Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 is a Class 1, Grade 1 steeple-chase run at Cheltenham racecourse, also known as Prestbury Park, and run over a distance of 3m 2 ½f with the horses taking on twenty-two fences before crossing the finishing line.  The Cheltenham Gold Cup, first run in March 1924, is open to horses aged five and above and now takes place each year on the last day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.  The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012, renamed after bookmaker Betfred’s acquisition of the Tote in 2011, will take place on Friday 16th March 2012 on final day of the four day Cheltenham Festival 2012.

For National Hunt racing enthusiasts the Cheltenham Gold Cup is considered the most prestigious of all chase races.  And although perhaps not as physically demanding as the John Smith’s Grand National, run over 4m 4f, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the nature of the Prestbury Park track with it steep climb to the finish and fast pace at which they often take on the fences make it a grand finale to the National Hunt season.  Although there are some who argue that victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup shows the best on the day, not necessarily the best chaser of the season, it remains the case that National Hunt trainers continue to have their best horses reaching the pinnacle of race fitness for that one special race on that Friday afternoon in March.

From the Cheltenham Festival’s origins in 1902 it has grown to become the most important race meeting in the British jumps racing calendar with the Cheltenham Gold Cup being very much the jewel in the crown of the festival.  Considered the Blue Riband of jumps racing the Cheltenham Gold Cup, first run in 1924 and won by the Fred Withington trained Red Splash, the race has grown in stature.  When Red Splash won the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1924 he pocketed a winner’s purse of just £685.  Last year’s winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2011, Long Run secured his connections £285,050.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup was created as a weight-for-age contest.  These kinds of races, whilst common in flat racing at the time were not in jumps racing.  All of the important National Hunt chases, with the exception of the National Hunt Chase were run as handicaps.  And in the early years the Cheltenham Gold Cup was very much in the shadow of the National Hunt Chase and the National Hunt Handicap Chase where the prize money for winning the race was significantly higher.  The Cheltenham Gold was considered a poor relation and little more than a trial for the Grand National at Aintree.

Easter Hero – Cheltenham Gold Cup 1929 & 1930

It was in part due to Easter Hero that the Cheltenham Gold Cup came of age.  Winning back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1929 and 1930, the Jack Anthony trained Easter Hero was a horse that captured the public’s imagination.  With a great turn of speed that would break his competitors, combined with a natural and genuine racing ability he won the victories in 1929 and 1930 by twenty lengths.  With the Cheltenham Gold Cup abandoned in 1931 due to the weather the race was reconvened in 1932.  The race was now the most prestigious steeple-chase of the Cheltenham Festival, even if the biggest prize money was still to be won in the National Hunt Chase.

Golden Miller – Cheltenham Gold Cup 1932

If there were any concerns, that with the retirement of Easter Hero, the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1932 would lack a horse who could make the front pages these were quickly dispelled.  The Cheltenham Gold Cup was entering a golden age, starting with Golden Miller.  Owned by the eccentric Dorothy Paget, Golden Miller would go on to win five back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, a feat no horse has since been able to get close to matching, and unlikely to ever do so again.  Trained by Basil Briscoe Golden Miller is also to this day the only horse to have completed the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National double; winning both chases in 1934.  This feat is all the more magnificent considering Golden Miller despised the Aintree racecourse, failing to complete the course in four other running’s of the Grand National.  Paget finally lost patience with Briscoe and very publically fell out with him over Golden Miller’s failure to win a second Grand National.  The horse lined up at Cheltenham for the running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1936 trained by Owen Anthony.

Cheltenham was the home of Golden Miller and after five back-to-back victories looked ready to run in the 1937 Gold Cup.  As in 1931 the weather caused the Gold Cup to be abandoned in 1937 so it was not until 1938 and aged 11 that Golden Miller got a chance to defend his Gold Cup crown.  Making what turned out to be his final appearance in the race, Golden Miller finished second to the Ivor Anthony trained Morse Code.

Golden Miller may have retired but in the half a decade he ruled over Prestbury Park the public’s love of the Cheltenham Gold Cup had grown – from a crowd of around 5,000 on the day of his first win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1932 to a crowd of 20,000 for his last victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1936.

