A race that was widely billed as a coronation for Galopin des Champs, bidding for his third win in a row in chasing’s blue riband, but which went instead to an up-and-coming 7yo who had finished several lengths behind him in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown the time before.
Inothewayurthinkin undoubtedly improved quite a bit again, but Galopin des Champs seems to have been below his best, if by a bit rather than a lot, drying ground combined with a steady pace by Gold Cup standards possibly not helping him. There were a surprisingly large number of jumping errors along the way for a field of this calibre, including by the winner and by Corbetts Cross who sadly lost his life as a result of coming down 2 out. The winner’s 54.28s for the final half-mile (111.8% finishing speed) was the fastest by a chaser over the entire 4 days.
INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN (c174 here, 161 previously) overcame some occasionally sloppy jumping (though others were worse) to win this great race in excellent style, slow at the 1st, making a mistake at the 15th and 4 out (also jumped right at times), but closing well having been held up to lead 2 out and storming clear for pressure having been only a length up of the runner-up at the last. He would look a handicap “good thing” in the Grand National but connections have reportedly ruled that out (and his jumping in such a packed field would have been a cause for some concern even with the fences as they are now).
As a slightly superior Gold Cup winner, and the joint-youngest since 6yo Long Run in 2011, those connections have every right to hope for a repeat in 12 months’ time, this effort showing he is effective on ground close to “good” as well on borderline “heavy” of his handicap success here in 2024.
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (c169 here, 177 previously) missed out on a 3rd successive Gold Cup but went out fighting and briefly looked as if he would do it, not travelling or jumping especially well despite an unexacting gallop but moving up promisingly 3 out and leading travelling comfortably soon after it, headed at the next and unable to go with the winner from the last. This was by no means a poor effort, if 10 lengths or so below his very best achieved on softer, but he will be 10 by the time this race comes around again and possibly not quite as good as in his absolute prime.
GENTLEMANSGAME (c160 here and previously) has his limitations at this level but usually runs his race and that was good enough for 3rd with others falling by the wayside. Quite close up, he was left disputing the lead at the 15th then led outright until 3 out.
MONTY’S STAR (c159+ here, 161 previously) ran respectably without improving as some hoped, conditions not really playing to his strengths but incidents at the 9th (blundered and nearly unseated) and 15th (hampered by fall of Ahoy Senor) giving him a further pass. He was still there with a chance until outpaced after 3 out.
THE REAL WHACKER (c143 here, 157 previously) showed up well for a long way after a mistake at the 1st, leading for a while, but dropped away late on.
ROYALE PAGAILLE (c141 here, 162 previously) was always behind, initially held up but outpaced from some way out.
BANBRIDGE (c140 here, 168 previously) made a handful of mistakes, a couple of them quite serious, and was in trouble after 4 out, too early to judge his stamina for this still longer trip.
AHOY SENOR (c? here, 168? previously) jumped right at several but was still in the lead when falling at the 15th. Talented on his day, he had a wind operation since his previous start.
CORBETTS CROSS (c159 here, 161 previously) would have run creditably but for falling 2 out, alongside the 4th
and a length behind the 3rd at the time, sadly proving to be fatal. He had made a few mistakes prior to that, also, but still had a chance 3 out only to fade.
