The history books record that the 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup was won by the 15/8 favourite Dawn Run, trained by Paddy Mullins and ridden by Jonjo O’Neill, but younger readers may ask, with some justification, ‘So what?’ Well, it would be fair to say that the bare result in no way does justice to what turned out to be a monumental event in the history of National Hunt racing.
Two years previously, Dawn Run had justified odds-on favouritism in the Champion Hurdle, under O’Neill, but despite making a winning start to her steeplechasing career at Navan in November, 1984, missed her intended target at the 1985 Cheltenham Festival, the Sun Alliance Chase, with ligament damage. Consequently, when she returned to the Festival in 1986, she had raced just five times over fences and unseated her regular jockey, Tony Mullins, in her preparatory race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Holsten Distributors Chase – now the Cotswold Chase – two months previously.
In the Cheltenham Gold Cup itself, Dawn Run was controversially reunited with O’Neill and, despite her inexperience, was sent off an optimistic favourite in a vintage renewal of the Blue Riband event. The opposition included first three home in the 1985 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Forgive ‘N Forget, Righthand Man and Earls Brig, the first three home in the 1985 King George VI Chase, Wayward Lad, Combs Ditch and Earls Brig, again, and the Welsh National winner, Run And Skip.
Dawn Run led over the second-last fence, but was joined, and passed, by Wayward Lad and Forgive ‘N Forget on the run to the final fence and, briefly, looked booked for third place at best. The veteran Wayward Lad took a two-length lead on the run-in, which he held until 50 yards or so from the winning post but, switched to the centre of the course and galvanised by O’Neill, Dawn Run overhauled the tiring leader to win by a length in record time. Thus, she became the first horse in history to complete the Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double. For the record, Forgive ‘N Forget finished third, a further 2½ lengths away.