'No horse could have beaten A Plus Tard' - Robbie Power reflects on the Gold Cup

Robbie Power does not think any horse in training could have beaten A Plus Tard in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup this month and admitted he thought it was going to take something special to catch him on Minella Indo when he quickened clear off the final bend.

Minella Indo hit a low of 1-2 in running on Betfair but he was unable to repel the challenge of A Plus Tard as he did 12 months previously, with Rachael Blackmore scooting clear after the last for a 15-length win.

Minella Indo was best of the rest, two and a half lengths clear of Protektorat in third, and Power was surprised at how quickly A Plus Tard put the race to bed.

A Plus Tard (Rachael Blackmore) clears the last ahead of Minella Indo (Robbie Power)Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Power said: "I thought jumping the last that we would have bit of a scrap but A Plus Tard quickened away at the back of the last and showed an unbelievable turn of foot. Maybe it was a bit better ground than last year and maybe he was a bit stronger but, on the day, he was unbeatable. I don't think any horse could have beaten him."

The jockey, who won the 2017 Gold Cup on Sizing John, added: "Minella Indo felt like a different horse at Cheltenham to the one I rode at Leopardstown [in the Irish Gold Cup]. He travelled super in the Gold Cup and jumped fantastically well. When I quickened off the bend and into the second-last I thought it was going to take a very good one to come and get me. Unfortunately, a very good one did come and get me.

"I knew when I jumped the second-last something was coming at me, I could hear something coming to my girth. I wasn't sure what it was but then I realised it was Rachael on my outside coming down to the last. The writing was on the wall then as he was always going to be the speedier horse. You can't take anything away from Minella Indo, though, he's run another cracker at Cheltenham yet again.

Power added: "I think we went a bit quicker than people think. We went a nice even gallop, okay we weren't flat to the boards the whole way and it wasn't relentless, but we didn't dawdle around. We went a nice even gallop and we quickened it up at the top of the hill. Then I quickened again off the final bend and into the second-last.

Rachael Blackmore delivers sublime Cheltenham Gold Cup ride

"I was very happy with the way the race went. I had planned to keep out a little bit more, but we got a lovely run around the inside. I switched out at the top of the hill and everything had gone perfectly to that point. When we quickened off the bend, I thought I'd a serious chance."

With no A Plus Tard in attendance in the Punchestown Gold Cup, Power is hoping Minella Indo will be directed there by De Bromhead.

He said: "There'll be no A Plus Tard at Punchestown as he has to go left-handed and you'd imagine Minella Indo will go there if everything is well and Henry is happy with him after Cheltenham."

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