The Cheltenham Festival / Adam Brookes / 11 March 2012 /

Whether they be emotional or financial, everyone has their own favourite Gold Cup recollections and Timeform's Adam Brookes is no different...

1994 - The Fellow
My personal first real Gold Cup memory was dual King George winner The Fellow, the non-thoroughbred trained in France by Francois Doumen, coming good at the fourth attempt in 1994.

A very slick fencer who always impressed in appearance, The Fellow turned in a trademark display to match the 171 Timeform rating he'd achieved when finishing third behind Sibton Abbey and Jodami off top weight in the Hennessy of 1992. Granted Jodami was meeting The Fellow at Cheltenham on 25 lb worse terms 16 months on from their Newbury encounter, but the blinkered victor was in imperious form that day, saving his best jump for the last to seize the initiative.

Such was The Fellow's gigantic effort he was never really the same again, retired after just seven more starts, pulled up in two of them.

1999 - See More Business
Having ironically beat the same horse by four lengths over the course two months earlier, 11/2 second favourite See More Business became one of two horses to be carried out by the injured Cyborgo in the 1998 renewal, but returned to overcome odds of 16/1 a year later to set the record straight.

The reason for See More Business' price was that, unlike the previous year when he came into the race on the back of a hat-trick that included the King George, he'd been pulled up in the latest renewal of that race and then finished a 10-length third of 5 to Cyfor Malta on his two most recent outings. However, ridden by Mick "Amaaazin'" Fitzgerald/blinkered for the first time, See More Business was totally revitalised and produced a strong round of jumping to overhaul rank outsider Go Ballistic at the last, providing future six-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls with his first win in the race that his record now reads four successes and counting.

See More Business was to go on to prove himself one of the most popular chasers in training, blinkers clearly the making of him as he would match or better his Gold Cup-winning effort on five of his next six outings, including running to a lofty 182 when regaining his King George crown nine months later.

Click HERE to watch a replay of the race.

2004 - Best Mate
I'd be fibbing if I professed strong emotional ties with Best Mate, possibly down to the fact that he was relatively elusive in relation to the likes of See More Business, but when he did surface he was a pleasure to watch and his third Gold Cup in 2004 was undoubtedly much deserved.

As alluded to in my Cheltenham Festival A To Z, Best Mate's highest-rated performance actually came when winning the race in 2003, yet the way he extricated himself from an uncompromising position on the rails turning for home 12 months on having looked in trouble for a stride showed real guile and he was undoubtedly the best horse around at the time by some way.

Another who always stood out in the preliminaries, Best Mate was a credit to connections and his determined defeat of Sir Rembrandt, Harbour Pilot and other old adversaries to become the first three-time champion since Arkle will live long in the memory.

Click HERE to watch a replay of the race.

2008 - Denman
There's not much I can say about Denman that hasn't been said already but his Cheltenham record bears repeating at any given opportunity; second in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle, winner of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, winner of the Gold Cup and runner-up in the blue riband for the next three runnings.

Like the aforementioned Best Mate, triumph in the 2008 Gold Cup may not have been 'The Tank's' finest hour figures wise (that came when running to a 7-lb greater 181 in landing the 2009 Hennessy under 11-12 with everything else carrying 10-9 or less) but his relentless galloping when defeating next-door neighbour Kauto Star by some seven lengths was a joy.

Having been a dozen lengths clear at the penultimate fence, his tiring close home was an indication that he had strained every sinew, a trait that was to endear him to racegoers as much as any horse to have climbed the Prestbury Park hill in modern times.

Click HERE to watch a replay of the race.

2011 - Long Run
While some might see the inclusion of last year's race as a bit of a cop-out, there's no doubt that the prolonged scrap between previous winners Denman and Kauto Star, only for the pair to succumb to the final power-packed spurt of young gun Long Run, will be as vivid in a decade as it was at around 3.30pm on March 18, 2011.

Long Run's emergence from promising French novice to the Gold Cup favourite had been rapid, beaten off a BHA rating of 158 in the PP Gold Cup at Cheltenham only five months previously, and despite going off 7/2 favourite, many racefans were still content to side with the old guard amid concerns over the adolescent's jumping.

In the end a few mistakes mattered not as, having dug deep to usurp his sure-footed elders approaching the last, Long Run became the first amateur-ridden Gold Cup winner since Little Owl some 20 years earlier.

Click HERE to watch a replay of the race.

With thanks to flimper1 for video clip.

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