Galopin Des Champs© Photo Healy Racing
Galopin Des Champs joined the list of Cheltenham Festival greats when brilliantly defending his Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup crown.
Having answered stamina doubts 12 months ago, the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs was ridden much handier this time by Paul Townend, as the last two Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winners, The Real Whacker and L’Homme Presse, set the pace.
Townend had edged his way to join the front-runners jumping four out and although the loose Fastorslow threatened to check his momentum as Charlie Deutsch aboard L’Homme Presse set sail for home three out, there were few dramas for the week’s leading rider who looked in complete control jumping to the front two out.
L’Homme Presse and the brave Gerri Colombe looked beaten as Galopin Des Champs (10-11 favourite) approached the last with a clear advantage and he produced the leap of a real champion at the final obstacle before storming up the final climb to finish three and a half lengths clear of Gordon Elliott’s game runner-up Gerri Colombe.
Lucinda Russell ’s Grand National hero Corach Rambler stayed on admirably for third, but the day belonged to Galopin Des Champs, who was scoring at the Cheltenham Festival for a third time.
Mullins and Townend were combining for their fourth Gold Cup triumph following Al Boum Photo’s back-to-back triumphs in 2019 and 2020 and Galopin Des Champs’ victory over Bravemansgame 12 months ago and it was a fitting way to cap a stellar week for the master of Closutton and his stable jockey.
Mullins said: “I think he just put himself in the superstar category – to do what he did and the way he did it.
“The loose horse was there and Paul was just so positive on him. Hopefully we can come back next year to win a third one – he has the ability to do it and we just have to stay sound, I think.
“He’s doing everything right and is achieving more than I thought he could. It was great to win a Gold Cup last year and we were crossing our fingers this year that if we got him there safe and sound, he’d have every chance of winning and he’s just done that. But you can only dream about these kinds of things.”
He added: “He is class. Paul just jumped out and rode a race on him, he was never afraid to have him up there and in the van, just be at the races.
“We were just afraid about his first couple of jumps, as the last two years he’s come here, he’s just ballooned them a little bit, so this year we thought we’d get him out there, get him racing early on and then settle him down.
“Other than the loose horse, there wasn’t that much to worry about after that. You didn’t know which way he was going to go and I could see Paul thinking ‘I’d like to be on his inside in case he runs off the track into the stable yard gate’.
“He took a brave decision going the other side but it worked out in the end, too. Paul was very brave over the last two fences, he sent him down to them and said ‘go on son, you’d better jump these two’.
“This year, we’ve been all forward with him since we got beat in Punchestown in the John Durkan, so Paul was keen on riding him like a racehorse because we could see the other way wasn’t working.
“Last year, I didn’t want that because he was too free and immature, now he can settle better in races and Paul has full confidence in him. He has more confidence in him than I do, I think.
“But he gallops, he jumps, he stays – what more do you need!”
On future plans, Mullins said: “Normally, we’d go to Punchestown with him now, so I’ll have a word with the owners and see. Good horses need to run in big races and I like running them and getting them out – if they get beaten, it’s not the end of the world, they are still good horses.
“It’s different with each horse, but he’s not a horse I’m afraid to race.”
Asked if stablemate Fact To File could be the biggest danger next year, he added: “It would be fantastic if they both get there, but keeping these big chasers sound isn’t easy.”
A triumphant Townend said: “Unbelievable. We had to draw on our reserves there. I rode him completely different to last year and he was just so brave for me.
“We were a bit in between at the last and I was afraid about going for it, but it was a Gold Cup and you had to – and he’s pulled out all the stops again.”
Meanwhile, a proud Elliott said of Gerri Colombe: “My horse ran a great race and I’m very proud of him. He was up against a superstar.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose, but the horse that beat him is exceptional.”
