- First horse to win repeat wins since Best Mate
- Winner holds off Santini in thrilling finish to race
You can’t see the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup from the paddock as he is led back to unsaddle, but you can follow his progress thanks to the wave of acclaim that accompanies him all the way along the rails and then back up the chute towards the entrance to the famous cauldron of a winner’s enclosure.
If it seemed louder than ever here on Friday as Al Boum Photo returned – he was the favourite, after all, as well as a rare dual winner – then it was a reminder too of what will be missing from racing’s grandest occasions if, or more probably when, the experts charged with managing the coronavirus pandemic decide that racing should go behind closed doors. But at least Al Boum Photo and Paul Townend got the reception they deserved, at the end of a compelling and ever-changing race that was in the balance until the final strides.
Written by Greg Wood at Cheltenham
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/13/al-boum-photo-wins-cheltenham-gold-cup-horse-racing-festival under the title “Al Boum Photo wins back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cups”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
