Cheltenham 2024: Willie Mullins makes it 100 winners, Rachael Blackmore wins the Champion Chase

[ Brian O'Connor: Captain Guinness and Rachael Blackmore secure Queen Mother Champion Chase ]

Standings After Day Two

Leading Jockey

5 Paul Townend

2 Rachael Blackmore, Harry Skelton

1 David Bass, JJ Slevin, Derek O’Connor, Patrick Mullins

Leading Trainer

6 Willie Mullins

2 Henry De Bromhead, Dan Skelton

1 Kim Bailey, Joseph O’Brien, Emmet Mullins

Prestbury Cup

Ireland 10 Great Britain 3

This is a genuinely astonishing achievement by Willie Mullins. He had his first winner in 1995. As recently as 2006, he came home from Cheltenham without a single winner to his name. To get to 100 winners is something that just wasn’t ever dreamed of as a possibility when he started out. Or really even just a decade ago. It might be quite a boring thing for the sport but that can’t take away from the magnitude of what he’s done.

5:30 Champion Bumper result

1 Jasmin De Vaux (Willie Mullins/Mr Patrick Mullins) 9/2

2 Romeo Coolio (Gordon Elliott/Keith Donoghue) 18/1

3 Jalon D’oudairies (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 3/1

4 Sounds Victorious (Willie Mullins/Seán O’Keeffe) 66/1

That’s some story for the Mullinses. Patrick sat way out the back and never worried. He let the two Elliott runners fight each other up the hill and then came to nail them on the line. Another killer result for Gordon Elliott - yet another second place. Keith Donoghue must have thought he had it on Remeo Collio but it wasn’t to be.

A dozen with chances here as they come to the bottom of the hill. Teeshan, Jalon D’Oudariies fight it out up the hill. Romeo Cooilio is there too. But here comes Patrick Mullins! Jasmin De Vaux gets up to nab it on the line and that’s the 100 up for his father!

Swinging for home now, Teeshan has two lengths on The Yellow Clay. Quebecois is there too.

Jasmin De Vaux is sitting right at the back and will need to make his move fairly soon. Teeshan has made every yard as they come to the top of the hill.

Teeshan is a Paul Nicholls horse and Cobden is really pushing on with him. The Yellow Clay is next, alongside Sixmilebridge as they pass the stands.

An they’re away. Teeshan takes it up for Harry Cobden and leads them out.

They’re down at the start..

5:30 Champion Bumper

Only the Bumper to go now on Day Two. If this turns out to be the racwe where Willie Mullins bangs in his 100th winner, it will at least be appropriate. Of the 99 he’s had so far, the Bumper has been by far his most fruitful race - he has trained the winner of it on 12 occasions, including Whither Or Which in 1996 when he was also in the saddle. He sends eight out to try and win it this year - the law of averages is on his side, if nothing else.

The Bumper is notoriously hard to find the winner of. These are all young horses, it’s a flat race so nobody’s jumping matters a damn, even the trainers themselves don’t really know yet what sort of potential any of them have. Jasmin De Vaux is favourite pretty much by default - Patrick Mullins has first pick of the bumper horses in his father’s yard and this is the one he’s chosen. But as he’s been telling anyone who’d listen in the build-up, he’s only ever picked correctly once, with Facile Vega in 2021.

It would be made, therefore, to rule any of these out unduly. Here’s the betting.

Jasmin De Vaux (Willie Mullins/Mr Patrick Mullins) 3/1

Jalon D’Oudairies (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 4/1

You Oughta Know (Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins) 11/2

The Yellow Clay (Gordon Elliott/Jordan Gainford) 6/1

Cantico (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) 17/2

Bill Joyce (Jonjo O’Neill/Jonjo O’Neill Jr) 9/1

Fleur Au Fusil (Willie Mullins/Jody Townend) 14/1

16/1 Bar

4:50 Grand Annual Chase result

1 Unexpected Party 12/1

2 Libberty Hunter (Evan Williams/Harry Cobden) 6/1

3 Path D’oroux (Gavin Cromwell/ Keith Donoghue) 10/1

4 Sa Fureur (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 4/1

5 Gemirande (Venetia Williams/Charlie Deutsch) 40/1

Unexpected Party lands in front of Libberty Hunter and he sees it out for a double for Harry and Dan Skelton! Path D’oroux is third for Gavin Cromwell.

