Cheltenham Festival Day Three Review: Penhill & Balko Des Flos The Big Winners On A Day For The Irish

Cheltenham Festival Day Three Review: Penhill & Balko Des Flos The Big Winners On A Day For The Irish
19:48, 15 Mar 2018

Penhill and Balko Des Flos starred in another dominant day at the Cheltenham Festival for the Irish trainers, as six winners from seven went to horses from the Emerald Isle.

Tony Bloom, chairman of Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, was ‘stunned’ after his horse Penhill landed the feature Stayers Hurdle after eleven months off the track.

The Willie Mullins trained seven-year-old held a prominent position throughout the race, before battling off Supasundae in front of a packed out Cheltenham crowd.

"We certainly weren't expecting that,” said Bloom.

“It was a marvellous training performance by Willie Mullins, to do that after 11 months is really fantastic.

“I am just over the moon, we didn’t expect him to win but we hoped he could, and this is just amazing."

Jockey Paul Townend added: "He's got a massive engine. It was some training performance. I got there too soon and luckily he kept going.

"He jumped rusty enough early on but when I needed him at the last he produced."

Thursday proved a fantastic day for rider Davy Russell, whorode three winners on the day, including aboard Ryanair Chase winner Balko Des Flos.

The Irish jockey steered home the Henry De Bromhead trained seven-year-old to a convincing four-and-a-half length victory over hot favourite Un De Sceaux. Popular chaser Cue Card was pulled-up.

Elsewhere he battled off Glenloe to win the Pertemps with Delta Work, before riding The Storyteller to glory to complete the hat-trick on the day.

Rising teenage jockey star Jack Kennedy piloted his third Cheltenham Festival winner this year, steering Shattered Love to a seven length victory in the JLT Novices Chase.

The seven-year-old is the first mare to ever win this contest, and has been priced as high as 25/1 for next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Britain avoided the clean sweep in the final race of the day, as Warren Greatrex’s Missed Approach held off a rallying Mall Dini in the Kim Muir.

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