CHELTENHAM, England – Al Boum Photo ended a career-long drought for top Irish trainer Willie Mullins with a 12-1 upset win in the Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2019. Six times, Mullins finished second in the Gold Cup from 1999 to 2016 before Al Boum Photo cruised to victory in England’s top weight-for-age steeplechase. :: Click here to download free PPs for Friday The 63-year-old trainer may have another Gold Cup trophy to take home Friday. Mullins has three of the 12 runners in the $809,500 Gold Cup, run at about 3 5/16 miles – Al Boum Photo, Kemboy, and Real Steal. As of Wednesday, Al Boum Photo, who will be ridden by Paul Townend, was the 4-1 joint favorite with British bookmakers along with Santini, followed by Delta Work, (6-1) Lostintranslation (13-2), and Clan des Obeaux (8-1). Al Boum Photo, an 8-year-old French-bred gelding, has raced twice since the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup, finishing second to Kemboy in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup in Ireland last May and winning his lone start this year in the Grade 3 New Year’s Day Chase at 2 11/16 miles at Tramore, Ireland, on Jan. 1. Al Boum Photo won the same race at Tramore as a prep to the 2019 Gold Cup. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Kemboy, an 8-year-old, has had an odd preparation for the Gold Cup, a race in which he unseated jockey David Mullins at the first fence last year. Kemboy was briefly banned from racing in Ireland last fall after the syndicate that owned the gelding was suspended from running horses over allegations of overselling shares. The ownership structure of Kemboy and several other horses was reorganized last November, allowing the runners to resume their careers. Kemboy has run twice this winter, finishing fourth to Gold Cup entrant Delta Work in the Grade 1 Savills Chase on Dec. 28 at Leopardstown and second to that rival in the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup at the same venue on Feb. 2. :: Bet the Cheltenham races on DRF Bets Wednesday, Kemboy was 10-1 for the Gold Cup. Patrick Mullins, the trainer’s son and assistant trainer, has the mount. Santini is rated as the best chance of the English-based runners. Trained by Nicky Henderson, the 8-year-old Santini was second in the Grade 1 RSA Chase at 3 1/16 miles here last March and is unbeaten in two starts this steeplechase season – a three-mile chase at Sandown on Nov. 10 and the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase here Jan. 25. In between those races, Santini underwent a breathing operation. Santini will be ridden by Nico de Boinville, who won the 2015 Gold Cup on Coneygree. Friday betting analysis Major race winners from both sides of the Irish Sea from the day after Christmas to early February are among the leading contenders for Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse. Some of the runners they beat in those races have equally strong credentials in the $809,500 race at 3 1/4 miles, considered the weight-for-age championship for steeplechasers. As of Thursday afternoon, Al Boum Photo, the winner of the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup, and Santini, who is unbeaten in two starts in the wintertime jump season, were the 4-1 joint favorites in a field of 12. However, the rising star Delta Work, who has won three of four starts this season, merits the role as a selection over those rivals. Trained by Gordon Elliott, Delta Work won two of Ireland’s top jump races in consecutive starts in recent months – the Grade 1 Savills Chase on Dec. 28 and the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup on Feb. 2. In both races, he stalked the pace before taking the lead near the wire or before the last fence. Mark Walsh takes the mount, replacing an injured Jack Kennedy. Delta Work was 11-2 on Thursday. Al Boum Photo, who also races as a stalker, is easy to support. He has had one start since last May, winning the Grade 3 New Year’s Day Chase at Tramore, Ireland, on Jan. 1, the same race he won in advance of the 2019 Gold Cup. Santini was a well-regarded novice last season and has moved into the tougher open division with success. His win by 3 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase over this course and distance on Jan. 25 was certainly a positive. The Gold Cup is the third of three Grade 1 races on Friday’s seven-race program, the final day of the four-day Cheltenham Festival. One of the most highly anticipated betting races of the week is the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/16 miles, always the first race on the final day. These are the first-year hurdlers, and their development over the winter is closely followed. The betting market changed remarkably on Feb. 22 when Solo won his British debut by 13 lengths in a two-mile prep at Kempton Park. Now trained by Paul Nicholls, Solo won at Auteuil Racecourse in Paris in November before he switched stables. The Triumph Hurdle will be his fourth start and he should be better with the recent start. The race could unfold in favor of Solo, who is an easy horse to back as the top selection in the race. He was 7-2 on Thursday. Allmankind and Goshen are unbeaten after three starts and have the same bold style. Allmankind won here in November, and led throughout the Grade 1 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle at two miles at Chepstow on Dec. 27. Goshen will have his graded stakes debut in the Triumph Hurdle, but his victories at Sandown Park on Dec. 6 by 34 lengths and Ascot on Jan. 18 by 11 lengths have put him at the front of the betting market. The Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at three miles, the third race on Friday, is deemed even more competitive with Thyme Hill rated as the 9-2 favorite in a field of 19. Thyme Hill has won his last three starts, including here at 2 5/8 miles by three lengths on Nov. 16. While Thyme Hill has excellent credentials, Monkfish is preferred on the basis of his rapid improvement in two races in Ireland. Trained by Willie Mullins, Monkfish, 7-1 on Thursday, won a maiden hurdle at 2 7/8 miles on Dec. 14 in his third start of the year and followed with a win by 20 lengths in a novices’ hurdle at 2 13/16 miles at Thurles on Jan. 19.