Ruby lands the Gold Cup in Irish 123

Irish jockey Ruby Walsh riding Kauto Star has won the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. The 5-4 favourite, the highest-rated chaser since Desert Orchid, won his sixth race of the season in a pulsating renewal, with his only scare coming with a slight error at the last. The seven-year-old beat Exotic Dancer, with 40-1 chance Turpin Green back in third. Fellow Irish jockey Tony McCoy stalked Kauto Star all the way on Exotic Dancer but he could not match the market leader's impressive turn of foot where it mattered and finished two and a half lengths in arrears. Turpin Green ran a huge race for yet another Irish jockey Tony Dobbin the same distance back, but the race was all about Kauto Star and he was always going to win if he safely negotiated the final fence.

His Trainer said: 'All the talk about his jumping has been a load of rubbish, why couldn't people just concentrate on the fact he had won all his five races this season, Ruby knew what he had to do and I just told him to go out there and do what you do best. I told him to just have faith in him and that is what he did.

Ruby Walsh: 'He got there easily enough, there was just a little doubt about whether he would get home or not, but thankfully he did. I didn't notice his mistake at the last! "I completely forgot about all the pressure during the race, despite everybody having an opinion on Kauto Star. That is the greatest race and he has won it easily. People have been asking if he would stand up or not, but he has proved it under pressure now and landed a #1million bonus in the process.'

Exotic Dancer's Irish trainer Jonjo O'Neill was magnanimous in defeat, saying: 'He ran a blinder. We were beaten by a better horse.
"Tony rode him like he does all the time. The winner is a very, very good horse. There is always Liverpool now, but we'll have a think and try again next year.'

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Ruby lands the Gold Cup in Irish 123