Until the final day of the Cheltenham Festival trainer Nicky Henderson hadn’t had much to shout about. It was definitely worth the wait as the final day was finished off in style by jockey Sam Waley-Cohen for the trainer.
Henderson had waited for the moment that he could claim a big victory over rival trainer Paul Nicholls all week and Long Run was just the ticket. The six-year-old beat out Nicholls’ pair of Denman and Kauto Star to claim the £285,050 prize that was on offer for the winner of the 2011 Gold Cup.
Last year’s winner, and second favorite, Imperial Commander faded badly as the two greats Denman and Kauto Star made their move towards the end but they hadn’t accounted for Long Run streaking through.
The signs were there for Henderson earlier on in the day as his horses enjoyed a 1-2 in the Novice Hurdle in the minutes preceding the Gold Cup. Bobs Worth took it from the Tony McCoy ridden Mossley after McCoy had earlier in the day been involved in the closest of photo finishes with fellow Irishman Ruby Walsh.
Unfortunately for AP it wasn’t to be as Walsh took it by a hair’s width on board Final Approach to give him his fifth winner of the week. In the process it gave Ireland a record 11 winners at the centenary festival. How’s that for lucky?!
The early race of the day did give some joy to one of the success stories of the week, Nicholls, you’d imagine that he’d have traded it all in for a Denman/Kauto Star 1-2 in the Gold Cup.
It wasn’t to be for Nicholls and after all the controversy his horses have been through this week, Henderson is a worthy winner as any with the six-year-old Long Run.
