After a memorable weekend of Grade One steeplechasing in both Britain and Ireland, the Cheltenham Gold Cup has a new favourite in Fact To File, and the possibility that there will be a British-trained winner of jumping’s showpiece event in 2025 – or in the 2020s, full stop – seems increasingly remote.
If courage alone were enough to win a Gold Cup, then both Royale Pagaille and Grey Dawning, the one-two in Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock, would go to the festival in March as obvious candidates. Their see-sawing, slow-motion battle over the final two fences at Haydock was a compelling spectacle for the packed stands, and a much-needed boost for fans and professionals alike after the miserable scenes at Cheltenham six days earlier.
