A spectacular meeting for Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins accompanied by some tremendous displays at championship level made for a memorable Cheltenham Festival last week.

Following on from the 2017 Festival where horses from Ireland enjoyed 19 victories, hopes were high of another excellent meeting for horses from these shores and they duly delivered 17 victories. However, the dynamic of the Irish challenge at Cheltenham has changed completely over the last decade and events at Prestbury Park illustrated that to a striking extent as the hopes of the raiders rested in the hands of just a few – Elliott and Mullins were responsible for 15 winners between them.

At times it seemed as though the pair had merely transferred their domestic rivalry to Cheltenham for just a few days against a threadbare home defence. Across the four days the English challenge was a major disappointment but it should be noted that the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup were all kept at home.

Buveur D’Air made it back to back Champion Hurdles but his division has looked especially weak for a couple of years and surely some major challengers are looming on the horizon. Altior looked to be in big trouble at one stage of the Champion Chase but he dug out an ultimately clear cut success in the style of a true champion.

Meanwhile Native River’s Gold Cup victory was nothing short of outstanding and exemplified all that is great about staying chasing.

Trying Tuesday

For the second year in succession Gordon Elliott clinched the leading trainer award with eight victories, which was just one more than the tally achieved by his main owners Gigginstown House Stud. A first day that included a defeat of Apple’s Jade made for a trying Tuesday but Elliott was unstoppable thereafter.

Appropriately it was the brilliant and still undefeated Samcro who got Elliott off the mark for the meeting with his Ballymore Novices Hurdle triumph. The sky is still the limit for this gelding whose position as the most exciting jumper in training is rock solid after his latest success.

Farclas, who shed his maiden tag in fine style in the Triumph Hurdle, is another terrific prospect for the trainer while the bold campaigning of the talented mare Shattered Love yielded a second open Grade 1 when she claimed the JLT Novices Chase.

The victories of Tiger Roll (ridden by long time Elliott stalwart Keith Donoghue) and the very promising chaser The Storyteller were other high points for the week’s dominant team.

Training masterclass

Willie Mullins also enjoyed a terrific few days which contained a myriad of highlights. Footpad’s Arkle tour de force, Benie Des Diuex winning the mares hurdle, a one-two-three in the bumper and Penhill’s Stayers Hurdle victory were obvious highpoints.

Penhill’s return from 11 months off to win the Stayers must rank as one of the trainer’s finest achievements.

Meanwhile there is little doubt that Mullins possesses one of the most exciting jumpers in training in Laurina who was simply in a different league to her rivals in the mares novice hurdle. It is early days for her but she might just progress into one of the great mares.

Elsewhere the week featured a heartening return from Douvan. He fell at the fourth last in the Queen Mother but showed all his old class up to that point and he has clearly returned from a year long absence in fine fettle. It won’t be long before he is adding to his Grade 1 haul.

Top chaser

Henry De Bromhead also made his mark when Balko Des Flos – another recent Galway Plate winner to develop into a top chaser – brushed aside Un De Sceaux in the Ryanair Chase.

This victory provided owner Michael O’Leary with a sought after first win in a race he has sponsored since 2006, while it was due reward for de Bromhead whose team ran with notable credit throughout the week.

Lastly, Pat Kelly sent out his third Cheltenham winner in as many years when Presenting Percy hacked up in the RSA Chase.

Kelly, who has just 15 horses under his care, brought his charge to Cheltenham off an unorthodox but inspired preparation programme and Presenting Percy was turned out in the form of his life to look every inch a leading Gold Cup contender for 2019.