Don Cossack wins Cheltenham Gold Cup

Omnisports

March 18, 2016 2:34 AM

Bryan Cooper and Gordon Elliott combined for Don Cossack Cheltenham Gold Cup win, Victoria Pendleton fifth in Foxhunter Chase.

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Don Cossack won an enthralling??Cheltenham Gold Cup after Cue Card suffered a??costly fall??and Victoria Pendleton finished an impressive fifth in the??Foxhunter Chase on a dramatic??final day of the Festival.

Jockey??Bryan Cooper opted??to ride the nine-year-old??Don Cossack over Don??Poli after some encouragement from trainer Gordon Elliott and that proved to an inspired decision.

The 9/4 favourite charged up the hill to win what many deem to be the??most prestigious race of them all by four??and??a??half lengths from last year's runner-up??Djakadam, with Don Poli making it an Irish 1-2-3 on Friday as Willie Mullins' wait for a Gold Cup success goes on.

Cooper suffered a badly broken leg at Cheltenham in 2014, but the jockey had very different emotions as he celebrated his first Gold Cup triumph two years later.

"Thank God. It's unbelievable,"??the 23-year-old Irishman told Channel 4 Racing.??"Fair play to Gordon, he stuck by this horse and it was a hard decision [which horse to pick],??but Gordon had him right for the day and he never missed a beat."

Elliott, who also??won the race for the first time, said: "I can't believe it. I've never been so nervous in my life, but I'm delighted for the whole team.

"It's something you dream of. I won the Grand National when I was younger and I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should. I will appreciate this."

Cue Card's??Betfair Chase and King George VI triumphs set up the chance to complete a ??1million??treble at the famous Gloucestershire course, but he fell at the third last after hitting the front under Paddy Brennan.

Double Olympic track cycling gold medallist??Pendleton then proved the??doubters wrong by finishing fifth in the Foxhunter Chase??aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained??Pacha Du Polder.

Pendleton had never ridden a horse a year ago, but the 35-year-old was "overwhelmed" after taking fifth spot in the three-mile race which Nina Carberry won for the second year in a row aboard??On The Fringe.

Barry Geraghty finally got his first win of the week in the opening race on day four under the well-backed Aidan O'Brien-trained??Ivanovich Gorbatov and??Superb Story bolted up to take the??Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle.

Unowhatimeanharry scored in the??Albert Bartlett Novices'??Hurdle for Noel Fehily and Harry Fry and Paul Nicholls ended the Festival on a high note by saddling??Ibis Du Rheu and??Solar Impulse to victory in the last two races.

Ruby Walsh and Mullins were top jockey and trainer respectively yet again despite failing to add to their seven winners apiece for the week, but there was a sad end to the Festival for the duo as??Long Dog had to be put down after a fall in the Gold Cup.

Omnisports

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