Stayers' Hurdle: Flooring Porter defends Cheltenham Festival crown after Danny Mullins riding masterclass
Flooring Porter (4/1) beat Thyme Hill, Paisley Park and Champ to win Stayers' Hurdle for second consecutive year; Allaho defends Ryanair Chase title with dominant display; Galopin Des Champs falls at last in Turners to let Bob Olinger in for victory
Thursday 17 March 2022 18:34, UK
Danny Mullins produced another riding masterclass as Flooring Porter successfully defended his Stayers' Hurdle crown on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Concerns on how Flooring Porter (4/1) would react to a massive crowd after winning in near silence when the race was held behind closed doors last year were quickly allayed as the Gavin Cromwell-trained seven-year-old set out from the front over the three-mile trip.
He enjoyed an easy lead with Mullins able to control the race throughout and had enough in hand to see off his rivals at the business.
- Allaho scorches to second Ryanair at Cheltenham
- Bob takes advantage of Galopin fall in dramatic Turners
Flooring Porter ran out a cosy winner by two and three-quarter lengths from Thyme Hill with Paisley Park, the 2019 winner, a nose away in third.
Cromwell said: "The plan was to make it, but of course he has the issues with the start. We wanted to make the running and he was foot perfect everywhere.
"Danny was fantastic on him, when he jumped the third last he eased off and let him fill up, but to be honest I was worried he might get done for a turn of foot. Danny was cool though and knew what he was doing.
"I wasn't too bad when he was down at the start as I was pretty confident he was going to be OK today, he seems to have matured and he's behaved himself all the time he's been here.
Cromwell hailed Mullins' ride, adding: "Danny is so good on front runners, he has a serious clock in his head.
"He maybe did get an easier lead this year, whether they might not have felt he was as good as he was I don't know.
"His jumping is unbelievable, he jumps more like a champion hurdler, he's so slick, long or short, he gains ground at every hurdle.
"Last year was great but the crowd here is magic. I came here and won the Champion Hurdle with Espoir D'allen but he was an outsider, to win a big race with a fancied horse was brilliant, it all worked out.
"We'll try to get him back here next year."
Mullins added: "Everything went to plan. Big credit has to go to Gavin Cromwell, I love the horse but he's quirky. His training is the reason we're back here today again, Gavin's done a fantastic job with this lad all year.
"I wasn't too worried about the preliminaries, the more he gets into the season, the less gas is in his system. Gavin brought him over a few days early, he was a little bubbly one or two mornings but this morning we were very happy with him. He was relaxed and showing a spark again.
"It's funny going into a race at Cheltenham with such confidence in the horse but we believed in him."
Day three round-up: Brits close gap in Prestbury Cup
It was a day of returning champions, as well as British dominance in the handicaps as the Irish lead in the Prestbury Cup was cut to just one going into the final day.
Allaho galloped his rivals into the ground for the second year running in the Ryanair Chase, leading all the way as he showed his superiority with an imperious performance.
The 4/7 favourite had Eldorado Allen for company in the early stages with Shan Blue close up until Paul Townend began to turn the screw from four out. The pack tried to close but when it looked like the race would be on, Allaho kicked clear.
Winning connections Willie Mullins and Paul Townend had been luckless in the opening event of the day when Galopin Des Champs fell at the last with the race at his mercy, allowing Bob Olinger to steal victory in the Turners Novices' Chase.
Third Wind survived a stewards enquiry as Hughie Morrison's 25/1 outsider narrowly came out on top in the Pertemps Network Final from Fergal O'Brien's Alaphilippe.
On a day of near-misses for O'Brien, who is still searching for his first Festival winner, Imperial Alcazar found one too good in the Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Plate Handicap Chase.
That horse was Cheltenham legend Coole Cody, who registered a fourth success at the track when rallying in tremendous style and stormed up the hill to win by six-and-a-half lengths in the hands of Adam Wedge.
Later on the card, Love Envoi (15/2) gave trainer Harry Fry a Festival success in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, providing the Noel Fehily Syndicate with their first winner at the meeting, three years after Fehily himself retired from riding after victory in the same race.
And, having trailed 9-6 after Bob Olinger's victory, the British closed the gap to the Irish in the Prestbury Cup standings to one as Chambard ran out a 40/1 shock winner of the final race on day three, the Kim Muir Handicap Chase, giving Venetia Williams her second victory of the week after L'Homme Presse's success in Wednesday's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.
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