News & Media

Galopin Des Champs returns to form in style

The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner romped to a 23-length Savills Chase success

Thursday, 28 December 2023
Galopin Des Champs returns to form in style

Paul Townend celebrates a dominant Savills Chase success on board Galopin Des Champs

Willie Mullins hailed a ‘huge performance’ by his Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs following a scintillating return to form in the Savills Chase.

The seven-year-old had been beaten on his two outings since writing his name into Cheltenham folklore but in the absence of his conqueror on both of those occasions, non-runner Fastorslow, he showed all his class with a remarkable 23-length success.

Conflated made much of the running but was fading leading up to the last, at which he dismounted Sam Ewing, and it was a procession for Paul Townend from there.

Mullins hailed his victorious jockey following a successful change of approach and all eyes will now turn to Gold Cup defences on both sides of the Irish Sea, starting at February’s Dublin Racing Festival.

“It was a huge performance,” Mullins told Racing TV. “I was looking at them coming over the second last, the third last, and thinking everything was still in the race. 

“Then Paul just opened him up and he just galloped. He put what appeared to be a very good field of horses to bed in the matter of a few strides after doing it the hard way. 

“Paul wanted to jump out in front and give him plenty of daylight, when I saw him jumping the first I was happy he’d made the right decision. 

“We’ll let him enjoy himself from now on, we’ve seen he can do it the hard way in these conditions and still be galloping at the end. 

“We had four runners in the race and if any one of the four had won, it wouldn’t have surprised me. He looks to be a class ahead of those and they are good horses.

"There's every chance you could see him in the Irish Gold Cup next and it could make for a fantastic race. It will be a tough race with Fastorslow in there.”

The much-fancied Gerri Colombe claimed second for Gordon Elliott with 80/1 shot Capodanno in third, though neither truly troubled a horse whose odds for a successful Cheltenham Gold Cup defence have now been slashed to 5/4.

Also turning heads at Leopardstown was Elliott’s Irish Point, an emphatic winner of the day’s other Grade 1, the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle.

The even money favourite led home Asterion Forlonge by 11 lengths with Jack Kennedy on board and joined stablemate Teahupoo at 4/1 for March’s Stayers’ Hurdle as a result.

"He was very professional, settled and did everything great," said Elliott. 

"You're always worried stepping up to three miles. It's a nice race to win, we've a couple for that division now and it's a good problem to have.”

At Limerick, the Grade 1 Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase was won by odds-on favourite Gaelic Warrior, with Patrick Mullins holding off a challenge from cousin Danny on Il Etait Temps before an argument between the pair after the finishing post.

"I was trying to get a breather into my horse,” Patrick said. 

“I told Danny there will be a gap down my inner coming to the second last - do not come for it. 

"He hasn't listened to me and luckily he hasn't got the two of us beaten. It didn't matter."

Victorious trainer Willie added: "My son and my nephew trying to kill one another - they won't be coming home in the same car anyway.

“It will make it fun later on when we are looking back at it!”



Back to News List