Irish trainer Jessica Harrington won the blue riband of jumps racing the Cheltenham Gold Cup with her first ever runner Sizing John yesterday to become the most successful female trainer in Festival history.
Sizing John given a superb ride by Robbie Power — who had convinced Harrington he could stay further than two miles — seized the initiative at the penultimate fence to come home clear of Minella Rocco with long-time pacesetter Native River third.
For 70-year-old Harrington it was her 10th Festival winner and added Gold Cup success to the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase while for Power it comes 10 years after he won the Grand National on Silver Birch.
“Absolutely amazing how he jumped,” said Harrington, whose champion had persistently been beaten into second over two miles by the great Douvan.
“This is absolutely fantastic, unreal unreal.”
Favourite Djakadam hit the second last hard when leading and ran out of steam whilst the punters favourite 11-year-old Cue Card never looked like becoming the oldest winner of the race in 48 years and came to grief at the third last — the same fence he fell at in the 2016 edition.
There was early disappointment too for Lizzie Kelly — only the second female jockey to ride in the Gold Cup after Linda Sheedy in 1984 — as she was unseated by Tea For Two at the second fence, slamming her fist into the turf in frustration.