Fortina – Cheltenham Gold Cup 1947

In post-war 1947 the Hector Christie trained Fortina was a ten length winner of the Gold Cup, Happy Home coming in second.  Fortina remains the only entire horse to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  The horse was retired to the Grange Stud in Fermoy County Cork where he became one of the best jumping sires of the twentieth century; his progeny winning more than seven hundred races and including twice Champion Chase and Irish Grand National winner Fortria and as well as Fort Leney, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1968 and Glencaraig Lady, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1972.

Cottage Rake – Cheltenham Gold Cup 1948, 1949 & 1950

Happy Home was also a runner up 1948, losing this time by one and a half lengths to Cottage Rake.  Cottage Rake was to dominate the race for the next three years, winner back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1948, 1949 and 1950.  Cottage Rake did not look like a chaser, he looked like a flat horse and speed was the main weaponry in his arsenal; his jumping even at the height of his success always suspect.  Due to Cottage Rake’s unreliability over fences which meant he was never aimed at the Aintree fences and the Grand National.  For him and many after, the Cheltenham Gold Cup would no longer be a Grand National trial, but would become the ultimate race to win in its own right.  Cottage Rake also pushed into the limelight a young trainer called Vincent O’Brien who would go on to dominate jumps racing for the next ten years before, like his son Aiden, switching to flat racing where his stranglehold of the flat discipline would continue with equine superstars such as Nijinski and Sir Ivor.
Although National Hunt racing and the Cheltenham Festival flourished during the 1950s no one horse was able to dominate in the way Golden Miller and Cottage Rake before them.  The 1960s though ushered in the gold age of chasing with two horses that would dominate the jumping world; Mill House and Arkle.

Mill House & Arlke

Trained by Fulke Walwyn, who had also trained Mandarin the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1962, Mill House was a facile winner of the 1963 Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Mill House stormed up the Cheltenham hill winning by ten lengths, a margin not seen since Easter Hero’s twenty length demolition in 1930.  In any other era Mill House would have been the best chaser in a generation.  As it turned out Mill House would spend the rest of his racing career living in the shadow of one even greater, the mighty Arkle.    Although Mill House was to come out on top in their first encounter in the Hennessey Gold Cup 1963, Arkle would win all four of their rematches, including two in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Arkle would go on to win three back-to-back victories winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1964, 1965 and 1966.  Arkle’s victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1966 is to this day the greatest winning margin, an incredible thirty lengths – making his twenty length victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1965 pale in significance.  To this day Arkle remains the shortest priced winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup having gone off at 1-10 – a ten pounds bet winning just one pound in return.

Jumps racing, and in particular Irish racing, had a new equine superstar.  Could Arkle go on and beat Golden Miller’s record of five back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?  Many thought so, but in the King George VI Chase 1966 at Kempton Park on Boxing Day the mighty Arkle cracked a pedal bone in his off-fore and his career was over.  By this time Mill House, a great chaser in his own right was ten years old.  Even without Arkle in the Gold Cup he was not able to capitalise.  Having failed to win the Gold Cup in 1967 and 1968 Mill House was finally retired after a fall at Ludlow in October of that year.    We would have to wait another thirty-six years before we’d see another horse dominate the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same way as Arkle had done.

L’Escargot

L’Escargot opened up his account winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1970 and in 1971 became only the fifth horse in Cheltenham Gold Cup history to retain his Cheltenham crown.  L’Escargot charged up the Cheltenham hill winning by ten lengths to Leap Frog but The Dikler back in third.  Everyone wanted to see if L’Escargot could do the hat-trick and win again in 1972. Up until this point every horse seeking hat-tricks in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – Golden Miller, Arkle and Cottage Rake – had succeeded.  Despite not having won during the 1971/1972 National Hunt season L’Escargot’s trainer Dan Moore was confident.  In a hotly contested race L’Escargot looked as if he may succeed, but at the second last he jumped poorly loosing momentum and had to settle for fourth.  It was Fortina’s progeny, the eight year old Glencaraig Lady trained by Franic Flood who took Cheltenham Gold Cup glory.

Commercial sponsorship arrived in with the Cheltenham Piper Champagne Gold Cup Chase 1975 with Piper Champagne continuing to sponsor the Cheltenham Gold Cup until the Tote took over in 1980.  The Cheltenham Gold Cup continued to be sponsored by the Tote as the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase, however following the acquisition by the bookmaker Betfred of the Tote in 2011, the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup will be known as the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 2012.

