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The 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured fifteen runners and looked competitive enough on paper, with the bookmakers offering 4/1 the field at the ‘off’. The King George VI Chase-winner Might Bite was sent off favourite, but was closely attended in the betting by Red Mills Chase-winner Our Duke, at 9/2, and Native River, third in 2017 and a ready, 12-length winner of his only race since, at 5/1. Beyond the market leaders, Co. Carlow trainer Willie Mullins – still seeking his first Cheltenham Gold Cup – saddled a quarter headed by Killultagh Vic, an unlucky final fence faller in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, at 8/1, while Definitly Red, trained by Brian Ellison, and Road To Respect, trained by Noel Meade, were also available at single-figure prices.

However, despite the open-looking nature of the contest, very few of the runners featured. Our Duke was particularly disappointing, never really travelling after a couple of mistakes around halfway and pulled up at the fourth-last fence when well behind. Killultagh Vic was similarly tailed off when pulled up between the last two fences and Definitly Red, while completing the course, was struggling a long way out and never threatened to be involved in the finish.

The race was dominated, from flagfall, by Native River and Might Bite, who had a real ding-dong battle for most of the way. Having made virtually all, Native River was narrowly headed by Might Bite at the second-last, but soon regained the advantage and stayed on very gamely on the run-in to win by 4½ lengths. Might Bite was essentially outstayed by his rival in the closing stages, but kept on for clear second-place, 4 lengths ahead of 33/1 chance Anibale Fly, who finished to good effect, but never had any chance of reeling in the front pair.

The 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured just twelve runners, but included Kauto Star and Exotic Dancer, first and second in the 2007 renewal and Denman, winner of the Royal & Sun Alliance Chase at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival and hitherto unbeaten over fences. Of course, Kauto Star and Denman, along with lesser-fancied stable companion Neptune Collonges, were saddled by Paul Nicholls but, even so, the race was billed in some quarters as the most eagerly-awaited renewal of the Gold Cup since Arkle beat Mill House in 1964.

The betting market had a slightly lopsided look to it, with defending champion Kauto Star sent off odds-on favourite at 10/11, ahead of Denman at 9/4, Exotic Dancer at 17/2 and 16/1 bar the leading trio, which brought in the narrow Welsh National runner-up Halcon Genelardais. Once the race was underway, 25/1 chance Neptune Collonges, ridden by Mick Fitzgerald, cut out the running until early on the second circuit, but was headed by Denman, ridden by Sam Thomas, at the twelfth fence. Thereafter, the Presenting gelding was never headed and, although jumping the fourth-last fence less than fluently, soon went clear.

Kauto Star, whose jumping had lacked fluency throughout, gave chase under Ruby Walsh from the third last, but could make no real impression on Denman in the closing stages and had to settle for a creditable second, seven lengths behind the winner. The early leader, Neptune Collonges, rallied gamely from the second last and stayed on strongly to close to within a short head of Kauto Star at the line. In so doing, he completed a notable 1-2-3 in the ‘Blue Riband’ event for trainer Paul Nicholls, who said, “That was brilliant. It’s brilliant for the whole team.”

The 1994 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured the previous winner, Jodami, and The Fellow who, at least for a time, looked destined to go down in history as the unluckiest horse in the history of the ‘Blue Riband’ event. Trained in France by François Doumen and ridden by Polish-born Frenchman Adam Kondrat, The Fellow had recorded back-to-back victories in the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 1991 and 1992, but in both years had suffered agonising defeats in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

In the 1991, as a largely unconsidered 28/1 outsider, The Fellow had been beaten a short head – which was, at the time the narrowest margin possible – by Garrison Savannah. In 1992, as second favourite, at 7/2, in a field of eight, was headed in the final strides by Cool Ground and beaten the same margin. Consequently, The Fellow started favourite, at 5/4, for the 1993 renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but could manage only fourth, beaten 9½ lengths.

So, when The Fellow lined up, as a nine-year-old, for his fourth and final attempt in the premier steeplechase, he was still attempting to become the first horse trained on the opposite side of the English Channel to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was sent off third favourite, at 7/1, behind reigning champion Jodami, at 6/4, and Bradbury Star, who had beaten him 10 lengths when narrowly touched off in the King George VI Chase at Kempton the previous December.

Nevertheless, redemption was at hand for The Fellow; under a well-judged ride from Adam Kondrat – who had received scathing criticism for his effort, or lack of it, the previous year – challenged, travelling well, from the third-last fence. At the final fence, which he jumped notably better than Jodami, he tackled long-time leader Young Hustler, a 20/1 chance trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, and ran on well to win by 1½ lengths from the rallying favourite.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2011 featured thirteen runners, including Imperial Commander, Kauto Star and Denman, who had won the last four renewals of the ‘Blue Riband’ event between them. Favourite, though, was Long Run, a six-year-old owned by Robert Waley-Cohen and trained by Nicky Henderson, who arrived at Prestbury Park fresh from a comfortable 12-length victory over stable companion Riverside Theatre in the rearranged King George VI Chase at Kempton the previous January. Long Run had been beaten on both previous appearances at Cheltenham, including when third in the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010, but was nevertheless sent off at 7/2, ahead of reigning champion Imperial Commander at 4/1 and Kauto Star at 5/1.

Of the market leaders, Imperial Commander was the only one who failed to run his race, weakening out of contention after blundering at the fourth-last fence and eventually being pulled up and dismounted. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ ten-year-old was subsequently found to be lame on his left-fore and in a distressed condition.

Kauto Star, ridden by regular partner Ruby Walsh, attempted to take the race by the scruff of the neck just after halfway and, turning in, was involved in a protracted duel with stable companion Denman. However, the Paul Nicholls-trained pair was joined at the second last by Long Run, who hit the front on the approach to the final fence and stayed on strongly to beat Denman by 7 lengths. Kauto Star faded on the run-in to finish third, a further 4 lengths way.

Victory for Long Run was a first in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for Nicky Henderson and made winning jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, son of owner Robert, the first amateur rider to win the prestigious race since Jim Wilson, aboard Little Owl, in 1981. Furthermore, Long Run became the first six-year-old since Mill House, in 1963, to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.