Shark Hanlon: 'On proper good ground Galopin Des Champs mightn't be as good'

Trainer John "Shark" Hanlon with horse Hewick during a media day at Shark Hanlon's yard in Fenniscourt, Ireland, ahead of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival in March. Picture:  Niall Carson/PA

If the betting market is to be believed the winner of 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup will be the same horse who landed the blue riband in breathtaking fashion last March.

Reigning champion Galopin Des Champs re-established his position as the horse to beat when running away with the Savills Chase at Christmas before returning to Leopardstown to get the better of Fastorslow in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival.

However, two days before the Willie Mullins-trained superstar blew Gerri Colombe away in the Savills Chase, fairytale horse Hewick came from the clouds to win the King George for Shark Hanlon.

Hewick famously only cost £800 (€937) and now Hanlon is dreaming the nine-year-old will eclipse his remarkable Kempton feat by winning the Cheltenham Festival showpiece.

And the Co Carlow trainer believes there is a potential chink in the armour of the superstar horse trained less than six kilometres but a world away.

“Galopin Des Champs is a very good horse, he’s after winning on soft ground a couple of times this season and he looks very good on it,” Hanlon said. “But I’d love to meet him on good ground. I’d love to meet him on proper good ground. Maybe he’ll be as good. If he is, he’ll win. But I just think on proper good ground he just mightn’t be as good as he is on heavy ground.

“There’s more than one horse in the race too. Every horse is there to be looked at. Shishkin looked quite good (at Newbury) over the weekend but the horse that was second (Hitman) is only a 152-rated horse and he didn’t run away from him. It’s a good race, it’s always going to be a good race.” Speaking at a media event to promote next month’s Festival, Hanlon cut a relaxed figure under the early-morning sun as he assessed the prospects of a horse who was still in the mix before falling two fences from home at last year’s Gold Cup.

“It's beginning to get exciting,” he said. “I love to see that sun coming, we want that in England more than you want it over here but the horse is in really good form.

“He came out of the King George very well, he'll probably go and do a bit of work in Naas on Wednesday. That's the route he went down before he went to the King George so I'd say he'll go there on Wednesday. He's not a big horse, it's easy enough to get him fit.

“He ran well in it last year and there's no reason he won't run well in it again this year. We might just change our tactics. Last year we made a lot of use of him, but there's no need to. With our lad, you can make the running, you can sit in second, you can sit in last, it doesn’t make any difference. The extra two and a half furlongs in the Gold Cup will be a big, big help.

“He always hits a flat spot and he hit it last year and got crowded on the inside when the horses came around him. Hopefully this year, with a clear round of jumping, he won't be far away. The weather is most important for him.” An ebullient character, Hanlon is embracing the David v Goliath challenge that awaits come Gold Cup day.

“To have a consistent horse like him... it makes such a difference to the yard to have a horse like him here. There's a buzz everywhere. Willie's only over the road here and they're all talking to me so it's great. You could travel the whole world to get a horse like him and I got him five minutes down the road (at Goresbridge sales).” One thing that needs to be resolved ahead of the Gold Cup is the issue of who will partner Hewick.

Gavan Sheehan stepped in to replace the injured Jordan Gainford in the King George while Rachael Blackmore was on board when he won at Sandown last April.

“It doesn’t really matter who rides him because he’s that kind of a horse. Gavin would love to ride him again, Jordan is hurt, I don’t know if he’ll be back or not but I know that Gavin is ready to ride him if he’s not. It’s a good sub to have. And I’m sure Rachael Blackmore wouldn’t mind throwing her leg over him again.”