In what has been a record-breaking Cheltenham Festival for Irish point-to-point exports, the biggest race of them all, the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup went the way of Minella Indo to follow up on the success of Native River three years earlier.
A former winner of the Albert Bartlett at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival, the ex-John Nallen-trained Dromahane winner was always prominent under Jack Kennedy and went on to deny his stable companion A Plus Tard by a length and a quarter.
The success completed a record-breaking Festival for Henry de Bromhead whilst for point-to-pointers, the win made history by becoming a 12th of the week – the first time that 12 races have been won at the Festival by horses who started their careers in point-to-points.
“I keep saying it’s amazing but it genuinely is. I was looking at him (Al Boum Photo) thinking he is going to stay on. Jack was brilliant on Indo. He is just such a tough horse. To see him pricking his ears after the second last was great, but it is all down to the crew at home and here.
“They are working so hard and it’s brilliant. The support of all our clients is brilliant. He certainly did (travel well the whole way through). Whatever it is about here, it is a bit like Put The Kettle On, he just comes alive. He is fast asleep at home on a daily basis. Even saddling him there he was like he was before the Albert Bartlett kicking the back wall. He was so up for it.
“We had the mishap at Christmas and then he wasn’t as good in the Irish Gold Cup but we wanted to get a clear round that day and Rachael rode him brilliantly but it has all come together here it’s fantastic.”
Asked what the victory means to him he added: “It’s massive and the Gold Cup is what you dream about winning. Any of these races, winners at Cheltenham, I can’t tell you how much they mean, you just dream about it. Like I say, I’m going to wake up it’s Monday evening and that's it.
“She did have the choice of the two. I would always try to stay out of that (of saying which one to ride) as I would hate to put her the wrong way. I leave all that to Rachael.
“Everyone has been asking me that before the race (was Rachael on the right one). I couldn’t split them. I just let her do it and I don’t like to interfere on that. She knew they were both training well.”
