Cheltenham review

Imperial Commander stormed up the hill to claim the Gold Cup at Cheltenham from Denman as Kauto Star crashed out in the Festival highlight.

Paddy Brennan gave the gelding a confident ride and took it up two from home from Denman.

The 7/1 shot pulled away from his rival before the last and kept up the gallop all the way to the line to score by seven lengths for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Kauto Star fell four from home after making a bad mistake earlier and was under

pressure at the time.

Brennan said: "It's by far the best day of my life. I'm speechless. It was a dream the whole way. I’ve just got to take time to thank my boss (Twiston-Davies). He's the best boss ever - he's produced two horses this week (Imperial Commander and Champion Hurdle runner-up Khyber Kim) and I just had had to steer them."

Twiston-Davies said: "It's absolutely superb."I thought Kauto was in trouble some way out before he fell.

"All the hacks (press) were saying he didn't stay so we'll go for the Ryanair next year!

He added, "It's just absolutely brilliant. It's been very hard for us sat there with the third-favourite when all the talk was about Kauto and Denman but we always knew we were going to win."

Denman's jockey McCoy said: "When we came down the hill he (Imperial Commander) was going a bit better than me. I hoped he might stop but that's not the way it turned out."

Walsh said of Kauto Star: "You cannot afford to make mistakes like that in Grade One company. The winner made a mistake in the King George and that was him done. I made a mistake and we were down. That's the way it goes in racing. Thankfully, he cantered back down fresh as a daisy, not a bother on him."

On what was a great day for Twiston-Davies, he doubled up in the Christie’s Foxhunters with Baby Run and both he and Brennan rounded off a fantastic day, when Pigeon Island came home best of all to win the Grand Annual.

Katie Walsh partnered her second winner of the week, when the 20/1 chance Thousand Stars stayed on to get the better of Arcalis and win the County Hurdle.

The winner is trained by Willie Mullins and carries the Quevega colours of the Hammer & Trowel Syndicate and he came home best of all, in what was a typically strongly run event.

The five year old was winning for the third time this season and despite a late rally by the runner up, Walsh’s mount had three lengths to spare at the finish.

Thousand Stars was a second winner of the week for Mullins, who had to withdraw Secant Star from the Triumph Hurdle, due to lameness.

Walsh said: "I can't believe it, this is unbelievable, you cannot write this stuff. He hasn't even settled in really."

She added, "I must say a big thank you to Willie Mullins. He has been fantastic to me, he didn't have to leave me on this horse but he did."

Paul Gilligan also had a day to remember after Berties Dream looked a horse of considerable potential after he won the Albert Bartlett.

Berties Dream under Andrew Lynch, sprang a 33-1 surprise in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle to give jockey Andrew Lynch his second winner of the week at Cheltenham.

Successful in the Arkle on Sizing Europe, Lynch had to work much harder on Paul Gilligan's seven-year-old.

Gilligan said: "This is my first runner at the Festival and it's unbelievable. People totally ignored his form as he ran a great race against War Of Attrition last time. He's a super horse and it was a super ride by Andrew as well."

He concluded, "money can't buy a feeling like this. He always runs a good race and we did think we were coming here with a chance, although you never think you're going to win at Cheltenham."

Soldatino, a 6/1 shot, credited Barry Geraghty with his third winner of the festival when the grey got on top inside the last half furlong to deny Barizan, who made a brave attempt to make all the running, in the Triumph Hurdle.

The runner up was a good fifteen lengths clear on the approach to the home straight and held a three length advantage on the approach to the last.

Johnny Farrelly partnered one of the biggest winners of his career, when he guided Pause And Clause to a game success in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey's Hurdle.

A mistake at the second last didn’t help his cause, but to his credit the 14/1 chance found plenty on the run in to beat Radium by three and a half lengths for trainer Emma Lavelle.