Cheltenham Festival bares its teeth at last as El Fabiolo comes unstuck in Champion Chase

The Festival of sure things continued, until El Fabiolo.

Sent off at 2/9 in the absence of Jonbon, a non-runner due to the Nicky Henderson yard being under a cloud, this strapping seven-year-old was considered by the market to be the banker of all the Willie Mullins bankers.

After Gaelic Warrior at 2/1, State Man at 2/5, Lossiemouth at 8/13, Ballyburn at 1/2 and Fact To File at 8/13, the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase looked little more than a formality for the thriving El Fabiolo, sent off the shortest of the lot, but here was a timely reminder that this is a sport and anything can happen.

After the Mullins machines roared their way through to the mid-point of day two, it didn’t feel like that, but the Champion Chase is a different beast. It tests jumping – the name of the game – like no other race. And El Fabiolo simply wasn’t up to it.

The warning signs were there before he was pulled up after the worst of his errors; he was sluggish over his fences and you don't win Champion Chases like that.

If not Mullins, it made perfect sense that it was Henry De Bromhead. He used to be known for being a bit of a specialist with two-mile chasers, before he became good at everything, and Captain Guinness, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, put in a terrific round of jumping to seal his trainer’s fourth Champion Chase.

Like Sizing Europe, Special Tiara and Put The Kettle On before him, it was his pinpoint accurate fencing that got the job done for him here, Blackmore keeping him up to his work after he had flown over the last. Only idling up the hill offered brief drama as Gentleman De Mee, Mullins’ second string, kept him honest on the run for the line.

As Blackmore came into the winners’ enclosure, beaming smile, high fives for the Captain Guinness crew, Paul Townend held court as El Fabiolo’s team listened in on his disappointing debrief. He hasn’t had many of those this week.

Mullins, delighted to see El Fabiolo walk away unscathed, shared a joke with Tony Bloom, no doubt wondering what might have happened had Energumene, last year’s 10-length winner over Captain Guinness, been fit enough to try and retain his crown.

But Wednesday’s feature was about De Bromhead and he said afterwards: “I’d need to see [where El Fabiolo made a bad mistake and was subsequently pulled up] it again, but Captain Guinness absolutely winged the first few fences, and I just wondered, did he question the favourite a little bit? But I could be wrong. And then the race completely opened up and it was incredible.

“We’ve always said he deserved to win a Grade One so much, and to win this is incredible, so expectations, whenever there’s an odds-on shot.. It’s a horse race, you know?”

It is horse racing and Captain Guinness’ success was a welcome reminder of that as we took a brief interval from Willie’s world of domination. It wasn’t long until we were back in the bubble.

Earlier in the day ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ blared out over the public address system as a gloved-up Mullins celebrated his Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle success with the brilliant Ballyburn, who sauntered to a 13-length win - like he’s the next big thing.

“To me, that was a Champion Hurdle performance,” said Mullins.

“It was really, really spectacular. With his size, scope and pedigree our owners might decide to go chasing with him next year, I don’t know. But with that performance he can go anywhere.”

Then there was Fact To File, ‘Frank The Tank’ to his mates, who seemed to sleepwalk his way into contention for the Brown Advisory, before easily asserting for a three-and-three-quarter length verdict - like he’s the next big thing.

“That was very impressive,” said Mullins. “It was a Gold Cup performance potentially, but he’s been like that since the day he came into the yard.”

With Fact To File number 99 on the list of Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival winners, it seemed likely the Festival of sure things would deliver number 100 in the Coral Cup (with 5/1 chance Sa Majeste), or the Champion Chase, or the Grand Annual (with 13/2 chance Saint Roi).

Alas, it happened in the final race, the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, son Patrick circling the field aboard 9/2 chance Jasmin De Vaux, to deliver the century in timely fashion. A remarkable achievement and quite apt it ended up being a family affair. And quite apt it was in the double green colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, too, owners of fallen hero El Fabiolo.

Mullins said: “I thought my lifetime achievement was when I had a winner here in Cheltenham in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle back in 1995 and who ever dreamt any trainer, never mind me, could do it.

“For Patrick to do it makes it very special and to do it for one of my biggest owners, as well."

While Mullins couldn’t land a blow in the handicaps, Dan Skelton landed an audacious day-two double in the Coral Cup and Grand Annual with Langer Dan and Unexpected Party.

Two weeks ago Nick Luck asked BHA hurdles handicapper Andrew Mealor if the Skeltons were laughing at him having got Langer Dan down to a mark of 141 in time for Cheltenham – the exact same mark he won the exact same race off last year.

The answer was yes, Harry Skelton literally laughing as he walked back in on Langer Dan, a 13/2 chance, having been sent off 40/1, 40/1 and 66/1 in his last three races. The merriment was back a few hours later when Unexpected Party enjoyed his first handicap since the Paddy Power Gold Cup as he romped home in the Grand Annual.

“Just in the last few weeks he’s started to come alive,” said Skelton of Langer Dan, straight faced. “After two winners we’re going to go and have an expected party now!”

The Mullins century, the Skelton double, the (Captain) Guinness will flow. Just not for backers of El Fabiolo, the Festival baring its teeth at last, just when it looked like the good things could not be stopped.

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