Equine immortality awaits Galopin Des Champs as 100th anniversary of Gold Cup promises a race worthy of its great tradition

If it has been a Cheltenham Festival that has not quite matched the feverish enchantment that has become so synonymous with the event down through the decades, trust the Gold Cup to elevate proceedings to a suitably grand crescendo.

Jump racing's definitive championship race habitually transcends all that goes before it and the suspicion is it will do so again. On the 100th anniversary of its inauguration, 11 of the most decorated staying chasers on the planet will converge for a race that promises to do full justice to this landmark occasion.

In its long and glorious existence, the race has been adorned by exceptional horses who have had the resilience to return year after year to cement their legacy. In that context, as a test of temperament and fortitude as much as speed and athleticism, it has conferred truly heroic status on some.