Cheltenham Festival

Gallery

Premium

Ireland’s greatest sporting moments, ranked from 10 to one

Ireland’s historic test series win against New Zealand last weekend has thrilled rugby fans and it was deservedly talked about as one the country’s all-time greatest sporting moments.

---

Gallery

Premium

Henry de Bromhead: the superstar trainer with a golden touch

If things had gone differently, Henry de Bromhead would have spent his working life as an accountant, a numbers man quietly making a living a long way from the spotlight.

---

Gallery

Premium

Little time for Rachael Blackmore to relax after striking Gold as she now trains her sights on Grand National

Not even a slight hangover could keep the smile from Rachael Blackmore’s face as she reunited with A Plus Tard and Honeysuckle at Henry de Bromhead’s training yard in Co Waterford yesterday afternoon.

---

Gallery

Premium

History in the chasing from Blackmore’s steely resolve

Horse racing invariably presents wonderful opportunities for storytellers. Red Smith, Ernest Hemingway and Con Houlihan would have made hay from the events of the past week at Cheltenham. Rembrandt, Da Vinci and Michelangelo, they would have been inspired to produce their own works of art.

---

Gallery

Rachael Blackmore and Willie Mullins the big winners as Festival delivers goods

What a week it was at the Cheltenham Festival as punters returned in their droves with the four-day extravaganza producing equine moments that will live long in the memory.

---

Magnificent Willie Mullins lands five-timer as Irish raiders sweep the boards on final day

Willie Mullins rewrote the record books at the Cheltenham Festival as a famous 1,519/1 five-timer saw the Cloustton maestro fire a staggering 10 winners across the week with the Irish delivering a clean sweep on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.

---

Rachael Blackmore’s win proves a Cheltenham crowd pleaser that even put a smile on Alex Ferguson’s smile

As Rachael Blackmore steered A Plus Tard back to the winner’s enclosure, Cheltenham exploded into a superstructure-threatening roar. Atop her horse, the first woman to win the Gold Cup punched the air in acknowledgement of all the cheers and flung beers that marked her progress.

---

Premium

Vincent Hogan Opinion History-maker Rachael Blackmore has changed the casual prejudice of once male-dominated racing world

She goes to Thurles today, honouring a single ride booked for Mouse Morris and, rest assured, there will be no peacock feathers, no ego from the Gold Cup-winning jockey.

---

Rachael Blackmore ‘feeling like a rock star’ after rewriting the history books once again at Cheltenham

When it comes to rewriting the record books, Rachael Blackmore has few peers.

---

Willie Mullins pays tribute to all his staff after being crowned leading trainer at Cheltenham

Willie Mullins was crowned leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival for the ninth time after a magnificent five winners on the final day.

---

Rachael Blackmore makes history as she becomes the first woman to win Cheltenham Gold Cup

Rachael Blackmore etched herself further into racing folklore as she added the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup to last year’s Grand National in guiding A Plus Tard to a runaway success in chasing’s blue riband.

---

Premium

Vincent Hogan Opinion Paul Townend bounces back, as great men always do, with victory on Allaho

In the parade ring, Allaho’s irascible side had a small army of handlers zig-zagging after him like panicked courtiers on a marble floor.

---

Premium

Galvin has the stamina to claim Gold for Elliott team

Grand National-winning jockey Timmy Murphy once said that “You can only ride what’s underneath you... You can’t ride what people in the stand think you have underneath you”.

---

Galvin has class to land Gold Cup and give Elliott real redemption

Galvin – a horse bought to give his owner a bit of fun around Perth in the summer – can land today’s Boodles Gold Cup, and seal the redemption of his trainer Gordon Elliott.

---

Premium

Danny Mullins’ magic floors rivals as ‘Porter’ retains Stayers’ crown

Few will ever forget the iconic image of Jonjo O’Neill hoisting Tony Mullins aloft in the minutes that followed Dawn Run’s epic Cheltenham Gold Cup success in 1986 and history repeated itself for his son Danny amid extraordinary scenes at the Cotswolds yesterday.

---

Premium

Improving Vauban poised to take revenge on Pied Piper

On June 26, 1284, a piper led 130 children out of the town of Hamelin in Germany and never returned.

---

Premium

Cheltenham Day 4 preview: Tornado Flyer can brew up a Gold Cup storm

It’s the highlight of the Festival and this year’s Gold Cup doesn’t disappoint, as the first three home 12 months ago renew acquaintances, with defending champion Minella Indo out to become a dual winner.

---

Letters to the Editor Opinion Race to the bottom as crowds ruin so many great spectacles

Some years ago I went to see a particular singer in concert. As soon as he began, the entire audience chipped in. So much for that.

---

Cheltenham 2022 Day Three: Follow all the action as Irish seek to reign supreme on St Patrick's Day

It's Day Three of the Cheltenham Festival and you can keep up to date with all the tips and races as they happen.

---

Premium

Cheltenham 2022 Day 3: Paisley Park is primed to roll back the years

Paisley Park can roll back the years for trainer Emma Lavelle today by winning the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle three years after his first victory in the race.

---

Premium

Cheltenham Festival Day 2 review: Energumene completes Willie Mullins’ set at Prestbury Park

Willie Mullins is not one for emotion and normally remains stone-faced no matter what the outcome, but this was different and you could see what finally landing the Champion Chase with Energumene (5/2) meant to the Closutton maestro.

---

Premium

Cheltenham 2022 Day 3: Galopin Des Champs could be the toast of St Patrick’s Day

I recently read a very good book by Jamie Reid about Victor Chandler, where the bookmaker is quoted as saying “When you go there (Cheltenham), you’ve got to play the game… you don’t go to the Festival thinking of the negatives”.

---

Gallery

Cheltenham 2022 Day 3: Royal Kahala can continue her rise to the top and take Stayers’ title

THINGS usually slow down on day three of the Cheltenham Festival, but a cracking duel between unbeaten novice chasers, Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champs, kicks off proceedings in spectacular fashion.

---

Tiger Roll falls just short of fairytale finish as stablemate Delta Work denies glorious swansong

The fairytale ending was not to be. Tiger Roll could not sign off his fabulous career with victory in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham, yet he went out on his shield in typically, utterly valiant fashion, with a gallant second-place finish behind stablemate Delta Work.

---

Joy for Ireland and Willie Mullins as Energumene wins Queen Mother Champion Chase

The Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase was billed as round two of heavyweight two-mile chasers Shishkin and Energumene, but in the end, there was only one horse in it.

---

Shishkin can thwart Willie Mullins duo and maintain momentum for Nicky Henderson

Nicky Henderson, off to a fine start yesterday, can claim the Champion Chase with Shishkin today and keep Willie Mullins waiting another year before he can fill in the one major blank on his Cheltenham roll of honour.

---

Premium

Wayne Bailey Opinion It won’t be easy for ‘Facile’ but bumper harvest awaits for Willie Mullins’s star in making

I sometimes find that when you go racing and watch good horses in the flesh, the excitement of a win can cloud your judgment and you can end up making a bigger deal about a race than you should.

---

Crass and class collide as punters return

As Rachael Blackmore crossed the line on Honeysuckle, the bookies must have had their heads in their hands. Three of the first four races had been won convincingly by the favourites.

---

A quick spin with Aidan Coleman: ‘Paisley Park will always have a special place in my heart’

How did you get started in racing?

---

Willie Mullins and Pádraig Roche save Irish bacon on tough opening day

Few were predicting such a backlash, but talk of British racing’s demise seems premature after day one of the Cheltenham Festival – with the home team roaring into a 4-3 lead in the battle for the Prestbury Cup.