Cheltenham Gold Cup 2011
Result and Review of the race

The 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup was billed as the clash of the titans with the most talented younger chasers keen to take them on. Three previous winners of the Gold Cup lined up to face the promising challengers in a field of thirteen.

Paul Nicholls provided two of the past winners of the race. The two time winner Kauto Star, ridden by Ruby Walsh was sent off the third favourite at 5/1. Denman (8/1), victorious in 2008 and runner up twice since, was partnered by Sam Thomas. Yes, a decent amount of experience is essential to negotiate the unique challenge of Prestbury Park successfully but, with both horses now eleven years old, they were probably well past their Gold Cup sell by date. Denman had the added disadvantage of a history of training issues including a heart murmur and a more recent wind operation.

The appropriately named What a Myth was the last horse older than ten to lift the Gold Cup, and that was back in 1969.

Nicholls also sent out the less fancied What A Friend (25/1) owned by famous footballing firebrand Sir Alex Ferguson and Neptune Collonges who started at 33/1.

The most fancied of the previous winners was the 2010 victor, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Imperial Commander. Ridden by Paddy Brennan, the ten year old started the second favourite in the Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting at 4/1. He hadn’t been seen on a racecourse for four months but was reported to be in great shape by his connections.

Long Run, the 7/2 French bred favourite, was trained by Nicky Henderson who had never produced a Gold Cup winner. Long Run had easily got the better of Kauto Star in January in the King George at Kempton, finishing 19 lengths ahead of him, and was undeniably the classiest looking act among the younger contingent. He had age issues of another type. Six year old winners were as rare as the over tens. You had to go even further back in the list of past winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup to find one – in 1963 Fulke Walwyn’s Mill House was the most recent youngster to succeed.

Another worry for some was that Long Run was to be piloted by an amateur. Mr Sam Waley-Cohen had ridden Long Run in all his five races since his father, Robert, had acquired him from France in 2009. The horse obviously had talent and Mr Waley-Cohen had proved more than competent so far but surely you need the assistance of a top professional jockey to enter the Gold Cup on an equal footing with the other runners?

So what actually happened? The Neil Mulholland trained Midnight Chase made the running from the off and led the field under Tom Scudamore for the first circuit, closely pursued by Mouse Morris’ China Rock and Barry Geraghty. Weird Al was also prominent early but had dropped back through the field by the seventh.

Ruby Walsh kept Kauto Star very handy with Imperial Commander and Long Run in close contention too. Apart from Long Run’s blunder at the third, all three looked to be travelling and jumping well. Sam Thomas had started slowly with Denman but gradually worked his way up through the field with a superb display of jumping to be just behind these with Pandorama. Carruthers was uncharacteristically held up towards the rear with Kempes and What A Friend. Neptune Collonges had to be hard ridden into the first and seemed to be struggling to find his jumping rhythm.

Weird Al was the first to lose touch with the leaders when Kauto Star jumped his way into the lead with a circuit to travel. By the final open ditch Denman had leapt his way into fifth on the outside of Midnight Chase and What A Friend. Pandorama had been kept in touch by Noel Meade but lost his position and dropped to the rear at the 17th.

Imperial Commander was right up with the pace and initially appeared to survive a significant blunder 4 from home to approach the third last alongside Kauto Star and Denman. Long Run was just behind the triumvirate of previous winners as China Rock and Midnight Chase weakened. Only What A Friend looked likely to challenge for a placing.

Imperial Commander suddenly weakened leaving Kauto Star and Denman in the lead with Long Run behind them, being ridden along by Sam Waley-Cohen. As they entered the straight, Kauto Star and Denman were racing upsides, battling each other for the lead. At the second last they took off together with Long Run a stride behind them and What A Friend a couple of lengths further back. The rest of the field were history.

After the second last Long Run was asked for a final effort and had a half length lead over the last. As Waley Cohen kicked for home Long Run increased his lead over the apparently one paced veterans. Long Run beat Denman by seven lengths. Kauto Star was four lengths behind and just held on to third from What A Friend who stayed on strongly to finish a nose behind him.

Long Run didn’t just win in style, he succeeded in setting a new record for the race, clocking a time of 6 minutes and 29.7 seconds. Looks Like Trouble’s winning time of 6 minutes and 30.3 seconds had previously stood for over a decade, but nobody really cared too much about the time.

Paul Nicholls was delighted by the heroic efforts of his veterans who were simply beaten by a better, younger horse on the day. The only disappointment was Imperial Commander who pulled up lame before the last and was later found to have broken a blood vessel.

The 2011 Gold Cup was immediately described as one the best jump races in history and not just by the punters who backed the favourite.