Thursday, March 13, 1986 proved to be a red-letter day in the history of National Hunt racing. It was, in fact, the day on which Dawn Run became the first, and so far only, horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Owned by Charmian Hill and trained by Paddy Mullins, father of Willie, Dawn Run narrowly justified odds-on favouritism in the 1984 Champion Hurdle, under Jonjo O’Neill, coming home three-quarters of a length ahead of 66/1 outsider Cima.
However, prior to her Cheltenham Gold Cup bid, Dawn Run had run just four times over fences and unseated her regular jockey, Tony Mullins, at the last open ditch in the Cotswold Chase – run, like the Gold Cup, on the New Course at Cheltenham – two months previously. Consequently, Mullins was replaced by O’Neill at the behest of Mrs. Hill on the grounds that “He [Mullins] let her [Dawn Run] jump too free all the way.”
The bookmakers took no chances with Dawn Run, who started just 15/8 favourite to make history, despite facing a vintage field of 14 runners, including the likes of Forgive ‘N’ Forget, Wayward Lad, Righthand Man, Combs Ditch and Earls Brig. Indeed, it was one or other of the first-named pair that looked most likely to deny Dawn Run her date with destiny as they pressed on between the final two fences. Wayward Lad led on the run-in, but hung left, crossing in front of Dawn Run, as his stamina his stamina. Asked for everything by O’Neill, Dawn Run finished by far the stronger and, accompanied by Sir Peter O’Sullevan’s famous, if slightly premature, “And the mare’s beginning to get up” commentary, charged past her ailing rival to win by a length, breaking the course record in the process.
Reflecting on the chaotic scenes that followed, O’Neill siad later, “At that time there wasn’t security and I’ve never seen a winners’ enclosure like it before or since. It was wild.”