On Friday afternoon, Cheltenham’s highly-anticipated Gold Cup race takes place, with Galopin Des Champs coming in as firm favourite at normal odds of 1/2 ahead of Banbridge at 9/2.
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Age: 9
Trainer: Willie Mullins
Jockey: Paul Townend
Recent Form: 1-2311
Career Starts: 22
Career Wins: 14
Career 2nd Places: 3
Career 3rd Places: 2
Career Earnings: £1,644,694
1st Feb 2025 - Irish Gold Cup
1st of 10
Sent off the 1/2 favourite to win this race for the third time in a row, Paul Townend kept him up near the pace throughout the race. He only held a narrow lead before the last but an excellent jump and strong gallop all the way to the line saw him constantly pulling away to win by a comfortable four lengths.
28th Dec 2024 - Savills Chase
1st of 9
Sent off 5/6 favourite in what was seen as a match race with stablemate Fact To File, he led the race from the start. While he had all his rivals in trouble coming round the final bend, it was - as usual - his relentless gallop to the line which saw him pull away from the final fence to win by more than 7 lengths from his main competitor.
24th Nov 2024 - John Durkan Memorial Chase
3rd of 8
His seasonal reappearance, Punchestown doesn’t suit him as well as Leopardstown or Cheltenham, and the two mile, three and a half furlong trip was, as expected, proven to be too short to him. However, he finished less than three lengths back, and his trainer was happy with his performance.
The most successful Gold Cup horse of all time - Golden Miller - won this race five times between 1932 and 1936, but only three other horses have won the race three times; Best Mate, Cottage Rake and Arkle.
A victory here for Galopin Des Champs will see him join this exclusive group of bonafide Cheltenham legends, following his wins in 2023 and 2024.
He is likely to be sent off his shortest odds yet - in the region of just 1/2 (or 1.5 in decimal odds). Part of that reason is his form; he looked unbeatable at Leopardstown in December, recording an RPR of 181.
He loves this track and trip, which really play to this strengths. He has 3 wins from 4 starts at Cheltenham, with his only defeat coming back in 2022 when falling in the Turners’ Novices Chase. At that point, he was 12 lengths ahead and essentially home and hosed. The good news for backers is that, since that day, he has never fallen or unseated during a race.
The other part of the reason is a weaker field that has been seen in previous years. Banbridge is likely to be his main competition, but he could only finish 9th in the Ryanair Chase last year, and he has yet to prove his stamina over a trip this length, let alone with the Cheltenham hill to compete with.
In short, the stage is set for a glorious hattrick for Galopin Des Champs, and a fifth win in 7 years for Willie Mullins.
