3:30 – Flooring Porter retained his crown for the Stayers’ Hurdle leading the race from start to finish, Danny Mullins recording his first victory of the festival under Irish trainer Gavin Cromwell.
Thyme Hill and Paisley Park had a photo finish for second place, with the former coming out just in front and finishing as runner-up.
Gloucestershire had more interest in the main race of the day with Champ at 11/2 trained by local trainer Jonjo O’Neill, a horse named after the legendary AP McCoy which finished in fourth, overtaking pre-race favourite Klassical Dream.
Flooring Porter at 4/1 led the whole race with rivals left trailing in his wake, Klassical Dream came closest before fading towards the end of the race, finishing fifth.
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“Everything went to plan, big credit has to go to Gavin Cromwell,” said trainer Willie Mullins after the race.
“His training is the reason we’re here today, I wasn’t too worried about the preliminaries, this morning we were very happy with him he was relaxed, we believed in him.”
Owner Gavin Cromwell was also keen to praise Flooring Porter after his win.
“He’s settled in lovely. I can’t wait to walk back in. He’s not much to look at but my god he’s got a hell of an engine and heart.”
5:30PM: Chambard snatches victory in the Kim Muir which is the final race of the day, as 40/1 outsider for trainer Venetia Williams.
The well backed School Boy Rules made a jumping error at the third last. Mister Coffeey for Nicky Henderson was travelling well but could not quicken from the last. Lucy Turner is the lucky jockey in this one!
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“Walking past those fans just then is the pinnacle for a jockey” said Turner.
“I’m not sure why everybody was so concerned about the ground, I think we’re pretty much back to where we were a few days back”.
👏 A brilliant performance from Chambard who is a shock 40/1 winner of the Kim Muir for Lucy Turner, leading home a 1-3 for @VenetiaWRacing at @CheltenhamRaces #TheFestival pic.twitter.com/kuYoi9fkHe
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 17, 2022
4:50PM: Love Envoi comes out best in The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle penultimate race for trainer Harry Fry.
An entertaining race in the end and a closely contested one with Hidden Land running falling just short as Envoi outpaced him at the last.
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“she doesn’t know when she’s beaten” said owner J J Burke.
“We wanted her to do everything professionally and that’s what she’s done”.
“Noel rode my last winner here in 2016. This is what it is all about.”
🗣 “Noel rode my last winner here in 2016. This is what it is all about.”
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 17, 2022
A professional performance from Love Envoi to retain her unbeaten record in fine style – a first winner at #TheFestival since Unowhatimeanharry in 2016 👏 @CheltenhamRaces pic.twitter.com/qAbWR7zP4E
4:10PM: Coole Cody managed to edge out the competition to top in the Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Plate handicap chase, coming out of left field to pip Gloucestershire based trainer Fergal O’Brien’s Imperial Alcazar at the second to last fence.
It was a tight contest between Imperial Alcazar, Coole Cody and Slade House going into the final three fences, but it was the Adam Wedge trained horse that gained the win.
O’Brien’s Imperial Alcazar was among the race leaders throughout, yet finished second after a photo finish with SpiritOfTheGames.
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“He’s as hard as they come. Never knows when to stop does he? Fantastic,” said Evan Williams.
“He is braver than me and he knows what he is doing, and I just go with him.
“To ride a winner at Cheltenham for Evan means everything, he’s backed me through thick and thin, it’s fantastic.”
2:50PM– Pre-race favourite Allaho won the RyanAir Chase in dominant fashion, in the third round of the Cheltenham Festival on St Patricks’ Day.
The race had a delayed start due to treatment being given to Born Patriot following his fall in the prior race. With seven runners starting, Allaho was part of the initial breakaway pack, taking the lead early on the start and continued to lead by several lengths.
Gloucestershire trained Eldorado Allen was considered an outside ahead of the race, only sixth favourite with odds of 16/1, but started strongly, taking a strong second from the start just behind Allaho.
Allaho continued a strong lead however, before Conflated fell with two hurdles to go, but Allaho maintained the lead to win the competition for the second successive year and third time overall, to the delight of jockey Paul Townsend and trainer Willie Mullins, who wins his fifth RyanAir Chase, Janifdil managed to sneak second by jumping Eldorado Allen, who placed third.
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Paul Townsend claimed that the race win felt like redemption for him after his earlier fall: “Yeah it does make up for it earlier on. I’m okay and the horse is okay. We are lucky in those colours a few years ago, what goes around comes around.”
Townsend was also full of praise for the race-winning horse “Yeah, Allaho is an animal! Great gallop and jump and he is really really good. Great rhythm on him. We took our time, but that is what he likes doing that is what he is built for look at the size of him.”
2:10PM – Third Wind came out on top in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle race in the second race of St. Patricks day.
With 22 runners in this one and no clear favourite, outsider at 25/1 Third Wind edged Alaphillipe in what turned out to be a really close affair.
Alaphillipe and Winter Frog looked as if they would snatch victory, taking a strong lead early on in the race, however the chasing pack caught up and after a few dodgy fence jumps, suddenly it was a two horse race between Alaphillipe and the eventual winner Third Wind.
Jockey Tom O’Brien claimed only his second victory at Cheltenham, but was made to wait for the result following a stewards review, so had to settle for the title of provisional winner for the ten minutes following the race.
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“I’m lost for words, absolutely lost for words, said O’Brien after the race, as he remained still out of breath having just crossed the finish line.
“I’ve been a sort of bridesmaid around here in recent year,. but to get a winner I’m in purer disbelief.
“Just so happy for the boss, it would be special for any winner but for {Third Wind} is even better.”
“”I didn’t feel any contact. I had a fair crack, I’m a fair player and not a fan of taking advantage of that.” said Paddy Brennan (Alaphillipe’s rider).
“Both gone a little to right, didn’t feel touch. I was flicking him and if we had touch I would have done more corrective measures,” responded O’Brien.
“It’s two horses drifting, when you’re in that position you feel the momentum, I see here now that we both drift but I didn’t feel anything.” concluded Brennan
“I couldn’t even celebrate passing the line – I can’t believe it”@tjobrien12 is absolutely buzzing with that win! 😁
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 17, 2022
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📱 https://t.co/x67sPMKAdu#Cheltenham2022 | #ITVRacing pic.twitter.com/ti2THUwHm8
1:30PM – Bob Olinger came out on top in the Turners Novices’ chase ridden by Rachael Blackmore in the opening race of St. Patrick’s Day after Galopin Des Champes dramatically fell at the final fence.
It quickly became a two horse battle between Bob Olinger and Galopin Des Champes, with El Barra and Busselton falling behind early on.
Going into the final five fences it was tied between Galopin Des Champes and Bob Olinger with less than three lengths between the pair.
The Willie Mullins-owned Galopin Des Champes edged head in the closing stages only to be denied after falling at the final fence to gift the win to its rival.
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“It’s great to see that Paul and Galopin Des Champs are up and ok, it was their race to win. It’s fantastic to win, unbelievable but I didn’t get into as good of a rhythm as I wanted to,” said Blackmore after the race.
“We looked well beaten, surprise to see Galopin Des Champes up as well so quickly, we jumped well on the 4th last got put down on the jump but then we came back on bridal, we all want to win but you don’t want to win them like that,” said Henry De Bromhead.
“It was disappointing, Rachael wasn’t happy with him at all, so were getting him (the horse) looked into, he didn’t look right, so we’re getting him checked over
“Feel silly saying anything like that after that run, we always felt prior to today he was gold cup worthy. It sounds terrible when we won as well.”