Galopin is the real deal but Cheltenham was not the feared Mullins monopoly - five things we learned this week

The Cheltenham Festival is in the rear view for another year, but it was a fabulous week full of big name winners, surprise results and brilliant moments. Here are five things we learned this week...

Galopin Des Champs is the real deal

Will he stay the Cheltenham Gold Cup trip? That was the main question Galopin Des Champs had to answer before the festival’s biggest race. It was a question he answered comprehensively in the affirmative.

Derek Fox and Ahoy Senor made sure there was no hiding place until their departure six fences from home, and although Paul Townend rode Galopin Des Champs with plenty of restraint, the petrol gauge was nowhere near empty as he left Bravemansgame in his wake up the run-in. 

A time almost 15 seconds faster than the Hunters’ Chase over the same trip, plus it being the only race of the day to be faster than Racing Post standard (the others weren’t even close), further back up this was a true test of a Gold Cup winner.

The class and raw ability of Galopin Des Champs was not in doubt before the race. Neither was his jumping, despite his unfortunate tumble at the final fence of the Turners Novices’ Chase at last year’s festival. And now there can simply be no doubt about his stamina reserves either. 

He is the real deal and he could easily dominate the Gold Cup scene for years to come.
Matt Butler

Cheltenham was not the Mullins monopoly some feared

Yes, he still ended the week as top trainer, but a return of six winners for Willie Mullins did not reach the lofty pre-festival expectations many had set for the Closutton maestro.

The stunning array of equine magnificence at his disposal still delivered Mullins some of the week's biggest races – and he utterly dominated the Ballymore and Triumph – but his record-breaking mark of ten winners set last year went untroubled as the top prizes were welcomingly spread out.

In total, 17 different trainers (or training partnership in the case of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero) were welcomed into the winner's enclosure.

Barry Connell set the tone with his magnificent Supreme winner Marine Nationale, while 85-year-old John Kiely's popular Champion Bumper win with A Dream To Share and Patrick Neville's Brown Advisory triumph with The Real Whacker were admirable strikes for the little guy.

That Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead ended as the top three trainers was a reminder of where the power continues to lie, but in this era of the megayard it was refreshing to see that the sport's top talent can still come from any source.
Sam Hendry

An elated Rachael Blackmore after Honeysuckle won the Mares' Hurdle on her final startCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Mares' Hurdle was the right call for Honeysuckle

A lot was said leading up to the festival about which race Honeysuckle's connections should be targeting. There was a strong possibility that last year's Champion Hurdle heroine would clash with the unbeaten superstar Constitution Hill in the same race, but after a first career defeat in December plans started to change.

It was the Mares' Hurdle the nine-year-old featured in and she proved why Henry de Bromhead and Kenny Alexander were right to choose that contest in delivering a gutsy performance to beat Love Envoi.

The wondermare got the fairytale ending everyone craved as a packed winner's enclosure erupted when an emotional Rachael Blackmore returned following the victory. Before that, though, Constitution Hill had his moment as the Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old bolted up the Cheltenham hill when beating State Man by nine lengths.

Nobody will ever know how Honeysuckle would have faired against Constitution Hill, but everyone remembers festival winners and connections knew she had a better chance of bringing down the curtain on a spectacular career in the Mares' Hurdle.

The opening day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival will live long in the memory of racing fans, and Honeysuckle rightly deserves to take all the plaudits.
Liam Headd

Course form remains invaluable

Horses for courses is an old adage, but one that continues to be useful to keep in mind at the festival. 

Cheltenham remains a unique challenge and 12 of this year's 28 winners had already been successful at the track in some form, with plenty of them going that bit further and having a festival win to their name.

National Hunt Chase winner Gaillard Du Mesnil and Coral Cup victor Langer Dan were not among those 12 but had strong placed form at the festival, while 11 winners – mostly novices like Marine Nationale, El Fabiolo and Lossiemouth – had never run at the course, so had no red flags attached to them regarding their ability to handle, or not handle, the undulations of Prestbury Park.

Only Good Time Jonny, Premier Magic and Impervious had been to Cheltenham and not placed or won previously, so when it comes to evaluating the races in 12 months time, remember to have a quick scan of the racecard to see which runners have a capital C or CD next to their name. It might just help.
Matt Butler

Credit to the jockeys

Many feared the struggle to adapt to the new whip rules, particularly for Irish jockeys who had not benefited from a bedding-in period, would leave numerous riders facing bans and negative headlines at a time racing could very much do without them.

The BHA revealed on Friday only six rides at the Cheltenham Festival (from 444) were referred to the whip review committee. None of those referred faced disqualification and only one was a winning ride.

That must be considered a huge success and credit must go to everyone in the weighing room for ensuring the new rules did not overshadow jump racing's biggest week.
Matt Butler

Read more:

Epic Gold Cup lives up to expectations as Galopin Des Champs gallops to glory under brilliant Paul Townend 

'What a way to be able to walk back into the winner's enclosure' - Blackmore salutes her greatest ally  

Low crowds, classy Cobden and Mullins-Elliott dominance - key Cheltenham Festival talking points  (£)

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