Mullins and Elliott continue unprecedented Cheltenham dominance

On what Cheltenham dubbed St Patrick's Thursday the British suffered not so much a whitewash as a greenwash as Irish trainers took six of the seven races, but to drape this victory in the tricolour, although many will and none could blame them for toasting a famous day, would tell the story in only the most superficial way.

In truth the BetBright Cup, which pits Britain against Ireland, might as well be scrapped and replaced with a new competition in which every jumps trainer across Britain joins forces in one unified team against the astonishing and relentless firepower of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott.

Last year both men finished the festival on six winners apiece. This year they hit those totals by the midpoint on Thursday. If the BetBright Cup were refashioned in the above proposed manner, the score at the end of day three would read 13-8 in favour of Team Elliott-Mullins.