Curtain falls on record breaking year for the Irish at Cheltenham

Tipperary top jockey Rachael Blackmore finishes at the festival's leading rider, while Gavin Cromwell saddles another winner on the final day

All this week we teamed up with one of the country's most promising young racing writers, Luke Keena from Ashbourne to bring you his blog from the Cheltenham Festival. we hope you enjoyed Luke's contributions and he steered you along the right path.

Luke writes for theracingstudent.godaddysites.com and also reinitinracing.wordpress.com and his twitter is @Lukekeena1

Minella Indo and Jack Kennedy claimed Gold Cup success for Henry De Bromhead. This completed the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup treble for the irish trainer as he became the first trainer to complete the hat-trick.

Minella Indo led home in front in a one-two for Henry and topped off a fantastic week for the Waterford man.

Jack sat in behind the leaders throughout the race and took up the running on the turn into the straight. His only danger looked to be his stablemate who travelled well up on his outside coming to the second last. Jack got a good jump over the last two fences and had a good advantage up the hill. He started to idle up the hill as he did last year, but he was always doing enough to hang on. A great moment for young Jack Kennedy who has not had the easiest of times over the past few years with injuries, making all those battles with injury worthwhile.

Day four started with the familiar sight of Rachael Blackmore making the long walk back to the winners enclosure as she partnered Quilixios to success in the Triumph Hurdle. Rachael sat on the outside of the leader the whole way around before taking up the running over the second last. Rachael kicked off the bend and never looked back, this brought Rachael to six winners for the meeting and Henry De Bromhead went top of the trainers rank for the week with five winners.

The ultra-competitive County Hurdle went the way of Kevin Sexton and Peter Fahy as they combined with Belfast Banter. A horse that has been labelled as a weak finisher dismissed that form as he showed a great attitude to rally up the hill giving Kevin Sexton his first festival winner. Denise Foster trained the second and fourth home as the loveable Petit Mouchoir for Noel and Valarie Moran followed in Belfast Banter with my selection, Eclair De Beaufeu finishing fourth.

Vanillier made it two from two for Gavin Cromwell trained horses in Grade 1 hurdles. Mark Walsh came in for the spare ride as Jonathon Moore was unable to ride after taking a heavy fall at Naas on Sunday. Mark was never far away from the lead and like many winners this week, he kicked off the turn in and was soon clear. Gavin’s horses have been quiet for the past few months, but they have come back into form at the right time.

It was not until the fifth race that the English hit back, they claimed victory in the Foxhunters as Porlock Bay got the better of Billaway in a photo. The trainer Will Biddick put himself in the same bracket as Emmet Mullins from earlier in the week, as they both have now ridden and trained a winner at Cheltenham.

The penultimate race of the week went the way of the Willie Mullins trained Colreevy, she led home a one, two for the Closutton maestro as he also saddled Elimay. A great duel between the two mares for the majority of the final circuit. It was in the balance coming to the last, but Colreevy battled strongly up the hill with Cullentra's Shattered Love staying on to be a close third.

The trainer's title went down to the final race as Mullins needed the winner to tie the lead and win on the countback on second places and he did just that with Galopin Des Champs .

Sean O’Keeffe took up the running going to the last and was travelling best going to the last. Once he jumped the last, Sean gave him a squeeze he pulled clear up the run in.

Henry De Bromhead may have finished runner-up, but he had a week he will never forget. Rachael Blackmore took the jockeys title for the week after an astonishing performance on the track throughout the week.

National Hunt racing fans eyes now turn to the Grand National meeting at Fairyhouse at Easter, while in the more immediate future the flat season kicks off on Sunday at the Curragh.