Minella Indo fends off stablemate to win Cheltenham Gold Cup

Minella Indo shook off a challenge from stablemate A Plus Tard in the final three furlongs to record an 8-1 upset in Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse, continuing a week of dominance for Irish-based horses in the biggest week of steeplechasing in England.

Minella Indo ($19.40 in American pools) gave trainer Henry De Bromhead and jockey Jack Kennedy their first career wins in the $651,843 Cheltenham Gold Cup, steeplechase racing’s most prominent weight-for-age race.

Irish-trained runners swept the first three positions when Al Boum Photo, who won the Gold Cup in 2019 and 2020, faded from contention late to finish third. Al Boum Photo, the 8-5 favorite in Friday’s race, was attempting to become the third horse since World War II to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups.

Kennedy, 21, rode Minella Indo for the first time in the Gold Cup at 3 1/4 miles, replacing Rachael Blackmore who was aboard 5-2 A Plus Tard. Kennedy had Minella Indo in a stalking position for the first 2 1/2 miles and moved closer to the front with four fences remaining. Minella Indo took lead from pacesetter Frodon after the third-to-last fence and won by two lengths.

An 8-year-old Irish-bred gelding owned by venture capitalist Barry Maloney, Minella Indo arrived at Cheltenham with mixed form. He won chases at Wexford and Navan racecourses in Ireland in October and November before falling in the Grade 1 Savills Chase on Dec. 28 at Leopardstown.

In his lone start this year, Minella Indo was fourth of five, beaten 6 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup on Feb. 7 at Leopardstown as the 3-2 favorite. Minella Indo, by Beat Hollow, has won 6 of 13 starts.

De Bromhead, who also trains A Plus Tard, had the best week of his career, winning with 6 of 22 runners at the four-day Cheltenham festival. He won Tuesday’s Grade 1 Champion Hurdle with Honeysuckle and Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase with Put the Kettle On. With the Gold Cup win, De Bromhead became the first trainer to sweep those races in the same year.

De Bromhead began Friday’s seven-race program by winning the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/8 miles with Quilixios ($5.20).

Quilixious, who was ridden by Blackmore, is unbeaten in five starts. De Bromhead began training Quilixios earlier this month when previous trainer Gordon Elliott was suspended six months by Irish racing officials after a 2019 photo emerged on social media of him sitting on a deceased horse in a paddock.

Overall, Irish-trained horses won 23 of the 28 races over four days, a much greater dominance than in 2020 when Irish-trained horses won 16 races. The previous record of 19 Irish-trained winners was set in 2017.

In Friday’s other Grade 1 race, Vanillier, trained by Gavin Cromwell of Ireland, romped to an 11-race win in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at three miles. Vanillier paid $35.20 in American pools.

Willie Mullins, who trains Al Boum Photo, also had six wins, but had more second-place finishes than De Bromhead. Blackmore, 31, led all riders with six wins, her first riding title at a Cheltenham festival and the first for a woman.

The event was held without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the Cheltenham festival drew 251,684, days before England went into a lockdown.