Al Boum Photo: Willie Mullins’ dual-Cheltenham Gold Cup winner retired; stablemate Melon also retired | Racing News

Willie Mullins has announced the retirement of two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo and four-time Cheltenham Festival runner-up Melon.

The 10-year-old gave Mullins his first two victories in the blue-riband event at the Cheltenham Festival, winning the race in 2019 and 2020 under jockey Paul Townend.

In doing so, he became the first horse since Henrietta Knight’s Best Mate to win back-to-back Gold Cups, a feat last achieved in 2003.

He won over £1m in a glittering career for the Donnelly family with three Grade One victories, winning the Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse in his novice chase campaign in 2018.

His bid for a Gold Cup hat-trick came up short in 2021, finishing a good third behind Minella Indo and was sixth in the race this year before finishing third again in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Al Boum Photo also won the Tramore New Year’s Day Chase in four consecutive years between 2019 and 2022, on each occasion making that his seasonal reappearance before running in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He was last seen running in the French Gold Cup at Auteuil, but was pulled up by regular rider Townend after jumping poorly.

Serial Festival runner-up Melon also retired

Stablemate Melon has also been retired, having finished second on four occasions at the Cheltenham Festival, behind Labaik in the 2017 Supreme, Buveur D’Air and Espoir D’Allen in two Champion Hurdles and Samcro in the 2020 Marsh Novices’ Chase.

He was victorious in a Grade Three event at Cork earlier this year, before finishing behind Easy Game at Killarney last month.

Both horses will embark on a new career in eventing, with Mullins confirming on his Twitter account earlier this afternoon.

Mullins tweeted: “Al Boum Photo and Melon retired today. Fantastic horses for Marie and Joe Donnelly and our yard.

“Al Boum Photo gave us two Cheltenham Gold Cups which was very special and Melon was such a consistent performer. We wish them all the best in their new eventing careers.”