TRAINER Willie Mullins isn’t ruling out JP McManus supplementing Fact to File for the Cheltenham Gold Cup – just as the Limerick patron did to tremendous effect with Inothewayurthinkin last year – after the 2025 Ryanair Chase victor galloped to a dominant triumph in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Bank Holiday Monday.
“That was a hell of a performance, both from Mark and the horse,” gushed Mullins. “He jumped from fence to fence and it was something to watch.
“I was wondering whether he would stay the trip going at that pace, because they went a fair lick from the start. He stayed every inch of it and galloped right through the line.
“I think it was one of the best chases run in Ireland or England this year. The class of horse that was in it was fantastic. It turned out to be as good as it looked.
“We had him in the Gold Cup but he was withdrawn, but he could always go in as a supplementary entry. I think that’s what last year’s winner was. We haven’t spoken and we’ll see what happens.”
He continued: “The first thing Mark (Walsh, jockey) remarked to me when he got off the horse was that when he hit the front he pricked his ears, which tells us all that he had more in the tank.
“From the first day he came into the stable he just exuded the fact that he was a racehorse and he’s proved it today here.
“We had so many horses in the race that any one of them could have put up a performance. That was far and above what he had done before.”