Gaelic Warrior turns Gold Cup run into glorious, historic procession

TOWERING: Gaelic Warrior ridden by Paul Townend on their way to winning the Gold Cup Chase on day four. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA

This was supposed to be one of the most competitive Gold Cups run in years. Instead, Gaelic Warrior turned the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival into a procession. A glorious, historic procession.

For Paul Townend, a fifth Gold Cup victory meant outright ownership of a record. For Willie Mullins, a fifth Gold Cup victory meant shared ownership of another.