‘It didn’t feel like a hug, it felt like I was getting strangled’ - Cheltenham Festival the focus in episode three of Champions: Full Gallop

Episode three of Champions: Full Gallop, the new behind-the-scenes docuseries on jump racing, aired in a primetime slot on ITV1 at 9pm on Friday night. Ash Symonds provides a recap of the action.

The king of Cheltenham

The third instalment of Champions: Full Gallop introduces the amphitheatre of Cheltenham at its marquee meeting.

The festival makes legends, develops rivalries and solidifies legacies, which is explored early in the episode named ‘The Irish Are Coming’.

Within minutes, we are introduced to Willie Mullins, the winningmost trainer in Cheltenham Festival history, at his base in Closutton alongside son Patrick and nephew Danny.

The Irish champion trainer is always looking forward, and that’s what makes him so successful. This is evident when talking about Patrick eventually taking over the licence as “he seems a natural at it”.

Willie Mullins: the king of the Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

However, the main area of discussion surrounds the multiple Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer potentially achieving a century of winners at the festival, having started the week on 94.

This is revisited in the second half of the episode as Jasmin De Vaux, ridden by Patrick Mullins, wins the Champion Bumper to bring up the landmark.

Aside from being the history-making moment, the success is given extra poignancy due to the death of Maureen Mullins, Willie’s mother, in February.

“Anytime you have a big winner in your life, you would love your whole family to be here,” the legendary trainer says. “It would have been wonderful if my mother was there.”

Owner Rich Ricci (left) and jockey Paul Townend after Lossiemouth's win in the Mares' Hurdle at CheltenhamCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Ricci and redemption

Rich Ricci is never far away from anything Willie Mullins-related. After all, he first got involved with the yard in 2005 and his famous pink and green silks have been a regular feature of the Cheltenham Festival.

The owner is represented by Gaelic Warrior in the Arkle, which is given extensive airtime in the first half of the episode.

In the lead-up to Gaelic Warrior’s moment under the spotlight, it feels like he is on a redemption arc. We are reminded of his two festival losses, high-energy pre-race antics and Dublin Racing Festival non-completion.

With Joe Chambers, racing manager to Ricci, describing the race to the owner who refuses to watch, Gaelic Warrior powers up the hill to win.

For punters and connections alike, joyous celebrations quickly follow.

Dominance continues

“Who can beat Willie Mullins?”

Chris Hughes, one of the regular narrators, poses a relevant question after the Arkle success.

The following day, attention turns to the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

“We do genuinely have an English chance, and this is him,” says Alice Plunkett on the live paddock walk, as if responding directly to Hughes. “Stay Away Fay, trained by the great champion trainer Paul Nicholls.”

The Champions: Full Gallop cameras home in on Paul Nicholls his and Grade 1-winning seven-year-old Stay Away FayCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Part two of the episode focuses on the feature novice chase on the second day of the festival, with the Champions: Full Gallop cameras homing in on Nicholls and his Grade 1-winning seven-year-old.

Nicholls wills him on with shouts of “good boy” and pumping fists, but his actions can't alter the end result.

Stay Away Fay is pulled up as the action shots show Fact To File flying home for Mullins.

Just as at the end of part one, it is the Irish champion who has the glory before the advertisements roll.

Champions: Full Gallop

• When to watch, TV details, where to stream and more 

Skelton’s training masterclass

Alongside the heroics of Jasmin De Vaux, the final half of the show heavily features Dan Skelton, the leading British trainer at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

His run of success starts with Langer Dan’s defence of the Coral Cup.

“Trying to make lightning strike twice in this is not easy,” the trainer says while standing in the paddock. Owner Colm Donlon responds: “Not easy? It’s never been done!”

Remarkably, the eight-year-old achieves the double. Walking back into the famous winner's circle, Dan’s brother Harry provides a humorous quip from the saddle.

“I was worried when the race went off late,” he says. “He was trained to the f****** minute!”

Harry and Dan Skelton after the winning Ryanair ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The Skelton brothers remain prominent in the episode thanks to a strong focus on the Turners Novices’ Chase, where Grey Dawning takes on Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny.

As the 14-time champion trainer urges on Ginny's Destiny, Nicholls’ former assistant remains calm, collected and motionless.

Even though the two horses were entwined in an adrenaline-fuelled, closely contested battle up the famous hill, Skelton is not to be moved.

That changes once Grey Dawning crosses the line in front. Stillness quickly turns into elation.

As for the other side of the coin, Nicholls is frustrated with his position as the runner-up.

“I know he's come second, it’s never nice, but you can’t knock his effort,” proffers one of the on-course journalists.

Nicholls responds: “No, but I hate being f****** beat.”

That line makes one thing crystal clear from episode three of Champions: Full Gallop. A winner at Cheltenham means everything.

Line of the week

“It didn’t feel like a hug, it felt like I was getting strangled” - Dan Skelton describing his embrace with Paul Nicholls after the Turners Novices’ Chase.

Where and when to watch Champions: Full Gallop

• Episode four of the docuseries will be broadcast on ITV1 at 9pm on Friday, August 9
• Now available to stream on ITVX: episode 1, episode 2 and episode 3

Read these next:

'I felt like I was taking off' - King George thrills and spills light up opening episode of Champions: Full Gallop 

'It's like Pep Guardiola getting Erling Haaland back' - the inside story of the jockeys' title race in episode two of Champions: Full Gallop 

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