Cheltenham Festival 2024
The 2024 Cheltenham Festival followed what has become a familiar pattern in recent years, with Ireland winning the Prestbury Cup again with a final score of 18-9. As usual, 28 races were originally scheduled, but the Cross Country Chase, on day two, was called off and not rescheduled after 11mm of rain fell on the course on the opening day and parts of the course were waterlogged.
Four of the five ‘feature’ races of the week were won by Irish-trained horses, with Protektorat, trained by Dan Skelton, in the Ryanair Chase the only domestic representative to prevail. In the absence of reigning champion Constitution Hill, the Champion Hurdle was left at the mercy of the 2023 runner-up, State Man, trained by Willie Mullins, who justified odds of 2/5 with a minimum of fuss. Captain Guinness, trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Rachael Blackmore, won the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Teahupoo, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Jack Kennedy the Stayers’ Hurdle. Protektorat aside, Warwickshire trainer Dan Skelton saddled four more winners during the week but, rather predictably, Willie Mullins saddled seven winners in all to
seal his eleventh leading trainer title in the last 14 years.
An impressive, 23-length winner of the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and an easy, 4½-length winner of the Irish Gold Cup over the same course and distance in early February, Galopin Des Champs, trained by Willie Mullins, was considered ‘banker’ material in the Cheltenham Gold Cup by many. So it proved in the race itself, with the odds-on favourite sent into a clear lead between the last two fences by jockey Paul Townend and maintaining the advantage all the way to the winning line. Gerri Colombe, trained by Gordon Elliott, could make no impression on the run-in and finished second, beaten 3½ lengths, while Corach Rambler weakened to finish third, 13 lengths behind the winner. Galopin Des Champs became the second back-to-back winner of the Gold Cup in six years for Mullins and Townend, after Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020.