For the best part of a decade, the Gold Cup was the race that tortured Willie Mullins. Five times between 2006 and 2016, he sent out the runner-up. On His Own was beaten by a short head — 0.06 lengths — in 2014. Djakadam finished second in consecutive years. Sir Des Champs had every chance at the last in 2013 before being outpaced. Hedgehunter plugged on into second back in 2006.
Then, nothing. Between 2017 and 2018, Mullins runners fell, pulled up, or trailed in well beaten. The Gold Cup looked like it might be the one that got away.
It wasn’t.
The Turnaround
Since Al Boum Photo broke through at 12/1 in 2019, Mullins has now won five Gold Cups from eight runnings. That’s a strike rate most trainers would kill for in a handicap, let alone steeplechasing’s championship race. Today’s victory by Gaelic Warrior equals Tom Dreaper’s all-time record.
Here’s how it looks:
| Year | Horse | SP | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Al Boum Photo | 12/1 | P Townend |
| 2020 | Al Boum Photo | 10/3 | P Townend |
| 2023 | Galopin Des Champs | 7/5 | P Townend |
| 2024 | Galopin Des Champs | 10/11 | P Townend |
| 2026 | Gaelic Warrior | 11/4 | P Townend |
All five ridden by Paul Townend. Every single one. That’s its own record — no jockey has ridden five Gold Cup winners for the same trainer before.
The Leopardstown Problem
What makes Gaelic Warrior’s win so satisfying is how close it came to not happening at all. This is a horse who simply does not perform at Leopardstown. We pulled his full career record and split it by track:
Over fences at Leopardstown: four runs, zero wins. Second in the Irish Gold Cup last month, beaten five lengths. Second in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase the Christmas before. Third in the Dublin Chase in February 2025. And an unseated rider at the last when beaten at Leopardstown in February 2024.
Away from Leopardstown over fences? Nine runs, seven wins. He won the Arkle by eight and a half lengths. Won at Aintree, Sandown, Punchestown, Limerick. And now the Gold Cup.
There’s no obvious explanation. The left-handed track, the flat finish, the way Leopardstown races tend to develop — something about it doesn’t suit him. Cheltenham’s undulations and that grinding hill clearly do. Townend kept him covered up today and produced him at exactly the right moment, just as he did in the Arkle two years ago.
The Bigger Picture
This was Mullins’ seventh winner of the 2026 Festival, taking his all-time tally to 119 — level with Nicky Henderson’s record. He also completed the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double for the second time in three years, after Lossiemouth won on Tuesday. Only Henry de Bromhead (2021, 2022) had done it before Mullins managed it in 2024 with State Man and Galopin Des Champs.
We ran the numbers on Mullins’ Gold Cup runners going back to 2004. Before 2019, he sent out 18 runners in the race for five seconds, zero wins, and seven non-completions (falls, pulled ups, unseated riders). Since 2019, he’s had nine runners for five wins, one second, and just one non-completion.
The difference isn’t just better horses. It’s horse management. Al Boum Photo was campaigned lightly and targeted specifically at Cheltenham. Galopin Des Champs was too. And Gaelic Warrior’s programme this season — the John Durkan at Punchestown, King George at Kempton, Irish Gold Cup as a prep — kept him fresh without over-racing.
A Sad Postscript
Today’s Gold Cup will also be remembered for the loss of Envoi Allen, who collapsed after finishing the race. A three-time Festival winner and holder of ten Grade One victories, he was due to be retired after this final run. There are no stats that matter in that context.
The Gold Cup giveth, and it taketh away. Mullins knows that better than anyone.