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Jockey Paul Townend bounced back from a last-fence fall on Galopin Des Champs in the opening race of day three at Cheltenham to take the featured Ryanair Chase as Allaho ran his rivals into the ground to become only the second horse to claim successive victories in the race.
A 12-length winner 12 months ago, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding was even more impressive as he emulated Albertas Run, the only previous dual winner in 2010 and 2011.
The eight-year-old, trained by Willie Mullins, made most of the running last year but led all the way this time as he showed his superiority with an imperious performance.
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Allaho (4-7 favourite) had Eldorado Allen for company in the early stages with Shan Blue close up until Townend began to turn the screw from four out. The pack tried to close but when it looked like the
Allaho (4-7 favourite) had Erace would be on, Allaho kicked clear.
Conflated fell at the second-last fence when holding place chances, leaving Janidil to give Mullins a one-two but he was 14 lengths behind the easy winner, whose only mistake came at the final fence. Eldorado Allen was three-quarters of a length away in third.
Mullins and Townend had been luckless in the opening event of the day when Galopin Des Champs fell at the last with the race at his mercy, but the rider was delighted to get on the scoreboard in this event.
He said: “Earlier is gone now. I’m okay and the horse is okay, we’ve a good horse and I was lucky in those colours a couple of years ago in the Triumph and I suppose it doesn’t make it any easier but what goes around comes around.
“It would make you wonder why I didn’t pick him [Allaho] last year wouldn’t it? He’s an animal to gallop and jump. He’s just really good. I got into a lovely rhythm on him again, it was straightforward.
“We took our time in learning about him but I think we’ve got there now. That’s what he likes doing, he’s built for it, look at the size of him. I’m delighted.”

Paul Townend is thrown from Galopin Des Champs after the last fence of the Turners Novices’ Chase race during day three of the Cheltenham Festival. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images


Bob Olinger was handed victory in the Turners Novices’ Chase after Galopin Des Champs took a dramatic opener.
Galopin Des Champs looked certain to land the spoils when he jumped the last well clear of Bob Olinger, but he slipped and knuckled over a stride after landing and ditched Townend onto the ground.
That left Bob Olinger (6-5) to come home unchallenged with Busselton picking up the pieces for second place in the four-runner Grade One heat, 40 lengths behind the winner.
Until that untimely exit everything had gone to plan for Galopin Des Champs. Mullins’s six-year-old had jumped exuberantly in the early stages and had Bob Olinger under pressure before the race was turned on its head and the 5-6 favourite crashed out after seemingly clearing the last safely.
Bob Olinger’s rider Rachael Blackmore felt her mount was some way from his brilliant best, even though he added another Festival victory after winning last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
She said: “It’s fantastic to win but nobody likes winning in those circumstances and it was brilliant to see Paul and Galopin Des Champs get up.
“I was happy with him, he made one or two little errors, so there’s definitely room for improvement there, but four out I wasn’t delighted and I thought I’d be travelling better.
“I don’t know if it was the true Bob Olinger today, even coming up the hill it wasn’t the fashion of last year and I was never going to catch Paul.
“It’s strange emotions but unbelievable to get another winner here.
“I think he’s a Gold Cup horse, he’s one of the best in Henry’s yard so I wouldn’t be too disheartened today as I know that wasn’t the true Bob, for whatever reason I don’t know, but we’re lucky to have him.
“The ground might have blunted him but it’s just soft, jumping ground so I wouldn’t use that as an excuse as he’s won on heavy the last day.”

Paul Townend is thrown from Galopin Des Champs after the last fence of the Turners Novices’ Chase race during day three of the Cheltenham Festival. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images


De Bromhead said: “You never want to win in those circumstances,but this game – always expect the unexpected and we’re delighted to win and we need to show a bit of joy as well.
“I was surprised to see him off the bridle so soon, obviously the other one is something else. I never thought I’d see another horse do that to him.
“He made a couple of mistakes so we still have to work on the jumping, but he jumped well on the first circuit.
“He’s still a work in progress, it was still only his third run over fences and he’s won a Grade Three and a Grade One.
“You don’t like to win a race like that, though.”
Mullins reported Galopin Des Champs to be unscathed after his fall and is optimistic about what the future now holds.
He said: “He’s fine. The reins just got caught around his leg and he panicked a little bit and it took a while to get it all sorted. I think Paul is probably sorer than the horse is.
“Paul just said he landed well and slipped on his next stride. We move on.
“I’m very pleased with the performance and I suppose we’re getting used to horses falling at the last around here – first of all Adamant Approach and then Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux.
“It’s disappointing, but we have a sound jockey and a sound horse and we live to fight another day. And I’m sure we’ve been on the other end of the scale as well.
“It’s tough, but it looks like we could have a very special on horse on our hands.
“I’m delighted I ran him in that race because I can go back to two miles now, we can do anything we want with him.
“It has always been in the back of my mind that we could go back in trip with him.”
Third Wind gave Tom O’Brien further reason to celebrate when narrowly coming out on top in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle.
Just days after his wife gave birth to their second child, O’Brien was back to business to add a Festival winner to his list of achievements.
Third Wind (25-1), trained by Hughie Morrison, and Fergal O’Brien’s Alaphilippe battled out the finish after jumping the last. There was nothing between them with Third Wind just proving the stronger in the closing stages to get the verdict by a neck at the end of three miles.
Mill Green was two lengths away in third place with Winter Fog fourth and Honest Vic fifth.
The stewards held an inquiry as the first two came close together but the result was allowed to stand.
Morrison said: “On his day he’s a very good horse and when the rain came, he had the soft ground he likes. We said jump off positively and Tom took the brave route down the inner. He said it was easy, and he didn’t even have to hit him.
“I felt it was a needless inquiry because they hardly touched, and if we’d lost it I would have appealed. It was six of one and half a dozen of the other, and nothing happened.
“Tom said he was really relaxed and loved that ground. It was heavy at Haydock but he’d run a nice race at Warwick, so we came here hopeful of a good run.”