The Piper Champagne Gold Cup Chase 1980 saw the only disqualification of a winner in the race’s history.  Tied Cottage, who some considered had been unlucky when falling two from home in the previous year’s race, came home a good nine lengths from Master Smudge.  Tied Cottage was a popular winner but several weeks later it was discovered that a urine-sample taken after the race had proved positive for the banned substance theobromine.  Tied Cottage along with fifth placed Chinrullah (who had also won the Queen Mother Champion Chase earlier in the week) were disqualified and the race awarded to Master Smudge.  For trainer Arthur Barrow this was a particularly special moment, having bought the two year old Master Smudge from a pig-farmer, having seen the horse running in a field!

The Cheltenham “Famous Five”

The 1983 Cheltenham Festival was primed to be something special.  With ground being less taxing than in previous years and plenty of good horses making the journey to Prestbury Park, the festival got off to a flying start but it was on Gold Cup day that history would be made with the “Famous Five”.  Trainer Michael Dickinson only took out his trainer’s licence in 1980, but on the 17th March 1983 he became the first and only trainer to have the first five home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – the winner Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck (winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1982) and Ashley House.  In winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1983, Michael Dickinson became the first National Hunt trainer to amass more than £300,000 in one season.  Dickinson also trained a record twelve winners on Boxing Day in 1982 – a feat no other trainer has beaten since.

Dawn Run & Jonjo O’Neil

A harsh winter in 1986 had disrupted much of the National Hunt racing program.  Many of those horses heading to the Cheltenham Festival 1986 were not as fit as they might have been – unable to get races or training on the gallops into them.  The Cheltenham fairytale this year was of Jonjo O’Neil and Dawn Run, a statue of the jockey and horse can still be found by the parade ring at Cheltenham racecourse.  Dawn Run, trained by Paddy Mullins became the first, and to date only horse to win the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same week.  Sadly less than three months after her victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1986, Dawn run was killed whilst attempting to win the French Champion Hurdle for the second time.

Desert Orchid – “Dessie”

Perhaps one of the most popular horses to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the grey gelding Desert Orchid.  “Dessie” as he was affectionately known by many had tried, and failed, on five occasions to win at the Cheltenham Festival.   Desert Orchid appeared it seemed to have a dislike of left-handed tracks.  He’d never won at Cheltenham and had only won once in his career going left-handed at Aintree.  The statistics also showed that no grey horse had ever won the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Through that the opening two days of the Cheltenham Festival 1989 it had ridden soft.  On the morning of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1989 an early morning mixture of rain and snow turned the soft going to heavy.  For Dessie already disadvantaged by going left handed (Dessie would already be losing ground by naturally jumping right at each fence) the ground was a big concern.  Desert Orchid’s trainer David Elsworth decided to let Dessie take his chance; and with a record Cheltenham Festival crowd of over fifty-one thousand Dessie went off the 5/2 starting price favourite.  Perhaps it was the testing ground conditions but there was plenty of falls in the first circuit.  The race turned to tragedy as clear of most of his rivals Ten Plus fell terribly after brushing the fence three from home; the horse was sadly later put down.  But turning for home Desert Orchid and 25/1 chance Yahoo were together.  Yahoo, a much smaller horse than Dessie and a mud-lover seemed to be travelling the better.  Over the last two fences Yahoo jumping the better had the slight advantage.  The last fence was taken slowly and carefully by both horses, but with the crowd cheering home the popular grey Desert Orchid reeled in the weakening Yahoo half-way up the run-in.  In the last one hundred yard the noise of the crowd reached fever pitch as Dessie drew alongside before going on to win by a length and a half.  Desert Orchid returned to the winner’s enclosure and a round of three cheers.  Although Desert Orchid won four King George VI Chases at Kempton Park, a feat only matched by Kauto Star, it is perhaps the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1989 that for most sums up the incredible guts and determination of the popular Desert Orchid.

Desert Orchid was 10/11 favourite to regain his crown at the Cheltenham Festival the following year.  Dessie had won the King George VI Chase 1989 on Boxing Day, his third victory in the Kempton Park chase, and had put in a career performance in beating Delius in the Racing Post Chase – when giving Delius 28lbs Dessie still managed to come home by eight lengths the winning margin at his beloved Kempton Park.  Although the left-handed track still concerned, Dessie had proved that he could win at Cheltenham.  And this year with the going good-to-firm there were no concerns that the mud-loving Yahoo or Bonanza Boy would have the ground they relished.   Given Dessie’s popularity the boomaker Ladbrokes fasted a £2,000,000 payout if Desert Orchid won.  Coming down the hill and turning for home there were only three horses in contention.  Two out Desert Orchid, Toby Tobias and the 100/1 chance Norton’s Coin each looked as if they could win, but approaching the last fence Desert Orchid began to weaken.  In a gripping finish Norton’s Coin got his head in front in the last fifty yard and stayed on from Toby Tobias to become the biggest price winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Norton’s Coin also showed that it his victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1990 was not just an average or easily gained victory.  His time of six minutes and thirty seconds was some 4.4 seconds quicker than Dawn Run’s record time in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1986.