Plenty with chance going down to the last. Unexpectd Party, Libberty Hunter and Gemirande. Who can jump it the best?

Three to jump and it’s Gemirande and Unexpected Party. Sa Fureur is making ground for Jack Kennedy.

Gemirande takes them out onto the second circuit. Unexpected Party is running well for the Skeltons, Calico is right up the front too. Saint Roi is around mid-division and looking to get in touch as they go down the back.

They get away second time. A cavalry charge down to the first and it’s Maskada leading over the first. Unexpected Party is there too, with Harper’s Brook close by.

False start. First once since the Supreme yesterday, so that’s not bad going I guess.

They’re down at the start...

4:50 Grand Annual Chase

With the Cross Country abandoned, there’s a bit of a gap to the next race, the Grand Annual. This is a two-mile handicap chase and it’s always incredibly difficult to work out. Willie Mullins actually has the favourite here in the shape of 2020 County Hurdle winner Saint Roi. But there are loads of them with chances. Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy are surely due a winner after such an unlucky week so far.

Here’s the betting...

Saint Roi (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 4/1

Sa Fureur (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 5/1

Libberty Hunter (Evan Williams/Harry Cobden) 5/1

Madara (James Reveley/Sophie Leech) 11/2

Unexpected Party (Dan Skelton/Harry Skelton) 15/2

Maskada (Henry De Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe) 10/1

12/1 Bar

4:00 Champion Chase result

1 Captain Guinness (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 17/2

2 Gentlemen De Mee (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 16/1

3 Funambule Sivola (Venetia Williams/Charlie Deutsch) 100/1

Let’s consider this achievement by Rachael Blackmore. She now done the full house - Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Grand National. She gave that a peach of a ride, taking full advantage of the hotpot disappearing out the back of the TV. She loomed up on Edwardstone and skipped up the hill once he fell at the last.

What a saviour for the bookies. How many multiples died with that mistake from El Fabiolo?

They turn for home and Captain Guinness goes for it under Rachael Blackmore. Edwardstone is gone. Gentlemen De Mee chases her up the hill but Captain Guinness holds out! Another massive race win for Rachael Blackmore!

This is anyone’s race now. Edwardstone and Captain Guinness lead down to the third last.

Oh! El Fabiolo is pulled up! He knuckled on landing at the first fence past the stands and Townend pulled him up almost immediately.

El Fabiolo jumps the third in fourth place, unhurried on the inside behind Captain Guinness. Edwardstone is lobbing along in front on his own.

And they’re off. Edwardstone and Elixir De Nutx lead them out.

The shape of the race seems pretty straightforward. Edwardstone will buck out in front, Townend will keep El Fabiolo in mid-division.

They’re down at the start...

Alan King, trainer of Edwardstone, has just literally waved a white flag at Willie Mullins in the parade ring. “I just thought we’d lighten the atmosphere a wee bit,” he tells ITV.

4:00 Champion Chase

And so to the big race of the day and we could be in line for one of the landmark achievements in the history of the festival. We have yet another Willie Mullins hotpot here in El Fabiolo and if it wins, Mullins will have his 100th winner at the Cheltenham Festival. For a sense of how ridiculous that is, Nicky Henderson is second on 73 and Paul Nicholls is third on 44.

Given the toasting Mullins has given the bookmakers since the start of the week, El Fabiolo is obviously unbackable here...

El Fabiolo (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) 1/5

Edwardstone (Alan King/Tom Cannon) 15/2

Captain Guinness (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 15/2

Gentleman De Mee (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 12/1

16/1 Bar

3:15 Coral Cup

1 Langer Dan (Dan Skelton/Harry Skelton) 13/2

2 Ballyadam (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 13/2

3 Shanbally Kid (Willie Mullins/Micheál O’Sullivan) 12/1

4 Lucky PLace (NIcky Henderson/James Bowen) 25/1

5 Franciscan Rock (Mouse Morris/Richie Doyle) 50/1

“It’s raised a few eyebrows,” says Ed Chamberlain. A Few!!! That horse won the Coral Cup this time last year and has got spanked in every race it’s run since and so he’s got his mark dropped low enough to make it into this race. That’s the game, I guess.

