Superb Quevega treads in Golden Miller’s Festival footsteps

She threaded her way through the field before storming up the punishing final hill to become the meeting’s first five-time winner since Dorothy Paget’s legendary Golden Miller monopolised the Gold Cup in the 1930s.

The bravest win of her record-breaking career, Quevega’s victory in the OLGB Mares’ Hurdle completed a 27-1 treble for the unstoppable Walsh and Mullins combination that also saw Hurricane Fly became the first horse to regain the Stan James Champion Hurdle since Comedy Of Errors in 1975.

While bookmakers counted their substantial losses, these successes warmed the hearts of a packed crowd who braved the Arctic conditions which had left the meeting in jeopardy thanks to a -12C wind chill on Monday night that penetrated the frost covers.

Today’s Cheltenham card, featuring Sprinter Sacre’s date with destiny in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, will have to pass an 8am inspection.

But even Sprinter Sacre will have to be at the peak of his powers to match the brilliance of Quevega, who was almost knocked off her feet at the top of the hill before regaining her balance under Walsh, whose earlier win on Champagne Fever in the opener, outbattling his great rival AP McCoy on My Tent Or Yours in a thriller, set the tone for a momentous day.

“We were very, very lucky,” said Walsh with characteristic modesty.

“I’m not sure if she stood on herself or clipped heels with something else, but she was on the floor at the top of the hill – she nodded and I nearly fell over her ears.

“When she stood back up then the boys were gone and I had to sit and suffer down the hill, but she has a tremendous little engine.

“She has a wonderful attitude and you’d have to say she’s trained by a genius. In fairness to her, she jumped the last and, my, did she battle. I would have won very easily but for what happened at the top of the hill – when your luck is in, your luck is in.”

In many respects Quevega’s victory for the Mullins stable eclipsed the earlier success of Hurricane Fly because she is a horse that people have taken to their hearts.

She normally runs twice a year, at Cheltenham and Punchestown, because of her fragile temperament and now joins the pantheon of Festival greats.

Furthermore, racing enthusiasts realise that it takes a great training performance just to get a horse to Cheltenham for five Festivals, let alone winning on each visit.

“Once the last hurdle opened up for her you could see her putting her head down and you knew if she jumped the last she was going to make it,” said Mullins.

“She’s very good – very precious. To be associated with a horse that wins five times at the Festival, you don’t dream of those things.

“I used to read about horses like Golden Miller in those racing books when I was young, but those horses are once in a lifetime – once in a century. I’m privileged to be part of it.”

Big-hearted Hurricane Fly turns on style: Page 21.