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The 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup feature just a single-figure field, but produced a 1-2-3-4 for Irish-trained horses, with two of the first three home owned by Gigginstown House Stud. The best-fancied British-trained horse, the 5/2 second-favourite Cue Card, was disputing the lead and travelling well when falling at the third-last fence.

In his absence, victory went to the 9/4 favourite Don Cossack, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Bryan Cooper, both of whom were recording their first victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Beaten favourite in the Ryanair Chase at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival, Don Cossack had won all five completed starts since, including the Melling Chase at Aintree and Champion Chase at Down Royal and justified his lofty market position with another convincing victory.

Shaken up after the second-last fence, Don Cossack had the race in safe keeping early on the run-in and only had to be pushed out to beat Djakadam, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh, by 4½ lengths. Another Mullins-trained runner, Don Poli, ridden by Davy Russell, stayed on from well off the pace to finish third, 10 lengths further behind, without ever posing a threat to the front pair.

Cooper, retained rider for Gigginstown House Stud, who owned both Don Cossack and Don Poli, said afterwards, “Fair play to Gordon [Elliott], he stuck by me. I had the hardest decision and he had him right for today. He never missed a beat.” It turned out that Don Cossack had run his last race; he suffered a leg injury in the April following his Gold Cup triumph and was retired from racing, as a nine-year-old, in January 2017.

Run on going officially described as soft, good to soft in places, after overnight rain, the 2015 renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was notable for several reasons.

Firstly, it was the last to be contested by Sir Anthony McCoy, who was to retire the following month as the most successful National Hunt jockey of all time, with 4,348 winners to his name. McCoy, who won the Gold Cup twice, on Mr. Mulligan in 1997 and Synchronised in 2012, would finish a distant ninth on Carlingford Lough on his final attempt.

Secondly, it was won by Coneygree, trained by Mark Bradstock and ridden by Nico De Boinville, who was making just his fourth start over fences and thus became the first novice to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup since Captain Christy 41 years earlier. As McCoy later commented, “It was an unbelievable performance from a novice chaser. He got them at it early and stuck at it well.”

Unbeaten in his three previous starts over the larger obstacles, including a facile, 30-length victory in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, Coneygree was sent off 7/1 joint-second favourite, alongside subsequent Grand National winner Many Clouds and behind only 3/1 favourite Silviniaco Conti, who had finished a close fourth in the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Coneygree made all the running, jumping well and, although drifting right on the run-in, stayed on gamely to beat Djakadam by 1½ lengths, with Road To Riches 2 lengths further behind in third place. A barely credulous De Boinville said, “It’s unbelievable; words can’t describe it. He dug deep, but I always knew he had enough left.”

The 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup produced one of the closest finishes in the history of the race, first run as a steeplechase in 1924, with the first four horses home were covered by less than two lengths. To add to the drama, the winner had to survive a 15-minute stewards’ enquiry before his place in history was confirmed.

That winner was, of course, Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty – who, as a jockey, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Best Mate in 2002, 2003 and 2004 – and ridden by Davy Russell. The eight-year-old had failed to trouble the judge in three starts since winning the RSA Chase at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival and was consequently sent off at 20/1, behind the 6/4 favourite, and defending champion, Bobs Worth.

Detached from the other twelve runners before halfway, Lord Windermere nonetheless made relentless progress under pressure from the third-last fence and, despite hanging badly right close home, held on to win, all out, by a short head. On His Own and The Giant Bolster, who had been carried right by the winner, finished second and third, respectively, separated by three-quarters of a length. Second favourite Silviniano Conti, who also wandered right under pressure on the run-in, was fourth, just a length behind the front three, while Bobs Worth, who became momentarily unbalanced on the other side of the track, was fifth, 2¼ lengths further back.

Reflecting on what appeared, at one stage, an unlikely victory, Culloty said, “I cannot believe it. Halfway round I was going to sack the jockey! He’s not moved a muscle and he’s come from nowhere. It’s a dream; I’ll wake up a in minute.”

The 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured just nine runners, the smallest field since 1992, and the race was overshadowed by serious injury to leading Irish amateur jockey John Thomas ‘J.T’ McNamara in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup the previous day. McNamara fractured two vertebrae in his neck when his mount, Galaxy Rock, fell at the first fence; he would be left paralysed from the neck down and died three years later, aged just 41.

In any event, for the second time in three years, the Cheltenham Gold Cup went the way of Seven Barrows trainer Nicky Henderson, on this occasion courtesy of Bobs Worth, ridden by Barry Geraghty. Winner of the RSA Chase at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival, Bobs Worth had reappeared with a ready, 3¼-length win in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in December and was consequently sent off marginal favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 11/4, just ahead of stable companion, and previous winner, Long Run.

On going officially described as soft, good to soft in places, Bobs Worth was hampered by the fall of the well-fancied Cue Card at the third-last fence, but produced a strong run that carried him into the lead on the approach to the final fence and forged clear close home to win by 7 lengths. Sir Des Champs, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Tony McCoy, finished second and the aforementioned Long Run third, a further 2¾ lengths away. Bobs Worth brought up 50 Cheltenham winners for Henderson. Geraghty said of his victory, “It was brilliant. He is such a great little horse who just loves the job.”

The 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup, once again, featured three of the first four home in the 2011 renewal, Long Run, Kauto Star and What A Friend, with Denman having been retired, due to injury, the previous December. Defending champion Long Run was sent off 7/4 favourite, despite having been beaten by Kauto Star in both the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November and the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, with his old rival at 3/1 and 8/1 bar the front pair.

In any event, it was one of the 8/1 co-third favourites, the Lexus Chase winner, Synchronised, who upstaged his apparently more illustrious market rivals. Owned by J.P. McManus, trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by Tony McCoy, the nine-year-old was not foot perfect at his fences, but led early on the run-in and kept on gamely to beat 50/1 outsider The Giant Bolster by 2¼ lengths. Long Run finished third, a further three-quarters of a length away, having found just one pace in the closing stages. Kauto Star, running in his sixth consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cup, failed to finish, having been pulled up before halfway.

Sadly, victory in one of the major steeplechases in Britain was to prove a swansong for Synchronised, who would lose his life in the other, the Grand National, less than a month later. Attempting to become the first horse since the legendary Golden Miller, in 1934, to win both races in the same season, Synchronised fell at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit at Aintree, but fractured a leg five fences later, when running loose, and was humanely euthanised. McManus said afterwards, “It remains difficult to understand how it happened, but regrettably it did.”