Best Mate

The Cheltenham Gold Cup 2001 along with the entire Cheltenham Festival was cancelled due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease which had swept through the country.  With no Gold Cup in 2001 there was much anticipation ahead of the Cheltenham Festival 2002.  Not only in the Champion Hurdle where Istabraq was to go for an unheard of fourth title, and which he was ultimately denied being pulled up early on but nevertheless getting a hero’s round of applause, but the week progressed with Jessica Harrington’s Moscow Flyer winning the Irish Independent Arkle Chase is a breathtaking manner.  The defending champion Looks Like Trouble, 9/2 sp favourite and winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2000, was prominent from the start.  Best Mate under Jim Culloty had been in the rear of the field for much of the race, but from the seventeenth fence it was Henrietta Knight’s Best Mate that looked to be going best of all. Drawing alongside See More Business, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1999 and Commanche Court it was Best Mate who, putting in a magnificent leap at the last fence charged up the Cheltenham Hill to defeat Commanche Court by one and three quarter lengths, See More Business back in third.

The Cheltenham Festival 2003 arrived.  Jumps racing fans wondered if Best Mate could be the first horse to retain his Cheltenham Gold Cup title since L’Escargot’s victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1971.  With some fine performances during that weeks’ festival – Azertyuiop in the Arkle and Rooster Booster in the Champion Hurdle a golden week of racing was cemented when the previous year’s winner of the Arkle, Moscow Flyer, won the two mile Queen Mother Champion Chase.  Thursday’s Stayer’s Hurdle say the mighty Baracouda retain his crown and so naturally all eyes were now set firmly on the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2003.  Last year’s winner Best Mate was in sparkling form having defeated Marlborough in the King George VI Chase 2002 at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.  Best Mate went off 13/8 favourite but many wondered if newcomer Beef or Salmon, second favourite at 5/1 and winner of all four races that season could topple Best Mate from his throne.  But for Beef or Salmon it was not to be, he fell at the third.  In spite of Valley Henry trying to throw down a challenge to Best Mate there seemed no stopping Henrietta Knight’s horse.  From the second fence last “Matey” powered up the hill to win by ten lengths from Trucker’s Tavern.

Only one horse was on the racing public’s mind in the lead up to the 2004 Cheltenham Festival.  If Best Mate won the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2004 he would match the feats of Arkle and Cottage Rake who had both won three Cheltenham Gold Cups.  Henrietta Knight had for some time been drawing comparisons to Arkle and now too the wider public were eager to see the new Arkle win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for a third time.   The going for the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2004 was good, good to soft in places.  Henrietta Knight’s husband and ex-champion National Hunt jockey Terry Biddlcombe gave instructions for Culloty, again aboard Best Mate, to stick to the inside rail and the better ground.   Unlike the last two years Best Mate was no clear of the rest coming up the Cheltenham Hill.  At the last Best Mate put in a magnificent jump but Harbour Light and Sir Rembrandt would not give up staying on gamely on the outside.  But Matey dug deep and came home half a length from Sir Rembrandt, Harbour Pilot in third and Beef or Salmon back in fourth.  The Jim Lewis owned Best Mate was still only nine – it no longer seemed impossible that Golden Miller’s tally of five gold cups could be matched or even surpassed.

The 2005 Cheltenham Festival had something of an anticlimax.  With only a week until the festival the new broke that Best Mate, winner of three back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, would miss the race.  Best Mate had burst a blood vessel.  Sadly on his reappearance for the 2005/2006 National Hunt season in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter racecourse Best Mate suffered a suspected heart attack and died.  Racing had lost a true champion chaser.  Best Mate may have been missed but the field was still strong with Celestial Halo the winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup 2004 and the Hennessy Gold Cup 2004.  Strong Flow, winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup 2003 also took to the field along with Beef or Salmon as well as that year’s winner at Kempton on Boxing Day, Kicking King – winner of the King George VI Chase 2004.  The 4/1 starting price favourite Kicking King powered up the Cheltenham hill, seeing off Take The Stand to win by five lengths, the staying on Sir Rembrandt back in third.