Over the last and it’s Langer Dan coming up the hill or the Skeltons for the second year in a row! Ballyadam is second after a brilliant Rachael Blackmore ride. Shanbally Kid and Lucky Place fill out the placings.

Five in a line jumping the third-last. Da Capo Glory getting involved. Jigaro and Langer Dan there too.

Coming to the top of the hill and it’s the same two as have been there from the start. Loads with chances here, four to jump.

Beacon Edge and Western Fold have created a gap of three lenghts or so as they go out on the second circuit. Shanbally Kid and Doddiethegreat are in touch. Built By Ballymore and Sa Majeste are tracking each other in mid-division.

Beacon Edge leads them out over the first couple. Western Fold is there too. Built By Ballymore is around fifth and the field is pretty well strung out.

And they’re off.

3:15 Coral Cup

The first handicap of the day is the Coral Cup. This is a two-mile-five hurdle race and it has thrown up plenty of unlikely winners over the years. Mullins has a good chance here as well but at least we’re not looking at the favourite. There has been a huge plunge on Built By Ballymore, who was 12/1 on Sunday but is 3/1 favourite now. He’s a Martin Brassil horse, ridden by JJ Slevin who won in the same colours yesterday on Lark In The Mornin.

Here’s the betting…

Built By Ballymore (Martin Brassill/JJ Slevin) 3/1

Sa Majeste (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 9/2

Langer Dan (Dan Skelton/Harry Skelton) 6/1

Ballyadam (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 7/1

Doddiethegreat (Nicky Henderson/Nico De Boinville) 9/1

Jigoro (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 10/1

14/1 Bar

That’s 99 Cheltenham Festival winners for Willie Mullins. We’ve had six Grade One races so far this week, Mullins has won five of them. It’s 75 Cheltenham Festival winners for JP McManus. Whatever you’re watching Cheltenham for, it ain’t variety.

2:30 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase result

1 Fact To File (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 8/13F

2 Montys Star (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 13/2

3 Giovinco (Lucinda Russell/Steve Mulqueen) 40/1

Over the last and away and gone. Fact To File left Montys Star in his dust heading up the hill. A first win of the week for Mark Walsh. A fifth for Willie Mullins.

All six jump the third last in a line. Fact Too File is cruising though, as the rest are working hard.

Four to jump and the pace getting hotter. American Mike hits another one - he surely can’t do it with all these jumping mistakes. Sandor Klegane, Stay Away Fay and Montys Star all in front.

Coming past the stands for the first time, Stay Away Fay is keeping up a fair gallop at the front but throwing in the odd hairy jump. Montys Star is comfortable alongside, jumping better. American Mike has hit one and will need to gather himself here. Fact To File still lobbing out the back.

There’s a trio at the front end - Stay Away Fay, Montys Star and Sandor Klegane. The pace is high enough - American Mike and Fact To File are hanging back a bit.

And they’re away. Mark Walsh has buried Fact To File out the back. Stay Away Fay is taking them out from the front.

This can often be an attritional enough affair - three miles for novices takes a fair bit of getting, particularly in this ground. Don’t be surprised if there’s a few who don’t get up the hill at the end.

They’re down at the start...

For a horse with a Mullins hotpot in it, you couldn’t definitively rule anything out. Even the rank outsider Giovinco, would have been well-fancied in the Ultima, which is where trainer Lucinda Russell wanted it to go. But the owners insisted on coming to this race so they must have some level of confidence of a decent run.

2:30 Brown Advisory Novices Chase

The second race is the three-mile novices chase and there’s another Willie Mullins odds-on shot here. But if there’s going to be one of them turned over, this might be it. Fact To File is clearly a horse with huge ability but the difference here is that he hasn’t scared off the opposition in the way the likes of Ballyburn has. The JP McManus-owned favourite may well win this but he has a couple of real ones to beat in Stay Away Fay and Montys Star. And considering how well his horses ran yesterday without any luck, it wouldn’t be earth-shattering if Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy found a winner in American Mike.

Here’s how they bet…

Fact To File (Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh) 8/11

Stay Away Fay (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) 4/1

Montys Star (Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore) 5/1

American Mike (Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy) 10/1

Sandor Kelgane (Paul Nolan/Sean O’Keeffe) 12/1

22/1 Bar

This is pretty stunning. What a marvel this horse could be.

And he’s away and gone. That couldn’t have been simpler. That’s a 1-2-3-4-5 for Willie Mullins. Procession.

