Mania sheds a tear as Midnight Shadow triumphs on a proper Cheltenham afternoon

As Mike Newbould admired his star novice chaser Third Time Lucki in the winner's enclosure he found exactly the right words to sum up this memorable afternoon.

"I just can’t believe it – and it’s proper Cheltenham today," he said. Proper Cheltenham is exactly what it was. There were people, there was noise and the sort of atmosphere you get nowhere else. There was also a Paddy Power Gold Cup that had beaming jockey Ryan Mania looking back to a day here eight months earlier when victory felt extremely different.

This was a success achieved in tandem with Sue and Harvey Smith, as was Mania's 2013 Grand National triumph aboard Auroras Encore. A year and a half after those Aintree heroics he quit racing, returning to the sport just under five years later, once again with the unwavering support of the Smiths. By capturing Cheltenham's biggest winter prize on Midnight Shadow, Mania rewarded that backing in style, just as he had when scoring here on Vintage Clouds in March.