Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024: Galopin Des Champs wins again for Willie Mullins

It was a return to normal business for Mullins at Cheltenham after a blank day on Thursday as he took Friday’s opening two races.

Majborough claimed the Triumph Hurdle for the trainer’s seventh victory of the week.

The 6-1 winner, ridden by Mark Walsh for owner JP McManus, led home a Mullins 1-2 with Kargese in second.

Absurde, a 12-1 chance who won last year’s Ebor Handicap on the Flat before finishing seventh in the Melbourne Cup, claimed the County Hurdle under Townend.

That sealed the leading trainer title at the Festival for the 11th time in the last 14 years.

Gordon Elliott, the last man other than Mullins to top the standings in 2018, took the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with 33-1 chance Stellar Story as jockey Sam Ewing secured his first Festival win.

It denied former football manager Harry Redknapp another winner with his horse The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling, just edged out. Redknapp savoured success 24 hours earlier with stablemate Shakem Up’Arry.

Sine Nomine, ridden by John Dawson, took the Hunters’ Chase for trainer Fiona Needham.

Needham, clerk of the course at Catterick, had also won the race in the same colours as a jockey 22 years ago on Last Option, owned, trained and bred by her father Robin Tate.

Mullins was denied in the Paddy Power Mares’ Chase as Dinoblue was edged out by Limerick Lace (3-1), who won for jockey Keith Donoghue and trainer Gavin Cromwell in a 1-2 for owner JP McManus.

The concluding Martin Pipe Hurdle went to Elliott and rider Danny Gilligan with Better Days Ahead.