He’s looming up on the oputside and Townend only has to push the button now...

The pace is starting to hot up now and Ballyburn is happy enough in second place. His head carriage was very low in the early stages but he looks fine now.

Brian Hayes is setting the pace on Mercurey, Ballyburn is a couple of lengths back in second. The pace is steady - Ile Atlantique is lobbing a long at the back of the field, unperturbed. They’re coming down the back straight with five to jump.

And they’re off. Mercurey leads off, Townend is keeping Ballyburn in mid-division.

Down at the start...

1:45 Gallaghers Novice Hurdle

The first race of the day is the mid-trip novices’ hurdle, previously and variously known as the Ballymore, the Neptune and a thousand other names. It’s been won by some incredible animals in the past – everything from Faugheen to Samcro to Envoi Allen. Even Istabraq won it back in the day. Now it looks like the turn of Ballyburn for the Mullins/Townend combination that is looking to make it three in a row in this race.

Ballyburn has been the most talked-about novice of the season and will go off one of the shortest prices ever in this race. Slade Steel avoided him to go win the Supreme yesterday and it seems incredibly unlikely that anything that has remained to take him on will be able to hold a candle to him. The only one that might is Ile Atlantique, the other Mullins runner, who Paul Townend rates as the one horse at the meeting that he’s a little sad not to be riding. But ultimately, he chose Ballyburn because he and everyone else thinks Ballyburn is a cut above everything else.

Here’s the betting…

Ballyburn (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) 4/7

Ile Atlantique (Willie Mullins/Mr Patrick Mullins) 9/2

Predators Gold (Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins) 7/1

Handstands (Ben Pauling/Harry Cobden) 14/1

20/1 Bar

Those non-runners are a bit of a killer for Rachael Blackmore, by the by. She was due to ride Dancing On My Own in the Grand Annual and Junta Marvel in the Bumper, as well as Minella Indo in the now-cancelled Corss Country. They didn’t all have great chances, admittedly. But they have no chance now. Annoying for her (not to mention for anyone who has backed her in the without Paul Townend market to be leading jockey).

Standings After Day One

Leading Jockey

3 Paul Townend

1 Rachael Blackmore, David Bass, JJ Slevin, Derek O’Connor

Leading Trainer

3 Willie Mullins

1 Henry De Bromhead, Kim Bailey, Joseph O’Brien, Emmet Mullins

Non-Runners Klaxon!! The cry-offs are piling up, which is hardly surprising given the state of the ground. Here they are, race by race.

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

The first bit of news to impart is that the Cross Country race has been abandoned for the year. The heavy rain yesterday and Monday has rendered the ground on the inside of the racecourse where the Cross Country traditionally takes place unsafe for the horses. They did consider running it on Friday instead but Clerk of the Course John Pullin decided the ground wouldn’t have recovered in time. So the 2024 festival will be 27 races rather than 28.

It does mean that some old favourites won’t get a run this year. The field for the Cross Country included the likes of former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo, as well as familiar faces such as Galvin and Delta Work. So just six races today, instead of seven. The first is off at 1.45, instead of 1.30.

Day Two at Cheltenham and already it’s looking like another Willie Mullins extravaganza. Today could very well be the day when the master trainer passes 100 mark in terms of Cheltenham Festival winners, a number that was completely inconceivable when he started out in the 1990s. In fact, only one other trainer in the history of the festival has ever passed 50 – and Nicky Henderson (73) has already begun Day Two by pulling some of his highest profile horses from the cards for the rest of the week.

Mullins had a glorious Tuesday, of course, with three winners all ridden by Paul Townend. He has the favourites in three of the six races today, as well as the joint-favourite in the bumper – and you’d expect one of his army of candidates for that race to go off favourite by race time. In short, this doesn’t feel like a day when variety will be the main selling point at Prestbury Park.

But they all still have to be jumped – well, except in the bumper obviously – so maybe there will be surprises along the way. We live in hope.

Malachy Clerkin here, seeing you though until teatime.

Top Reads:

• El Fabiolo’s jumping to be put to the test in Champion Chase
• ‘Old School’ Mark Walsh flying under the radar ahead of Fact To File task
• Brian O’Connor’s Day Two preview
• Frank McNally: Cheltenham has changed - the days of the romantic underdog are rarer now