Watch HUGE shock at Cheltenham as leader falls at final fence with race at his mercy to gift Rachael Blackmore victory

March 17, 2022

THIS is the shocking moment leader Galopin Des Champs falls at the final fence with the race at his mercy to gift victory to Rachael Blackmore.

Paul Townend looked an easy winner on the Willie Mullins-trained runner – provided he got over the last safely.

But it was to prove his undoing as he stumbled on landing, sending Townend to the deck.

Blackmore, 32, looked beaten in behind but have been praising her luck as she safely navigated the last to trot home to win in the opening race.

Winning trainer Henry de Bromhead: "That's not how you want to win.

"We lose races like that as well and unfortunately it just happens.

All you need for Cheltenham Festival 2022

Cheltenham Festival LIVE – Latest results and tips from day three
Cheltenham Festival FREE BETS – new customer offers
Race schedule, TV channel and live stream info for the biggest show on turf
Piers, Harry and Chris Hughes – read latest picks from our celeb tipsters
Gold Cup 2022 guide – all the latest odds for Friday's showpiece race

"This game is just mental isn't it? Always expect the unexpected.

"We have to celebrate it but we don't want to win a race like that."

Olinger went off 6-5 second-fav while Galopin Des Champs was 5-6 fav.

Fortunately both horse and jockey were up OK after the incident.

Most read in Horse Racing

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL

Sun shining on St Patrick's Day as punters pour in for more action

CHELTENHAM TIPS

Our No1 tipster Templegate's best bets for St Patrick's day at Cheltenham

'LEGEND'

Grand National hero and five-time Cheltenham Festival winner Tiger Roll retires

BLOOM BOOM

Brighton owner Bloom celebrates £750,000 winner as his horse wins Champion Chase

OFFERS OF THE DAY

William Hill: Bet £10 Get £60 in Bonuses – CLAIM HERE

Betfair – Up to £30 Money Back as Cash – CLAIM HERE

Paddy Power: Bet £10 on Racing get £40 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE

Sky Bet – Bet anything and get £30 in Free Bets –CLAIM HERE

William Hill: 18+. Play safe. New customers who sign-up using promo code S60 only. 1x per customer. Min £/€10 bet. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Free bets of 4 x £/€10 issued after first qualifying bet settles. Max £/€20 Bonus. 35x wagering requirement. Max redeemable bonus: £25. Casino bonus expires after 72 hours. UK & Eire only. Additional T&Cs, including free-bet, game, location, payment method and stake contributions apply. See full terms below. begambleaware.org

Betfair – Place 3 x €10 Sportsbook bets on Horse Racing of min odds of 2.0 (Evs) and get money back as cash if any lose. Maximum refund per qualifying bet is €10, x3 refunds available. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

Paddy Power: New customer offer. Place a £10 Sportsbook bet on any Horse Racing market between 15th – 17th March, at min. odds 1/2 (1.5) — get £40 in free bets, valid 30 days. Your qualifying bet must settle before 23:59 March 17th. Only deposits using cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. 18+ Begambleaware.org

Sky Bet: NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY,FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY, 5p MINIMUM STAKE, 3 x £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+ BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG

Blackmore said: "It's fantastic to win but no one likes to win like that and I'm glad Paul and Galopin are up OK.

"Four out I wasn't delighted with him, I thought he would be travelling better.

"I was never going to catch Paul if he stood up.

"Strange emotions but, Jesus, it's unbelievable to get a winner."

Incredibly, some £39,000 was matched on Galopin Des Champs at the shortest odds of 1.01 on the Betfair exchange.

Bob Olinger hit 1000 – which equates to 999-1 – and a total of £10.10 was matched on him at that price.

Blackmore must have some sort of magic hold over this final fence at Cheltenham because it was back in November she won there when another horse in the lead fell.

It what punters called a 'never-before-seen' incident, Blackmore's horse Gin On Lime crumpled on landing like rival My Drogo.

But where as Harry Skelton went flying, Blackmore showed unbelievable balance and poise to get the horse back onto her feet and win.

Blackmore sent fans crazy with her Champion Hurdle win aboard Honeysuckle in the big race on Tuesday.

But she has suffered two nasty falls since, fortunately escaping injuries and with both horses being OK.

FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org