Gaelic Warrior produced one of the best performances seen in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in years when he landed the Blue Riband event of the Cheltenham Festival for trainer Willie Mullins and owner Rich Ricci.

Under the hands of Paul Townend – who recorded his fifth victory in the race – the pair surged clear after the final fence, scoring by eight lengths.

The eight-year-old is expected to return to the 3m2f contest next season, where he will be bidding to become just the third horse in the last 20 years to defend its crown.

No Doubts Remain About Gaelic Warrior’s Stamina

As a former Arkle Trophy winner, there were some doubts about Gaelic Warrior’s stamina going into the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup. However, the manner of his victory suggests he is an even better horse over the testing distance.

Gaelic Warrior has been installed as the 3/1 favourite in the Cheltenham betting to record back-to-back victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup next year.

Mullins managed that feat with Al Boum Photo (2019 and 2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 and 2024), so he knows the right path needed to get his horses back in peak condition for the race.

This year’s runner-up, Jango Baie, is second best in the 2027 Gold Cup antepost betting, at 7/1. He will need to reverse his form with Gaelic Warrior, but Nicky Henderson’s chaser is just seven years old, so he remains open to improvement over fences.

The Seven Barrows trainer may not even wait until next season’s Cheltenham Festival to take on Mullins’ runner, as the pair could clash at the Punchestown Festival later this season.

Former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin finished third in his bid to defend the trophy this year. That was his best performance of the season, so trainer Gavin Cromwell will be encouraged by the run.

If he returns to Cheltenham in 2027, he will be bidding to match what Kauto Star achieved in 2009 by regaining his crown in the Cheltenham feature race.

Mullins Has a Strong Pecking Order at Closutton Stables

Champion Trainer Mullins once again dominated the Cheltenham Festival. He recorded eight wins across the week, with notable victories going his way in the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Heading into the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, it was expected that Fact To File would be Mullins’ leading Cheltenham Gold Cup horse this year. However, his connections opted to declare the Irish Gold Cup winner for the Ryanair Chase over the shorter distance of 2m5f.

He was eventually withdrawn from the day three contest due to unsuitable ground. The same connections are likely to face the same conundrum next season over which race to tackle.

Grade One winning novices Kitzbuhel and Final Demand are also set to be in the Cheltenham Gold Cup mix next season for the Closutton trainer.

They finished first and second, respectively, in the 2026 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. The two Irish horses have had excellent novice campaigns and are likely to give Mullins an even stronger team to head to the Gold Cup with in 2027.

New Challenges to Gaelic Warrior

12 months is a long time in National Hunt racing, so the main challengers to Gaelic Warrior in 2027 may end up being a lot different from the ones he overcame this year.

One of the horses he may line up alongside is Lulamba. Henderson’s novice chaser has won three of his four starts this season, with his only defeat coming in the Arkle Trophy.

Henderson is a two-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Long Run prevailed in 2011 for the former Champion Trainer, while in 2013, Bobs Worth gave him a second triumph. The Seven Barrows handler will now be hoping Lulamba can step up in distance and provide him with a hat-trick of wins in the most prestigious contest in Jumps racing.

Dawn Run was the last mare to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1986, and 41 years on from that historic success, The Big Westerner could have a big chance of adding her name to the roll of honour in 2027.

Trainer Henry De Bromhead opted against running his mare at the Cheltenham Festival in 2026 in favour of the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse in April. The seven-year-old was very impressive when winning a Grade Two contest at Limerick on her last outing back in December.

De Bromhead will have the option of running The Big Westerner in the Mares’ Chase at the 2027 Cheltenham Festival, but if his Limerick winner continues to improve over the next 12 months, he may find the Cheltenham Gold Cup too hard to resist.

The Irishman won back-to-back renewals of the Cheltenham feature in 2021 and 2022, with Minella Indo and A Plus Tard, respectively.

The 2027 Cheltenham Festival takes place between 16-20 March 2027, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup set to be the feature race on the final day of the meeting.

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