Djakadam can make it third time lucky in the Gold Cup

Djakadam can make it third time lucky in this afternoon’s Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the feature on the final day of what, until yesterday, had been a very difficult meeting for punters.

Willie Mullins has suffered some setbacks this week, not least the most unexpected defeat of Douvan in Wednesday’s Champion Chase, but the victories Yorkhill and Un De Sceaux reassures us all remains well with the stable.

Runner-up to Coneygree in 2015 and to Don Cossack in 2016, Djakadam faces nothing of the calibre of those two in this renewal. Having coming up short on those occasions, Mullins decided to try to change things by keeping the horse fresh for this bid. Off since finishing third behind Outlander in the Lexus Chase, he is sure to be ready to push hard from the outset, and can gain the reward his previous efforts deserve.