The Cheltenham crowd were left stunned on Friday afternoon, as Poniros came through a stacked field to win the opening race of the day at 100/1.
Jonjo O'Neill Jr ran out victorious from the longest odds in the history of the JCB Triumph Hurdle, extending Ireland's winning streak in the event to six years.
Poniros was the first horse to win from 100/1 at Cheltenham since Norton's Coin infamously took the Gold Cup in 1990, putting into perspective how out-of-nowhere O'Neill Jr's triumph had been. Even more remarkable was that this was the first time Poniros had ever run a hurdling race.
The horse was one of 11 entered by Willie Mullins in the 17-horse field, something which earned a salty remark from runner-up Nico de Boinville after the race.
READ HERE: Cheltenham Day Four: Races, Results And Reaction
READ HERE: Cheltenham Tips: Galopin Des Champs To End Hectic Week By Making History
Poniros takes incredible 100/1 Cheltenham victory for Willie Mullins
It's been a tough week at Cheltenham for Nico de Boinville, who was left disappointed atop heavily backed favourites Constitution Hill and Jonbon in two of the week's headline races.
He was yet again left frustrated in the opening race of Gold Cup day, with Lulamba beaten to the win by rank outsider Poniros.
The beaten jockeys from the JCB Triumph Hurdle speak to Matt 🎤#ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival | @MCYeeehaaa pic.twitter.com/2WQYRrCm5D
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 14, 2025
After the race, the Englishman showed his frustration with his remarks to ITV.
When asked if he was satisfied with how his horse Lulamba had performed, de Boinville took the opportunity to throw a dig at Willie Mullins' tactics.
Look, he's a really nice horse going forward to next season.
He's run a fantastic race...fair play to Willie [Mullins] for putting 11 in.
I'll tell you now, I've watched enough replays of it. But [I couldn't believe it] at the time.
The amount of Mullins-trained horses in the field certainly raised a few eyebrows before the race got underway. However, for the second-placed jockey to come out swinging after a race gives off a slight taste of sour grapes.
Poniros is owned by Tony Bloom, the owner of Brighton and Hove Albion FC.
When ITV got to Willie Mullins after the race, the trainer joked that he would not have advised his associate to back his own horse.
I didn't expect that! You asked me did Tony Bloom back him...if he did, it wasn't on my advice!
We were hoping that he'd run well and be a nice horse for next year.
[He'd shown] nothing much. We bought him in October, we schooled him, then gave him a break. We felt it would be better to drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham and that's what we did.
I didn't expect any more than a nice run, we had a lot of horses in the race and they all came here with the same plan. I couldn't believe it when I saw him flying through the middle.
Just unbelievable!
It was indeed a scarcely believable way to start Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, at the end of what has been a particularly wild and unpredictable week.
SEE ALSO: Rory McIlroy Shuts Down Questions After Bizarre Phone Snatching Incident
