Cromwell goes back to back as Keane strikes in Bumper
On day two at Cheltenham, Gavin Cromwell won the Cross Country Chase for a second year in a row as Colin Keane and Noel Meade partnered up to win the Champion Bumper.
Colin Keane can add Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey to his incredible CV after he guided The Mourne Rambler to glory in this year's Champion Bumper. Meade and Keane have had plenty of success together on the flat and it was a shrewd move by the Castletown trainer to book the Trim jockey for the ride.
The 15/2 shot travelled strongly into the straight and looked to have plenty in hand at the line as he scored by two and three-quarter lengths.
Gavin Cromwell trained the winner of the Cross Country for a second year in a row, but not with the horse that most expected. Last year's winner Stumptown was expected to perform well again this year, as was the favourite, Gordon Elliott's Favori De Champdou.
However, it was the 7/1 shot Final Orders under Conor Stone-Walsh who spoiled the party for the top two in the market.
It was a first winner at the festival for jockey Stone-Walsh and he kept his mount prominent throughout before the pair recorded a two-and-a-quarter-length triumph.
“The closer we got to the race and the more the ground dried I thought it would play to Final Order’s strengths, but at the same time Stumptown is so good around here. The ground had just gone quick enough for him,” said Gavin Cromwell to the press.
“I knew conditions would really suit Final Orders and Conor was very good on him. He ran really well on Trials day, but his wind was not as good on the softer ground and we actually gave him a little wind surgery after that. We were very confident he was in great form coming here and it worked out great.”
Two young Meath trainers came so close to victory in the penultimate race on the card. Cian Collins and Ian Donohue trained the second and third-placed horses in the Grand Annual.
Collins can feel the most aggrieved out of the pair as his horse Jazzy Matty, who won the race last year, was only beaten a nose by Martator in a photo finish. Donoghue’s Break My Soul finished three-quarters of a length behind in third.