Flooring Porter was the toast of Prestbury Park on St Patrick's Day after landing the Stayers' Hurdle for the second year running.
There were scenes of jubilation in the parade wing as the Flooring Porter Syndicate, which is made up of Ned Hogarty, Tommy and Alan Sweeney and Kerrill Creaven, who are all from Ballinasloe, celebrated the win with a huge group of friends.
The horse was given the name because Hogarty runs a flooring and carpet business, while Creaven and the Sweeneys have traded as publicans and previously owned The Countryman pub in Ballinasloe.
Hogarty said: “This is fantastic. It will never be forgotten. It shows you don’t have to be a sheikh to win a Grade 1! We came here hopeful. The rain yesterday probably didn’t play to our strengths, but it worked out. Danny gave him a right ride.
“We all needed this at home. It’s been strange times the last couple of years and this is a morale boost.
“If anyone had told me we wouldn’t have won again until now I wouldn’t have believed them. The horse was due it, we were due it, the parish was due it, and the country was due it. Hopefully we can all celebrate and drink a few pints on Paddy’s Day.
“The only negative we had last year was not being here. But apart from that what a time we had. This is after bringing a group of people together who are lifelong friends. It’s great for everyone. It’s memories we’ll have forever.”
It was an emotional win for connections after they had to watch the horse win the race from home 12 months ago due to Covid-19.
Tommy Sweeney added: “It’s great to be out here with the lads and everyone. It’s very emotional. There will be porter drank tonight.
“It’s unreal. We were hoping for a good handicapped horse. To win graded races is something else. We used to be thinking Galway - that was our ambition if you ever had a horse to run in Galway - but thinking of running one at Cheltenham was something else."
The syndicate had a huge group of supporters with them, most of who wore scarves carryng the horse's colours, and the Cheltenham winners enclosure saw scenes of celebrations that it rarely if ever saw before.
The jockey Danny Mullins, who is the son of Willie Mullins' brother Tony, was paraded around the winners enclosure on two people's shoulders as Ole Ole Ole chants rang out.
He said: “The reception we got was the stuff that dreams are made of and hopefully we’ll do it many more times.
“These championship races are what it’s all about. The most special thing about it today is the reaction from the owners. They weren’t here last year to enjoy it and it’s very special for them. It’s fantastic to hear the boys enjoy it like that, and it shows it can be done with a syndicate. You don’t have to be in the elite to win at Cheltenham, and that’s the magic of jump racing."
One member of the celebrating party even took a black and white coat from a reporter in the parade ring as punters cheered the horse into the winners enclosure.
Meath trainer Gavin Cromwell, who was celebrating his fourth Festival winner, added: "They’re country people and they’re making sure they’re enjoying it. I have a feeling there will be more than one night of celebrating!"
Irish punters were at the course in their thousands to celebrate St Patrick's Day, with tickets for day three of the meeting completely sold out.
Jack Daly from West Cork was enjoying the atmosphere with friends in the Guinness Village ahead of the racing kicking off yesterday.
He said: "We pushed the Russians off the south coast of Ireland and today Jack Daly and his friends from Germany, Italy, Holland and the UK are going to take the money off the bookies.
"We're backing the Irish. We're backing Mullins all the way, starting with Galopin Des Champs."
Denis Courtney from Cork added: "I'm wearing my lucky outfit. I bought it with my winnings from Cheltenham for the last ten years.
"Imperial Alcazar is the tip of the day for me today and I'm hoping that I have the luck of the Irish today."
Zara Tindall has been at the meeting all week with her husband Mike and wore green yesterday to mark the national day of Ireland.
She said: “I’m wearing green, I don't wear it that much so I'm excited. It's a serious week of planning outfits in general with what the weather is going to do! Yesterday was torrential rain, boots on, trying to stay warm, big umbrella. The sun's back today, it's St Patrick's Day.
“It's so exciting to be back. Obviously the main part of it are the horses and the jockeys and all the support team behind them, but to have everyone back... those horses notice when there's a crowd, and the jockeys. They rise to the occasion. So to have a crowd back for the horses, and when they've won, they know when they've won, so it's great for them.”
Paul Townend didn't have the luck of the Irish in the opening race of the day when Galopin Des Champs stumbled and fell after jumping the last fence in the Turners' Novices' Chase.
That gifted victory to Rachael Blackmore and Bob Olinger, who looked to be well beaten before the fall.
But Townend didn't have to wait long for redemption as he won the Ryanair Chase on Allaho.
The jockey, 31, said after that win: “Earlier is done, look, I'm OK and the horse is OK. We have a good horse [in Galopin Des Champs] and I was lucky in those colours here a couple of years ago in the Triumph, I suppose it doesn't make it any easier to swallow, what goes around comes around.”
Former footballer was gutted when Galopin Des Champs came down in the opener after backing him.
He said: "Galopin Des Champs killed me. I just can't believe it. It's one of those things."
Meanwhile, Michael O'Leary saw his runner, Conflated, fall in the race that he sponsors.
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