The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup witnessed a historic moment as INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN stormed to victory, fully justifying the decision to supplement him for the race. The 15-2 shot delivered an emphatic performance, finishing six and a half lengths clear of defending champion GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (8-13F), with GENTLEMANSGAME (40-1) trailing a further 12 lengths behind in third.
Trained by Gavin Cromwell and ridden by Mark Walsh, INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN became the first-ever supplementary entry to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, having been added to the field just days before at a cost of £25,000. The victory also marked a second Gold Cup triumph for legendary owner J.P. McManus, whose wife Noreen McManus bred the winner.
Reflecting on his breakthrough Gold Cup win, Mark Walsh was overjoyed and said “I’m dancing inside! This is a dream come true. They went a proper gallop, and he jumped beautifully aside from one mistake at the ditch. I knew Paul (Townend) wasn’t happy with GALOPIN DES CHAMPS early on, so I just needed a clean round. When my lad winged the second-last, I knew we had it.”
Equally emotional, Trainer Gavin Cromwell said, “I never imagined having a horse good enough to run in a Gold Cup, let alone win it. It’s an incredible feeling. We weren’t sure about supplementing him, but thankfully, J.P. and Noreen gave the green light. He’s just an improving horse—every step up in trip has made him better.”
While the future remains undecided, Cromwell hinted at potential Grand National aspirations:
“We’ll get him home, assess how he is, and have a conversation with J.P. We won’t rule anything out.”
Meanwhile today has been a tough day for the defending champion GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, Jockey Paul Townend, aboard runner-up , admitted his mount never looked fully comfortable. “I was never really confident on him today. Maybe the quicker ground didn’t help, but no excuses—we were beaten by a younger, stronger horse. He’s tried his heart out, and he doesn’t owe us anything.” Townend said.
Trainer Willie Mullins echoed the sentiment and said, “He was never happy in the race until the fourth-last. He jumped too big, wasn’t traveling as he normally does, and never got into his rhythm. He’s still run a fine race, but it just wasn’t his day.”
Meanwhile GENTLEMANSGAME trained by Mouse Morris delivered a career-best effort to finish third, while MONTY’S STAR, trained by Henry de Bromhead, finished fourth despite encountering trouble mid-race.
