Galopin Des Champs stormed clear from Bravemansgame to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in dramatic fashion.
The 7-5 favorite went to jockey Paul Townend and Willie Mullins, who won twice with Album Photo, his third win in five years.
Conflated was third after Ahoy Senor and Hewick, who both looked in contention at one stage, crashed out.
This led to a duel with Galopin des Champs, winning by seven lengths at the top of the hill.
“It wasn’t plain sailing that’s for sure,” a delighted Townend told ITV Racing. “Everywhere I went I was running into trouble.
“But it’s a proper, proper horse because he ran three different races and still won the Gold Cup.
“I was very happy to see it all unfold in front of me. It gave me the opportunity to fill it in after making enough ground.
“This race is completely different. It brings winning to a different level.”
Ahoy Senor set the pace until he was mistaken for home and Townend waited patiently for the Irish Gold Cup winner before going into contention down the hill.
After pulling clear with Bravemansgame, both jumped strongly in the final but the Paul Nicholls-trained King George winner just didn’t have the pace for the winner.
It gave Mullins his 94th Festival win and sixth of the week.
“I feel great, emotional. It’s fantastic,” he told Radio 5 Live.
“We had faith in the horse but you don’t realize how much pressure the second one puts on you until the last jump and you wonder if he’s going to stay and he’s going to stay. But we’re happy.”
It was the second win of the day for the Mullins-Townend combination after Lossiemouth led home 1-2-3-4 for the trainer in the Triumph Hurdle, the first 10 horses to be trained in Ireland.
Final flight drama at Cheltenham
Trainer Paul Nicholls celebrated his second winner of the week when 18-1 chance Stay Away Fay took the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in dramatic fashion where 150-1 outsider Afforrable Fury was second.
Favorite Corbett’s Cross was in contention in the final flight but turned just short of the flight arm and sent jockey Mark Walsh flying.
Walsh then retired but was unable to ride in the Gold Cup and was replaced by Nico de Buenville on the Manila Indo.
Premier Magic point-to-point winner, trained and ridden by Bradley Gibbs, was the week’s top-priced winner in the St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase at 66-1 – but mixed for him. There were emotions. Gibbs
“The worst thing about it is my partner and my son are not here today,” he said. “We couldn’t get a babysitter and my dad is in hospital today having a heart operation. It’s really special but I wish he was here.
“It was incredible, my fiance’s dad owns it and we came here last year thinking we had a chance.
“I took him down the inside and everything got a bit tight for him, he got really scared on the stage. I rode him today and he was a completely different horse.
“The way he’s been winning his point-to-points, we always thought he was good enough to win a big race like this and it paid off today.”
It was a family affair for Bridget Andrews who won the County Hurdle at 33-1 chance for her brother-in-law, trainer Dan Skelton, who was running the race for the fourth time in eight years.
Stablemate Pembroke was sent off the 9-2 favorite but despite being fielded, jockey Harry Skelton – Bridget’s husband – was among the first to congratulate the Pied Piper after Fauveer tapped the Pied Piper by the head.
“It’s just a dream come true to be here. I never thought I’d be in this position,” Andrews said.
Imperious battled to a well-earned success in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, as former Champion Hurdle-winning trainer Colm Murphy returned to the Cheltenham winner’s circle for the first time since 2016.
The winner took a late lead from Brian Hayes to maintain his unbeaten record over the fence.
And to bring down the curtain on the 2023 Festival, well-favoured Iroko (6-1) won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle for Aidan Kelly and trainers Oliver Grenall and Josh Guerrero.
Ireland again won the Prestbury Cup with 18 winners compared to Great Britain’s 10.