Kicking King won the King George VI Chase 2005 but did not travel to the 2006 Cheltenham Festival the following March.  The Lexus Chase at Leopardstown racecourse on the 28th December 2005 had seen Beef or Salmon win the Grade 1 chase by four lengths from War of Attrition.  Could it finally be Beef or Salmon’s year?  It was not to be.  The Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 2006, the winner’s prize purse now standing at £228,080 was to be won by the Mouse Morris trained War of Attrition who came home two and a half lengths from the Willie Mullins trained Hedgehunter – the winner of the 2005 Grand National at Aintree racecourse.

Kauto Star

The 2006/2007 season heralded the arrival of a bright new star – Kauto Star.  Making his seasonal debut in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree racecourse the Paul Nicholls trained gelding beat Armaturk by twenty-one lengths.  Kauto Star followed-up the demolition in the Old Roan Chase 2006 with victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, beating Beef or Salmon by seventeen lengths.  With the Betfair Chase 2006 under his belt, the first leg of the Betfair Million was secured.  Sponsored by the online betting exchange the Betfair Million guaranteed a million pounds bonus to any horse which could land the Betfair Chase, the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season.  Kauto Star duly secured the second leg with victory in the King George VI Chase 2006 at Kempton Park, beating Exotic Dancer by eight lengths.  Having won his final prep-run in the Aon Chase at Newbury racecourse, albeit by a neck from L’Ami, all eyes turned to Cheltenham’s Prestbury Park.  Racing fans were not disappointed.  Kauto Star sent off 5/4 favourite, was held up by Ruby Walsh towards the rear started to make headway four from home.  He was soon showing his class, staying on strongly having taken the lead from two out to take the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 2007 from Jonjo O’Neil’s Exotic Dancer who came home two and a half lengths behind in second with Turpin Green a further two and a half lengths back in third.  Kauto Star had completed the last leg of the Betfair Million securing the £1,000,000 bonus for connections and also winning the National Hunt Order of Merit.

Denman

In 2007/2008 National Hunt champion trainer Paul Nicholls decided to target Denman at the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup 2007.  The gelding by Presenting had not had the lead-up to the race Nicholls would have wanted, the weather meaning that a prep-run wasn’t possible.  Racing off a rating of 161 Denman was giving the rest of the field in the Hennessy Gold Cup over a stone in weight.  In spite of this Denman put in one of the finest weight carrying performances to win the race by twelve lengths from Dream Alliance.  With two further runs and victories in the Lexus Chase and the Aon Chase under his belt the excitement heading into the Cheltenham Festival 2008 was at a level perhaps not seen since the big-showdown between Arkle and Mill House in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 1964.  Twelve horses went to post in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2008 – at the “off” the usual Cheltenham roar was louder than ever.  Kauto Star had been sent off the 10/11 favourite with Denman second favourite with the bookmakers at 9/4.  The race started off at a genuine gallop with the Paul Nicholls trained Neptune Collonges setting the pace, Denman sitting back in second with Ruby Walsh on Kauto Star back in fourth.  At the twelfth fence Sam Thomas aboard Denman sent him on, and although not fluent from four out the Irish horse, known as “The Tank” stayed on to go clear and came home seven lengths from Kauto Star with 25/1 chance Neptune Collonges come in a shoulder from Kauto Star in third.  Paul Nicholls had trained the first three home in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 2008.

