Cheltenham as it happened: Native River wins the Gold Cup in thrilling finish ahead of Might Bite
Follow the latest from the final day at the Cheltenham Festival
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Your support makes all the difference.The final day of the Cheltenham Festival saw all eyes on the Gold Cup as Might Bite was beaten in a thrilling finish by 5/1-shot Native River, with Colin Tizzard preventing rival Nicky Henderson from recording a famous Cheltenham treble.
Henderson has already trained the winners of the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase in Buveur d’Air and Altior respectively, with De Boinville riding the latter to victory after Barry Geraghty won the former.
De Boinville returned to the saddle on 4/1 favourite Might Bite for the Gold Cup at 15:30, with Henderson bidding to become the first trainer in history to win the Cheltenham treble, and his bid wass made that little bit easier in the absence of last year’s runner-up Minella Rocco as well as Double Shuffle and Shantou Flyer.
But after leading from the get-go with Might Bite right on his tail, the Tizzard-trained Native River stayed at the front from start to finish to record a brilliant victory, holding off the favourite as they raced to the line.
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What time does it start?
The action begins from 13:30, with the Gold Cup set to start at 15:30.
Where can I watch it?
The full week will be shown live on ITV from 13:00 each day, with coverage also shown live on the ITV Hub online and on their app. There will also be a preview for each day with The Opening Show from 09:30.
Next up for you we've got the Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle. That gets underway at 14:10 and we'll have the latest odds for you in just a few moments.
Bookies bash the punters in Gold Cup day opener
Bookmakers enjoyed a monumental win on the first race, with Apple’s Shakira failing to even place.
Apple’s Shakira accounted for 32.3% of bets in the market, but amazingly, no less than 58.4% of all STAKES.
The six-year-old was among the best-backed horses heading into today’s action, with a plethora of accumulators being wiped out in the process.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “Apple's Shakira failed to justify the piqued market interest, which net the bookies a tidy profit on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.
“Farclas romped home to victory, piling on more misery for British racing as Ireland dominate the week.”
Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle latest odds
- Bleu Et Rouge – 9/1
- Flying Tiger – 10/1
- Duca De Thaix – 11/1
- Whiskey Sour – 12/1
- Spiritofthegames – 12/1
- Meri Devie – 14/1
- Ben Dundee – 14/1
- Sandsend – 14/1
- Smaoinemh Alainn – 16/1
- Chesterfield – 20/1
- Lagostovegas – 20/1
- A Hare Breath – 25/1
- Moon Racer – 25/1
- William H Bonney – 28/1
- Brelade – 33/1
- Ivanovich Gorbatov – 33/1
- Jenkins – 40/1
- Mohaayed – 33/1
- Le Richebourg – 40/1
- Divin Bere – 50/1
- Sternrubin – 50/1
- Remuiluc – 66/1
- Tigris River – 66/1
- All Set to Go – 125/1
Odds from Oddschecker
Jack Kennedy celebrates after riding Farclas to victory in the JCB Triumph Hurdle
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