Newmill The New Champion

Newmill produced a surprise in an incident-packed renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.

The eight-year-old, trained by John Murphy and ridden by Andrew McNamara, made most of the running and the 16-1 shot bounded up the hill to land a convincing win by nine lengths from Fota Island (4-1).

Mister McGoldrick (50-1) was third and Central House fourth, with old champion Moscow Flyer an honourable fifth.

Central House led briefly before Newmill took a definite lead after the first fence where French raider Kario de Sormain lost his rider.

That was only the beginning of the drama, however, as favourite Kauto Star fell at the third fence and brought down Dempsey, while Moscow Flyer was badly hampered.

River City and Oneway both came to grief at the fourth-last and Fundamentalist was a casualty two out.

Meanwhile, Newmill was challenged by Mister McGoldrick with the remaining runners struggling.

Mister McGoldrick was brushed aside by Newmill, who jumped the final fence clear and was never in danger of being caught as he gave the Irish their fifth winner of the meeting.

'That was amazing, I can't believe how well he travelled all the way,' McNamara told Channel 4 Racing.

'I thought we could be in trouble but he got his breath back and down the hill he really started to travel with me again.

'I had one look behind before the last. I heard a big roar (when Kauto Star fell) but I wasn't sure if it was him or not.'

? PA Sport