Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Gold Cup feature race on day four - results, updates & commentary

Summary

Cheltenham Gold Cup: Rachael Blackmore becomes first female jockey to win on A Plus Tard (3-1)
Blackmore has now won Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle (twice) & Grand National in past 12 months
A Plus Tard won by 15 lengths after finishing second last year
Minella Indo, the 2021 winner, second at 7-1 with Protektorat third (10-1)
Willie Mullins wins five races on final day of Festival & is leading trainer (10 wins overall)
Ireland beat GB 18-10 in Prestbury Cup, completing a clean sweep on Friday
Paul Townend is leading jockey with five wins
Vauban (6-4) wins Triumph Hurdle for Townend & Mullins

Live Reporting

Gary Rose, Elizabeth Hudson and Callum Matthews

Postpublished at 13:15 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
13:30 JCB Triumph Hurdle
Friday’s opening race could be another for the Irish with the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban and Gordon Elliott’s Pied Piper the two leading fancies.
Pied Piper, who will be ridden by Jack Kennedy, took the honours at Punchestown on the last day of 2021 but Vauban, ridden by Paul Townend, improved for that run.
He was an impressive winner of the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last month for a first Grade 1 win.
On that occasion he beat another Elliott hope Fil Dor, who runs again here while Pied Piper warmed up with a win at the Cheltenham Trials meeting.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Vauban is running at Cheltenham for the first time
Not much in itpublished at 13:11 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
Seven races to go and the Prestbury Cup is a much closer contest than last year.
It was a 23-5 drubbing for Britain last year, but they are still firmly in the mix on the final day.
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'Galvin the horse I would love to ride'published at 13:08 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
15:30 - Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
Sir AP McCoy on ITV: "When you watched last year's Gold Cup you thought that Minella Indo would win another Gold Cup. Looking at today's race, I really like the way that Galvin has been campagined so he would be the horse that I would love to ride this year."
A record crowd - but will it be beaten today?published at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
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'Galvin ticks all the boxes'published at 13:03 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
15:30 - Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
Former jockey Mick Fitzgerald on ITV: "Galvin is a really solid option. He's a Cheltenham Festival winner and he's a stayer, and you need to be a stayer to win the Gold Cup. He is ticking an awful lot of boxes. I've been out on the track and it's drying out out all the time so it will suit the horses who want it drier than wet."
Postpublished at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
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How's the weather?published at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
Image source, .
Glorious. Bright sunshine for almost all of the afternoon and a very pleasant 15c.
Follow on 5 livepublished at 12:54 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Coverage of the final day of Cheltenham begins at 13:15 on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and runs through until 18:00.
You can also listen on BBC Radio 5 live from 1400-1600.
Coming up todaypublished at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
All times GMT
13:30 - JCB Triumph Hurdle 2m 179y
14:10 - McCoy Contractors County Hurdle 2m 179y
14:50 - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - 2m 7f 213y
15:30 - Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 3m 2f 70y
16:10 - St. James's Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase 3m 2f 70y
16:50 - Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase 2m 4f 127y
17:30 - Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y
Eyes on the prizepublished at 12:49 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Hello!
I hope the week has gone well for you so far, if it hasn't there's still time to finish on a high today.
We've got the big one, this is the trophy they are after for the showpiece event and once again the crowds are there in numbers hoping to witness more magical moments.
There's plenty more racing aside from the Gold Cup, of course. Let's see what's coming up...
Gold Cup day!published at 12:44 Greenwich Mean Time 18 March 2022
Image source, Getty Images
Come rain or shine, the crowds have flocked back to Cheltenham Festival this week.
In what feels like no time at all it is almost time to bring the curtain down on the racing here for another year, but not before we have the week's showpiece event.
It's Cheltenham Gold Cup day!