Gaelic Warrior raced near the front for the first three miles of Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The last part of the race, covering a little more than a quarter-mile, was not a contest.
Gaelic Warrior drew away to win by eight lengths under jockey Paul Townend, the widest margin of victory since A Plus Tard scored by 15 lengths in 2022.
Friday’s Gold Cup was not without tragedy, however. Envoi Allen, a popular 12-year-old gelding who won 10 Grade 1 races in 31 starts, collapsed and died after finishing ninth of 10.
With Friday’s win, Townend became the first jockey to win five runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He surpassed Pat Taaffe, who won the race four times in the 1960s, including three times on the legendary Arkle.
Gaelic Warrior is trained by Willie Mullins, the dominant trainer in British and Irish steeplechasing. Gaelic Warrior’s win gave Mullins a fifth career win in the Gold Cup, equaling Tom Dreaper, whose wins stretched from 1946 to 1968.
Mullins won the Gold Cup with Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020 and with Galopin Des Champs in 2023 and 2024. Townend’s wins have all been for Mullins. Galopin Des Champs was withdrawn from Gold Cup consideration earlier this month after “he wasn’t right” a day after a workout, Mullins told the press at the time.
In Friday’s $838,500 Gold Cup, Gaelic Warrior, who paid $6.40 as the favorite in American pools, started sharply before settling into a stalking position behind leader Haiti Couleurs. In the last half-mile, Gaelic Warrior reached the front and took command with two fences remaining.
“When he jumped to the front at the fourth last and he put in that powerful jump, I said, 'Has he got there too soon?'” Mullins said. “I was a bag of nerves.”
Gaelic Warrior led by four lengths at the last fence.
“It was a dream passage around, and he jumped fence to fence relaxed,” Townend said. “He did everything I wanted him to do."
Jango Baie, also 2-1, finished second, two lengths in front of 8-1 Inothewayurthinkn, the winner of the 2025 Gold Cup. Haiti Couleurs faded from contention two fences from the finish and was pulled up.
Gaelic Warrior, an 8-year-old German-bred gelding by Monsun stallion Maxios, races for Susannah and Rich Ricci and has won 11 of 22 starts.
The Gold Cup was the leading race of the four-day Cheltenham festival, which began on Tuesday. Mullins led all trainers with eight wins, the eighth consecutive year he has led or tied for leading trainer. Mullins has won a record 121 wins at the Cheltenham festival since 1995.
Mullins, who is based in Ireland, won the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar last November with 27-1 Ethical Diamond.
Led by Mullins, Irish trainers won 15 of the 28 races from Tuesday through Friday, with the other 13 going to stables based in Britain. Irish trainers have led the standings in 10 of the last 11 Cheltenham festivals. The two countries had 14 wins each in 2019. British stables last claimed the title in 2015.
Earlier on Friday’s program, Mullins won the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/8 miles with Apolon De Charnie ($108.80). There were 20 runners in the Triumph Hurdle. Mullins trains nine of them.
Mullins has won the last five runnings of the Triumph Hurdle and six of the last seven.
In Friday’s Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at three miles, Johnny’s Jury ($46.40) closed from the back of a field of 22 to win by 1 1/2 lengths over 27-1 Fruit De Mer. Johnny’s Jury is trained by British-based Jamie Snowden.
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