Kauto Star Regains His Crown – Cheltenham Gold Cup 2009

In late September 2008 it was revealed that Denman, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2008 was to undergo treatment for an irregular heartbeat.  With treatment having been successfully carried out at Newmarket Equine Hospital Denman went back into full training with Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat.  The operation on Denman’s severely interrupted the preparation for Denman’s defence of his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown.  Denman’s only run ahead of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was in the Grade 2 Levy Board Chase at Kempton Park on 7th February 2009.  Denman in a field of seven came home a disappointing second, twenty-three lengths from the David Pipe trained Madison Burlais.  Although Denman was a clear second with Jonjo O’Neils Albertas Run a further twenty-five lengths back in third, it was not the performance that suggested Denman would be the big threat to Kauto Star that everyone hoped and expected.  Kauto’s preparation had been far smoother.  Although he’d fallen in the Betfair Chase 2008 at Haydock Park he’d enjoyed comfortable wins in his other two races that season; winning in the JNwine.com Champion Chase by eleven lengths from Light on the Broom and the King George VI Chase 2008 at Kempton Park on Boxing Day by eight lengths from Albertas Run.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup 2009 saw Kauto Star go off 7/4f with stable-mate Denman 7/1.  From the off Denman was chasing the leaders, with Kauto Star just tracking them.  Four from home both Kauto Star and Denman were disputing the lead, but from three out Kauto Star quickened.  Denman could not match the pace of his Ditcheat neighbour and before the last Katuo Star had gone clear.  Denman stayed on gamely but Kauto Star came home thirteen lengths the winner and in doing so became the first horse to ever regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Denman came second, two and a half lengths ahead of the Jonjo O’Neil trained Exotic Dancer in third.  Timeform described Kauto Star’s performance in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup 2009 as the best Gold Cup winning performance since the Arkle era in the mid-1960s.

Imperial Commander – Cheltenham Gold Cup 2010

The 2009/2010 National Hunt season would see Kauto Star bid not only for a third victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup but also a fourth consecutive win the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.  The Cheltenham Gold Cup 2009 winner made his seasonal debut at Haydock Park in the Betfair Chase 2009 where, sent of 4/6 favourite, Kauto Star landed his third Befair Chase beating the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained Imperial Commander by a nose.  And so on to Kempton Park on Boxing Day where Kauto Star equalled Desert Orchid’s record of four victories in the King George VI Chase when winning by a hugely impressive margin of thirty-six lengths from Madison Du Berlais, jumping superbly throughout the race.  The impressive win broke Arkle’s previous record in the race of thirty lengths, a record that had stood for some forty-four years.   Kauto Star’s victory in the King George VI Chase 2009 earned him a Timeform rating of 191, making him the third highest rated horse of all time, joint with Mill House on 191 and with Flybolt on 210 and the Might Arkle on 212.  Kauto Star was destined to go off a very short price in the

Cheltenham Gold Cup 2010.

The ten year old Kauto Star was 8/11 favourite at the off.  Tracking the leaders Kauto Star travelled well for the early part of the race and coming to the fifth fence was up disputing second place, he improved further at the seventh fences where making a magnificent jump he took second place.  At the eighth fence however Kauto Star blundered badly, crashing through the top of the fence.  Ruby Walsh aboard Kauto Star managed to regain some composure and the horse was pushed along.  At the downhill fence, four from home Kauto Star fell badly landing badly on his neck.  The crunching fall saw the crowd look on anxiously until Kauto Star was back on his feet and seemingly okay.

Meanwhile stable-mate Denman, who himself had unseated his rider Sam Thomas in the Aon Chase in the prep run for the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2010, was  running a strong race.  Having led from the fifteenth fence Denman was being ridden from four out, and it was only at two out that that he was headed by Paddy Brennan aboard Imperial Commander.   Imperial Commander was driven clear from the last fence and won going away with Denman some seven lengths back in second but well clear by some twenty-three lengths of Mon Mome who finished back in third having gone off a 50/1 chance.

Long Run – Cheltenham Gold Cup 2011

Thirteen went to post for the running of the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 2011.  And although the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander had won his only prep run of the 2010/2011 season, winning the Betfair Chase 2010 by one a quarter lengths to the Howard Johnson trained Tidal Bay, he was not favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  The Nicky Henderson trained Long Run, an import from France, had finally shown the racing public just what he was capable of when winning the William Hill King George VI Chase 2011 at Kempton Park.  The six year old Long Run had finished a comfortable twelve lengths ahead of second place Riverside Theatre with the old warrior, the eleven year old Kauto Star nineteen lengths back in third.

Long Run went off 7/2 favourite with 2010 Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander 4/1 and Kauto Star a slightly bigger 5/1.  Denman who had come second on his last two appearances in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2008 was priced at 8/1.  It was not to be Imperial Commander’s day.  The reigning champion was pulled up before the last fence and consequently found to be lame.  Long Run came home the victor for Nicky Henderson and the amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen, his horse having set up to challenge two from home before leading before the last and staying on strongly up the hill on the run-in to win by seven lengths to Denman.  Kauto Star finished third, a further four lengths back from Denman.