By Enda McElhinney

The Gavin Cromwell-trained star left the hat-trick seeking Galopin Des Champs flailing in second spot last March as he stormed up the Cheltenham hill to give owner JP McManus his second winner in the Blue Riband after Synchronised in 2012.

That performance appeared to suggest Inothewayurthinkin had the world at his feet, but things have gone awry since.

He's set to tackle the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival before returning to Cheltenham and his fans will be desperate to see something positive at Leopardstown on January 31.

Promise in his hurdles days

The Walk In The Park gelding landed hurdles successes at Cork and Gowran Park to launch his career in November 2022.

The Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle was next in early 2023 where he was fourth behind Champ Kiely and, after placing third in a Listed contest at Navan in February, he signed off his first season when fourth behind Impaire Et Passe in the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in April.

Connections weren't for wasting time over the smaller obstacles and, after his summer break, Inothewayurthinkin was to go over fences late in 2023.

Spring double caps first season chasing

The winter of 2023 and spring of 2024 brought some good efforts over fences in Ireland.

He was second behind Imagine in a beginners' chase at Fairyhouse over the minimum trip first time out and then twice shaped well behind Gaelic Warrior over an increased trip, including when third in the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick over Christmas.

That was an infamous contest where Danny Mullins tried to sneak up the inside on Il Etait Temps much to the dismay of Patrick Mullins on the winner.

Inothewayurthinkin, meanwhile, was disappointing at the Dublin Racing Festival in a Grade 3 handicap chase won by Heart Wood, but it was the precursor to a major spring double.

He justified strong market support in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival over three-and-a-quarter-miles and followed up in the Grade 1 Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree, beating Iroko.

Building towards the Cotswolds

His first season in open company brought defeats in the John Durkan at Punchestown, as well as the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, the latter two races won impressively by Galopin Des Champs.

So to Cheltenham, where the reigning champ was 8/13 to land another Gold Cup.

Inothewayurthinkin came to challenge at the second last fence for Mark Walsh and hit the front going over the last before going on to a six-length win over Galopin Des Champs, with a long gap back to the rest.

It was an irresistible performance and, aged just seven, suggested a new staying chase star had taken over."He is just an improving horse. He improved through the season last season. He has improved all season this season," said Cromwell at Cheltenham.

Latest campaign hard to figure out

Since his Cheltenham win Inothewayurthinkin has raced twice this season, in the John Durkan and the Savills Chase, and he has been beaten a combined tally of 94 lengths

Connections have been quite open in suggesting the Gold Cup in March is the only target of significance but, even allowing for that, there are major doubts now.

In 101 runnings of the Gold Cup, just nine horses have managed multiple successes, with just two of the 13 horses who returned as defending champions in the last two decades managing to retain the crown.

It is far from uncommon to find that winning a Gold Cup leaves a significant toll on a horse - with the likes of Coneygree, Don Cossack and Sizing John in the previous decade or so struggling after their major Cotswolds heroics.

The jury is out on Inothewayurthinkin at the moment and the Dublin Racing Festival is set to go a long way to issuing a verdict.

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