Continuing the script of the week so far, another Championship race favourite was beaten on Friday, with Galopin Des Champs losing his Gold Cup crown.
In a bid for the hat trick, he was only able to finish second behind the superior horse on the day, Inothewayurthinkin. Trained by Gavin Cromwell, the winner was favourite for the Grand National at Aintree and is now a very short price to win that race, though no longer certain to run.
It was a thrilling Gold Cup, the better horses came to the fore, but Inothewayurthinkin was much the best and powered clear to beat the two-time winner.
Cromwell’s Belief Pays Off with Winner Supplemented
Before we talk about the horse, let’s begin with talking about trainer Gavin Cromwell. Go back a week, and this horse wasn’t even entered in the Gold Cup, with the plan being to go to the Grand National, where he was favourite in the betting.
But Cromwell saw he was flying at home and persuaded owner JP McManus to have a go at the Gold Cup, not to be a runner, but to be a contender.
£25,000 later, he was in the Gold Cup as of Saturday, and boy, does that look like a shrewd move now.
You’ve got to be in it to win it. We’ve seen tales of horses avoiding other horses all week, but we’ve also seen horses win when it wasn’t expected because they were there and trying. Think back to Monday, . She did so because she dared to take the big guns on, and this story hopefully shows others the way next season.
What Next for Inothewayurthinkin?
Connections of Inothewayurthinkin were quick to tell everyone they would enjoy the day and leave future plans until later down the line, and it won’t be quick when they give us an answer.
I can’t fault them for that, but at the same time, I think what happens next is perhaps even more interesting than what we’ve seen today.
Will he run in the Grand National? After winning a Gold Cup, you’d not want to risk him, but at the same time, you’ll never get a chance to run a Gold Cup winner off just 11st 5lb in the big one, giving him an unbelievable chance to win it.
If he could be handicapped based on what he’d done in the Gold Cup, he’d have more than a stone extra on his back, that is for sure.
But of course, while Aintree is just a few weeks away, there’s also next season to think about. He clearly needs a trip to be seen to his best, but after what he’s done today, surely he has to come back for the Gold Cup again to try and defend his crown?
Let’s not forget that JP McManus has another Gold Cup horse after Fact To File impressed so much in the Ryanair Chase last season, adding a little more to the equation when they decide to set out some plans, albeit he’s an entirely different type of runner.
I think we can all agree that Inothewayurthinkin was excellent today, fully deserving of his win, and he looks high quality wherever they decide to take him next.