Rachael Blackmore creates history - what we learned from day four at Cheltenham

After four incredible days, the 2022 Cheltenham Festival came to a conclusion on Friday and racing fans were not left disappointed.

There were plenty of other incredible moments on day four and plenty of talking points to boot, so let's have a look at some of the lessons we have learnt from the day's racing.

Rachael and Henry make history

Rachael Blackmore created history on the final day as she became the first female jockey to win the Gold Cup when steering the Henry de Bromhead-trained A Plus Tard to a stunning 15-length victory.

The win also saw de Bromhead secure the Grade 1 race for a second successive season. He also saddled a 1-2 in the race as last year's winner, Minella Indo, finished second home.

Mullins flies the flag for Ireland

Willie Mullins was crowned trainer of the week for a fourth consecutive year, scoring a total of ten victories across the four days.

Heading into the final day, the Carlow handler had five wins to his name but that tally was extended to eight as he hit a five-timer on the card.

Mullins kick-started the day when Vauban justified favouritism to land the JCB Triumph Hurdle under Paul Townend. The pair teamed up shortly after when the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle was won by State Man.

A third victory was secured in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle as The Nice Guy, under Sean O'Keeffe, caused a shock to win at 18-1. His fourth win of the day came in dramatic style as Billaway beat Winged Leader by a neck in the St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase. Elimay was next in the winner's enclosure for Mullins, who won the Paddy Power Mares' Chase.

Overall, Ireland ended the week with 18 victories and they have Mullins to thank as the trainer achieved the highest number of wins in a single week.

Vauban (Paul Townend) runs on from the final flight to win the Triumph HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Britain show improvements despite defeat

The Brits can take plenty of positives from this year's Cheltenham Festival, even though they suffered an 18-10 loss to Ireland in the Prestbury Cup.

Ahead of the final day in the Cotswolds, the visitors held a narrow 11-10 advantage over their counterparts. However, the Irish turned the screw on the final day as they cleaned up when landing all seven races on the card.

Although it's a heavy defeat on paper, it's a big improvement on last year's festival when the Irish dominated in their 23-5 victory.

Punters have the last laugh

After a difficult couple of days for the punters, they were able to get their revenge on the bookmakers on the final day. They have top trainer Willie Mullins to thank as he saddled five winners from seven races on the final day.

With the exception of The Nice Guy, who scored in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at 18-1, the remaining four winners were short-priced. Vauban, who won the JCB Triumph Hurdle, went off at 6-4, State Man was priced at 11-4 in the McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle, Billaway landed the St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase at 13-8 and Elimay took the Paddy Power Mares' Chase at odds of 9-4.

The bookmakers were not helped by the result of the Gold Cup as A Plus Tard went off as 3-1 favourite before winning the Grade 1 race.

Read more:

Who would your money be on for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Mullins finishes top trainer with record ten winners after dominant final day

Punter lands €55,000 acca as winning favourites give bookmakers 'day to forget'

Download the free Racing Post app for cards, form, tips, in-app betting and to watch live races. Download for free at racingpost.com/mobile or search Racing Post app