CHELTENHAM — Don Cossack won the Gold Cup Friday as novice rider Victoria Pendleton, a double Olympic cycling gold medalist, silenced her critics with a fifth-placed finish in the amateur race around the same Cheltenham course.
In an Irish sweepstake of chasing's blue riband race, fancied Cue Card went down at the third-last fence, allowing Don Cossack, the top-rated chaser ridden by Bryan Cooper and owned by Ryanair's Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown Stud, to accelerate away for a convincing victory.
Djakadam, with Ruby Walsh on board, came in second for a second consecutive year, with Don Poli, also owned by O'Leary, in third.
"I've died and gone to heaven!" said O'Leary. "Unusually, there was never a moment's worry and he jumped like a stag.
"He doesn't have many gears, just one pace, but it's a high cruising pace. Bryan gave him a masterful ride. He had him in the right place all the way."
O'Faolains Boy and Smad Place set the early quick pace around two circuits of the Cheltenham course as the field quickly strung out with 22 fences to negotiate.
After one circuit, Smad Place found itself out on its own but was soon reeled in and with eight to jump, there was a lead group of five also including Don Cossack, Djakadam, Don Poli and Cue Card.
Cue Card, trained by dairy farmer Colin Tizzard, briefly challenged but then went down hard within sight of the finish after a badly misjudged jump.
The horse could have won his owners a £1 million ($1.45m) bonus if he had added the Gold Cup to this season's wins at Haydock and Kempton.
As it was, Cooper saw his chance and drove Don Cossack into a lead he would never relinquish, with two-time winner Walsh unable to press on Djakadam.
Cue Card's trainer Tizzard said his horse was "absolutely fine". "He's walked back in here with a bit of grass between his ears but without a care in the world.
"You're flat out in a Gold Cup and these things happen. It was a hell of a mistake and Paddy's (jockey Brennan) had a fair whack - all you can say is thank God he's got up and he's come back here with not a care in the world."
Following the Gold Cup came the sideshow of Pendleton, who had never sat on a horse this time last year but was racing the amateur Foxhunters Chase.
On The Fringe, ridden by Nina Carberry, won the race around the same three-mile two-furlong course, with Pendleton coming in a remarkable fifth.
Pendleton's 25-1 Pacha Du Polder sat at the back of the 23-strong field for most of the race, happy to plug away down an inside line.
As the field strung out with On The Fringe pushing the pace, Pendleton started picking off runners and came through in a remarkable fifth place on her Paul Nicholls-trained horse.
"It's such a rush, such a thrill riding a thoroughbred over jumps," Pendleton said.
"To be accepted as part of this crowd has just been amazing. I think it's probably one of the greatest achievements of my life — and I hope it's not the last.
"I didn't know whether it was going to be possible."
