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Rated and revealed: expert view on the best Cheltenham Festival performances

Double delight: leading festival jockey Paul Townend enjoys the winning feeling aboard dual Gold Cup hero Al Boum Photo
Al Boum Photo: won the Cheltenham Gold Cup again last weekCredit: Michael Steele

Al Boum Photo (176) posted the best RPR at the Cheltenham Festival after holding off the late-lunging Santini (175) to retain his Gold Cup crown.

The winner's figure was slightly down on last year's effort (RPR 178) in a steadily-run affair, but it was still on par with a typical winner of the race.

Broadly speaking Al Boum Photo is not the phenomenal talent his CV now suggests – in that he wasn't the highest rated chaser in training last year or this – but connections have geared the last two seasons completely around this one race and he had the talent to etch his name into history by winning it twice.

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Racing Post Reporter

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