Cheltenham Festival Day Two
Rachael Blackmore onboard Captain Guinness celebrates after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Picture: ©INPHO/Tom Maher
The full result for the Champion Bumper:
1. Jasmin De Vaux 9/2 2f
2. Romeo Coolio 18/1
3. Jalon D'oudairies 3/1d
That's 100 Cheltenham winners for Willie Mullins! Jasmin De Vaux wins the Champion Bumper. Fittingly, Willie's son Patrick was the rider.
Unexpected Party wins the Grand Annual for Dan Skelton!
The full result of the Grand Annual Challenge Cup:
1. Unexpected Party 12/1
2. Libberty Hunter 6/1
3. Path D'oroux 10/1
4. Sa Fureur 4/1f
At the second attempt they are off in the Grand Annual!
False start in the Grand Annual.
Up next is the Grand Annual Challenge Cup. Willie Mullins's Saint Roi is the 4/1 favourite.
Willie Mullins on El Fabiolo falling in the Queen Mother Champion Chase: "He got very low over a few of [the fences]. I was very concerned. Then he jumped the last one good but went onto the next one and [jumped] too far from it and didn't get high enough. Disappointing."
The Queen Mother Champion Chase full result:
1. Captain Guinness 17/2
2. Gentleman De Mee 16/1
𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐀!! 🤯
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 13, 2024
El Fabiolo out early and Edwardstone down late on - and Captain Guinness, with @rachaelblackmor in the saddle, wins it. What an unpredictable race!
Congratulations to @HenrydeBromhead! #CheltenhamFestival | #VMTVRacing pic.twitter.com/bAwzoxUtZ5
Rachael Blackmore on winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Captain Guinness: "The hill felt like a long hill today. He's been knocking on the door in these big races. It's incredible to win this race and I'm so happy to do it on this horse."
Here's what happened to El Fabiolo.
👀 El Fabiolo out of the Champion Chase after this error 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/J5iq4rgoVX
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2024
Captain Guinness wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase! Another winner for Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore.
El Fabiolo is gone!
They are off in the Queen Mother Champion Chase!
Willie Mullins on El Fabiolo: "I'm not as worried about his jumping as other people... If he gets from A to B, Paul (Townend) has just got to stay on him."
Ballyburn co-owner David Manasseh, a football agent for Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, was emotional earlier after his horse won the Novices' Hurdle.
"It's been a long journey, the last five weeks to get here, just to be here today," he said.
"The people that are here at Cheltenham are legends of racing. I'm here and I managed to win at Cheltenham. I can't believe it.
"I'm coming here 20 years with the same friends and just to have a runner... Then it was 1/2... The pressure and the hype... Unbelievable."
"I need to breathe...I've managed to win at Cheltenham" ❤️
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 13, 2024
David Manasseh could not hide his emotions after Ballyburn's victory in the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle 🏆#ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival | @RishiPersad1 pic.twitter.com/K2vLP0kuy5
The Champions Chase is up next. Willie Mullins's El Fabiolo - who could become the trainer's 100th Cheltenham winner - is the short-priced favourite at 1/5. Paul Townend rides.
Langer Dan was a badly needed win for the Brits, just their second of the festival so far.
The full Coral Cup result:
1. Langer Dan 13/2
2. Ballyadam 13/2
3. Shanbally 12/1
4. Lucky Place 25/1
5. Franciscan Rock 50/1
Langer Dan - Coral Cup hero AGAIN!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2024
🏆 2024
🏆 2023
He becomes the first horse to win the race twice @DSkeltonRacing @harryskelton89 pic.twitter.com/wPn1GAFquz
Langer Dan wins back to back Coral Cups! Dan Skelton is the trainer and Harry Skelton the jockey. He's the first horse to win two Coral Cups.
They are off in the Coral Cup!
Up next is the Coral Cup. Martin Brassil's Built By Ballymore, ridden by JJ Slevin, is the 4/1 favourite while Willie Mullins's Sa Majeste, ridden by Mark Walsh, is the 11/2 second favourite.
The full result for the Novices' Chase:
1. Fact To File 8/13f
2. Monty's Star 13/2
3. Giovinco 40/1
Fact To File wins the Novices' Chase! Another Irish favourite obliges for punters. That's 99 winners now for Willie Mullins.
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓!
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 13, 2024
The stamina showed towards the end - Fact To File powered home late on for another Irish victory, with Mark Walsh on board.
9️⃣9️⃣ and counting now...#CheltenhamFestival | #VMTVRacing pic.twitter.com/BtlSUnk2O1
They are off in the Novices' Chase!
Some classy words from Willie Mullins on Nicky Henderson having to withdraw Jonbon and Shishkin, among others, from races this week: "Our team are in flying form and we're just so sorry for Nicky Henderson's team that he had to pull all his good horses out. It could have been us. Our sympathies go to them."
Up next is the Novices' Chase. Another Willie Mullins runner, Fact To File, this time with Mark Walsh riding, is the 4/7 favourite.
That's now 98 Cheltenham winners for Willie Mullins and 32 for Paul Townend.
Willie Mullins on Ballyburn: "It's the first time he's wowed me. That, to me, was a Champion Hurdle performance."
🗣️ Willie Mullins was blown away by Ballyburn's showing at Cheltenham.
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) March 13, 2024
"It's the first time he's wowed me. What a performance. It was really, really spectacular.
"For me, that was a Champion Hurdle performance."
Another Irish win! ☘️#CheltenhamFestival | #VMTVRacing pic.twitter.com/6H7bMrs8x8
The Full result of the Novices' Hurdle:
1. Ballyburn 1-2f
2. Jimmy Du Seuil 66/1
3. Ile Atlantique 9/2f
𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 the hype
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 13, 2024
Ballyburn leads home a @WillieMullinsNH clean sweep in the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle in style!#ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/TuR3ARfxRm
That was a 1-2-3-4-5 for Willie Mullins in the opening race!
Ballyburn lives up to the hype and wins the Novices Hurdle easily for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.
They are off in the Novices' Hurdle!
The first race of the day is the Novices' Hurdle. Willie Mullins's Ballyburn, with Paul Townend riding, is the clear favourite at 4/9.
"Ballyburn is difficult to oppose in the Grade One Gallagher Novice Hurdle," writes the Irish Examiner's Tommy Lyons.
"For much of the year, he was favourite for the Supreme, but connections chose this as the better fit for the six-year-old and he can vindicate that decision with a smooth success."
The big race of the day is the Champion Chase at 16:00, one Ruby Walsh says "looks a cracker on paper".
"El Fabiolo is too short at 1/2 for my money," Walsh writes in his Irish Examiner column.
"The change of tactics rejuvenated Edwardstone at Newbury, and with Gentleman De Mee likely to challenge him on the front end, this is a race where the margin for error will be minimal.
"If El Fabiolo has a chink in his armour, it is easy to suggest his jumping, and to advise anyone to steam at 1-2, the last thing you want is a horse who can take chances with fences."
The non-runners for day two: Gallagher Novice Hurdle - The Grey Man; Coral Cup - Maxxum, First Street, Supreme Gift, Zanndabad; Champion Chase - Jonbon; Grand Annual - Dancing On My Own; Champion Bumper - Celtic Dino, Farland, Kingston Pride, Junta Marvel
Due to the Cross County Chase being abandoned, there is a revised timetable for the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. The first race will now get underway at 13:45 with the rest as follows: Race 2 - 1430, Race 3 - 1515, Race 4 - 1600, Race 5 - N/A, Race 6 - 1650, Race 7 - 1730.
