By James Toney at Cheltenham
First came the shock, then came the awe as Lorcan Williams stunned the Cheltenham Festival into disbelieving silence.
Unbeaten Constitution Hill was meant to have the Champion Hurdle at his mercy, but when he fell as the field steamrollered towards home, you could hear collective hearts breaking and bookmakers heaving the biggest sigh of relief.
State Man, the defending champion, seized his opportunity alongside fellow Irish raider Brighterdaysahead but then clattered the last, spilling anguished jockey Paul Townend to the ground.
From nowhere, Williams, on the Jeremy Scott-trained Golden Ace, hit the front, crossing the line in a virtual hush. It’s fair to say there weren’t too many backers at his 25-1 price.
Williams learned his trade as a trainee jockey at Paul Nicholls’ Manor Farm Stables, quickly graduating from point-to-point success in his native west Wales, ditching a promising junior rugby career to focus on racing.
“I’m lost for words. You dream of these moments as a kid watching on television — she’s just a fantastic mare who always turns up and runs her race,” said Williams.
“My agent told me to watch Constitution Hill, and I thought perhaps I might stay on for second. We were there to pick up the pieces, and that was the game plan. It’s just the best day of my life.”
Owner Ian Gosden rolled the dice and told trainer Scott not to enter the Mares’ Hurdle but to have a crack at the championship showpiece with a horse he bought for £12,000 and described as “nothing special.”
“I can’t really believe it — I didn’t even back her,” he said. “That’s jump racing. You’ve got to jump and be there at the end.”
Scott trains his horses alongside his wife, Camilla, at a family-run operation in Somerset, with Golden Ace claiming his only previous Festival success in last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
He beat odds-on favourite Brighterdaysahead that day, so perhaps deserved a little more respect here despite a season that’s been far from eye-catching.
“I’m not sure if this is a dream,” Scott said. “It’s magic. She’s a dear horse, and we’re so lucky to have her. She’s given me the best days of my life — bar my wedding, of course.”
In contrasting scenes, Nicky Henderson was left wondering what might have been after Constitution Hill — the winner of this race two years ago, who missed his title defence due to injury in 2024 — made an uncharacteristic jumping error when it mattered most.
“Everything looked cool, but you’ve got to jump them. It’s just very cruel because he was so good, and we’d waited two years to get back here with him,” he said.
On a day expected to be dominated by four hot favourites, only two obliged, with Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend combining to win the opening Supreme Novices’ with the brilliant Kopek Des Bordes and the Mares’ Hurdle with superstar Lossiemouth. However, their other hope, Majborough in the Arkle Trophy, saw his chances fade after a bad error at the penultimate fence.
Mullins’ decision to aim Lossiemouth at the Mares’ Hurdle rather than the Champion Hurdle attracted some criticism, though he said there were no regrets about the call.
“You’ve just got to look at where you get winners at Cheltenham — it’s not easy, ever,” he said.
“I was disappointed we didn’t have a crack at the Champion Hurdle, but I worked her against State Man the other day, and it wasn’t a Champion Hurdle bit of work, so this was the obvious target.”
