Minella Indo is the best Cheltenham Gold Cup winner since Don Cossack in 2016 according to Timeform, who have allocated a provisional rating of 175 to Friday's big-race hero.
The eight-year-old led home A Plus Tard in a one-two for trainer Henry de Bromhead, with previous Gold Cup winners in Al Boum Photo and Native River completing the frame .
Timeform chase handicapper Phil Turner said: “It was a proper race, with a decent gallop ensuring that the cream rose to the top and the form has a very solid look to it – which isn’t something you could say about last year’s messy renewal!”
“Minella Indo has long promised this sort of performance – after all, it’s worth remembering he holds a three-one lead in his head-to-head record with Allaho, who became Timeform’s highest-rated (178) jumper in training on the back of yesterday’s runaway success in the Ryanair Chase.”
“In some ways, his campaign mirrors that of See More Business back in 1998/99, who spent much of the winter as his stable’s main Cheltenham Gold Cup hope but ended up its second string on the day after a mid-season blip. See More Business went on to enjoy a lengthy career at the top, of course, and Minella Indo is well positioned to do likewise – this performance certainly doesn’t look a flash in the pan and it would be great for the sport should he meet Allaho again somewhere down the road.”
A Plus Tard is now up to a Timeform rating of 174, having built on the form of his Savills Chase win over Christmas, whilst Al Boum Photo (170) emerged with plenty of credit despite failing to complete a hat-trick of Gold Cup wins.
“Al Boum Photo arguably ran even better in defeat than for either of his Gold Cup wins,” Turner explained. “He’s proved a model of consistency in recent years and comprehensively saw off all of those horses he’d met before.”
“Alas, he just proved vulnerable up against a couple of up-and-coming younger rivals. He finished a place higher than L’Escargot did when bidding for his own Gold Cup hat-trick back in 1972, but minor placings may be the best he can hope for from now on – particularly when you consider this season’s star novices Monkfish and Envoi Allen could be joining the likes of Minella Indo and A Plus Tard in next year’s Gold Cup field.”
