The mare dinoblue produced another Festival victory in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, a result that reframed Day 4 as prep and proof rather than formality. With established names and improvers colliding across the card—including the JCB Triumph Hurdle shock and a packed Albert Bartlett field—Friday’s racing mixed heavy drama with shifting market questions that now extend toward the Gold Cup.
Background & Context: A deeper renewal on the final day
The Mares’ Chase, run as a Grade 2 contest known as the Liberthine, was described by Timeform as a “deeper renewal than usual, ” and dinoblue’s success underlines that assessment. The card also featured a 50-1 winner in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, Apolon De Charnie, emphasising unpredictable outcomes elsewhere on the card. The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle remains to be run, a two miles, seven furlongs and 213 yards test featuring a large field of 22 runners and offering one more narrative twist ahead of the Festival close.
Dinoblue’s win and the deeper implications
Dinoblue’s another Festival victory in the Mares’ Chase does more than add a trophy to a record; it reshapes perceptions of market depth and the balance between established stars and improving handicappers. The meeting has been characterised by tight finishes and unexpected results, and the mare’s success sits alongside the shock JCB Triumph Hurdle outcome. That combination of results suggests form lines from earlier in the week deserve recalibration before the weekend’s feature contests.
On the Cheltenham card, contenders for the big end-of-week races include Jango Baie, Harry Redknapp’s The Jukebox Man and the Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior—names that will be viewed anew after dinoblue’s performance. In the lead-up to the Gold Cup, commentators have previewed five contenders, but attention remains on the Albert Bartlett as one last proving ground for emerging staying types.
Expert perspectives and what the paddock is saying
Dan Skelton, horse trainer, captured the mood in the parade ring when he reflected on the week’s pattern: “The results and the sport that everyone has put on this week has shown that. There have been tight finishes and there’s been some drama. There’s been some expectant winners who have got beat. It has got it all this sport. I felt coming into it that the depth has been better than it’s ever been. We’ve got used to having short price winners. Less and less of that this year and everyone has really embraced it. The crowd has been phenomenal. “
Trainer Willie Mullins’ presence is visible across the card: last year’s winner Jasmin De Vaux famously came from last to first under Paul Townend, and this year Townend is partnered with Doctor Steinberg, the current favourite at 5-2 for a key race. Those connections and results place dinoblue’s victory in a context where experienced yards and front-running narratives are still being tested by improvers.
Regional and wider implications for the Festival
Dinoblue’s win amplifies the sense that the Festival has delivered competitive depth rather than a procession of short-priced favourites. That dynamic has ripple effects: bettors and bookmakers will reassess place prospects in races like the Albert Bartlett and the Gold Cup, while trainers weighing Festival campaigns may reinterpret how their horses match up against late-developing rivals.
Grey Dawning has been noted in the week as a horse whose odds “feel too big” for some connections; with a prior course win and a trainer in form, commentators have suggested he could place, and if he were to capture the Gold Cup he would be the first grey to do so since Desert Orchid in 1989. Conversely, the possibility that a horse such as Gold Tweet could cross the line first remains described as a huge shock—an indicator of the open quality at the head of this year’s contest.
The mixed signals from the Mares’ Chase, the unexpected Triumph Hurdle result and the still-unresolved Albert Bartlett tell a consistent story: depth and drama have dominated, and dinoblue’s victory is a prominent data point in that wider pattern.
As the Festival moves toward its final hours, one clear question remains: will dinoblue’s success mark the start of a re-evaluation of form across the card, or will it sit as a standout in an otherwise predictable finish to the week?
