Clane's Mark Walsh wins Gold Cup on board inothewayurthinkin to deny Gallopin Des Champs Threepeat

All eyes were on Gallopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup today to see if he could make it three Gold Cups in a row. He was heavily backed by the bookies, everyone was waiting with baited breath to see if he could do it. Clane's Mark Walsh was having none of it though as he shocked the world on board inothewayurthinkin, trained by Gavin Cromwell to come in trumps, beating the Paul Townend ridden horse at the death. Speaking afterwards, Walsh said it's a dream come true.  “It’s brilliant - it’s something you dream of when you’re a kid wanting to be a jockey, winning the Gold Cup and the Grand National and things like that, so it’s a dream come true.

“I had a great trip round. They went a proper good gallop; I had a lovely position. Paul Townend was on the outside on Galopin Des Champs and I noticed early on he wasn’t happy - I noticed by his body language that he wasn’t just happy with how Galopin Des Champs was jumping, so I thought that if I had a clear round I could have a little squeak.

“I didn’t want to take him on too early, because we all know how he stays up the hill, but my lad just carried me there and winged the second-last and went by him, so I just kept kicking because my lad stays all day as well.

“Gavin has done a savage job with him, and Keith Donoghue has done a brilliant job with him at home; he’s done all the work on him, so I’m just lucky to be able to ride him. There was no pressure on me - all the pressure was on Paul [Townend], so I just had to ride the race and if it happened, it happened.

“Thank you to JP for supplementing him - if he hadn’t supplemented him, we wouldn’t have a Gold Cup winner, so thanks to him for that.

“It was a little bit tight coming down the hill from the third-last. I got in Jack Kennedy’s inside and got a clear run going to the second-last. I just knew once he went by him at the second-last that Galopin wasn’t going to come back on him.

“I’d love him to go to Aintree, but the welfare of the horse comes first. We’ll have to see how he comes out of this, and that decision will be up to JP and Gavin.

This was his second win of the day having ridden Fact to File to victory in the Ryanair Chase. “I’m very lucky to have good horses like this one and Fact To File to ride - I’m in a fortunate position. They are two different horses; this lad isn’t a slow horse, but Fact To File has a lot of gears and is a quicker horse than this one. Two good horses.”