BOBS WORTH AND Barry Geraghty won a thrilling renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup this afternoon as jumps racing’s finest festival winds to a close for another year.
Sent off the 11/4 favourite, Nicky Henderson’s eight-year-old stayed longest up the Cotswold course’s famous hill to win by a clear seven lengths from Irish challenger Sir des Champs (4/1).
Long Run (7/2) , the 2011 winner also trained by Henderson, stayed on in third place.
But the afternoon belonged to Bobs Worth who appeared to be slightly hampered when Ruby Walsh and Silviniaco Conti fell shortly before the turn for home.
At that point, front-runner Long Run and Sir des Champs — trained by Willie Mullins and owned by Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary — were the two disputing the lead before Geraghty produced a textbook performance to reel them in and draw clear.
With the day’s events overshadowed by thoughts of Irish amateur jockey JT McNamara, who fractured two vertebrae in a serious fall yesterday, Geraghty dedicated the win to his friend who remains in hospital. McNamara, 37, had surgery in Bristol’s Frenchay Hospital today and a further update on his condition is expected tomorrow.
On the course, Ireland got the final day off to a flying start with winners in the day’s opening two races, both saddled by 20-year-old Kerry native Bryan Cooper.
Cooper romped clear on board Our Conor, one of the hottest Irish prospects of the week, to win the JCB Triumph Hurdle by a massive 15 lengths, a performance so impressive that bookmakers immediately installed Dessie Hughes’ charge at 6/1 to win next year’s Champion Hurdle.
Cooper followed up in the next when he drove home Tony Martin’s 10/1 shot Ted Veale to win the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle.
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle went to 11/8 favourite At Fishers Cross, the first winner of this year’s festival for jockey AP McCoy and owner JP McManus.
There was heartbreak for Jane Mangan in the Foxhunters’ Chase Challenge Cup when Oscar Delta was pulling clear to win after the last before he sensationally ran out through the side fence and threw Mangan to the ground. Last year’s winner and 2/1 favourite Salsify, trained by Rodger Sweeney and ridden by his son Colman, took full advantage to win by a comfortable 20 lengths.
