flat experience came into play in this race." O'Neill, who was originally due to ride at Doncaster, received a late call-up, saying: "It's mad. It's a funny old game. Anything Willie runs has a chance."

Mullins later secured further low-odds victories in the County Hurdle and Mares' Chase, with Paul Townend and Mark Walsh riding favorites Kargese (6-4) and Dinoblue (6-4) to victory, respectively. Townend also rode Jasmin De Vaux (6-1) to win the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, securing Mullins' fourth win of the day. Wonderwall held off Its On The Line to win the Hunters' Chase at 28-1, trained by Sam Curling and ridden by Rob James. In the final race of the meeting, Gordon Elliott finally secured a win after four second-place finishes over the four days, with Wodhooh (9-2) winning the Martin Pipe Hurdle for jockey Danny Gilligan.

It was a dominant Friday and the 20th win of the week for Irish-trained horses – 10 of which were secured by leading trainer Mullins, whose individual tally was two more than all the British horses combined. Cheltenham Racecourse reported an attendance of 68,026 on Friday, with a total attendance for the week of 218,839, down from nearly 230,000 last year.