Galopin Des Champs' unmistakable quality shines through en route to historic Gold Cup feat

The eight-year-old was sent off the 10-11 favourite.

Fri, 15 Mar, 2024 - 15:46

Tommy Lyons, Cheltenham

Galopin Des Champs’ greatness is assured - alongside that of his trainer, Willie Mullins, and his rider, Paul Townend, of course.

In the 100th anniversary edition of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, run on rain-sodden ground on Friday afternoon, the gallant eight-year-old galloped into the history books as the ninth multiple-times winner of racing’s blue riband.

Audrey Turley’s gelding did so with an unmistakable quality that his rivals failed to match.

The race could hardly have panned out any better, as he sat close to the pace, glided through the stamina-sapping ground, and jumped with aplomb.

He barely turned a hair as one by one his would-be title takers came under pressure, but the loose-running Fastorslow, who unshipped his runner at the 16th, added to the late drama.

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L’Homme Presse led into the home straight, with the loose horse threatening to ruin Galopin’s day.

Gerri Colombe, a strong stayer revelling in the conditions, also threatened, but the reigning champ, ran on resolutely to the line to put his name alongside stablemate Al Boum Photo as a dual winner of the race in this era of Irish domination.

Gerri Colombe left behind his Christmas disappointment with a huge run to finish second, while Grand National winner Corach Rambler picked up third with a fine run.

“Unbelievable,” said an elated Townend, who equalled the record of Pat Taaffe with this fourth win in the race.

“We obviously changed it up a bit this year, but he enjoys doing that now. I got in a good rhythm.

“I rode him completely different to last year and he was just so brave for me. We were kind of in between at the last, and I was afraid we didn’t have enough to go for it, but it was a Gold Cup and we had to. He has just pulled out all the stops again.

“The two times he got beaten we were never really going to win, and I was so disappointed. When I look back at it, I was still there in the finish, and that just shows how tough a horse he is. As I said, we had to go through reserves there that only the really special ones have.

“He was brave the whole way around. The loose one was interfering with us a bit and it was messy, but what he found from the back of the last… He got up the hill last year, but that was a different kind of ride and we’d conserved everything. We did it the hard way this year.”

Though it is not, it seems so long ago now that Mullins’ curriculum vitae lacked a Cheltenham Gold Cup.

In 2019 that wrong was righted and in the five years since, three more have come Mullins’ way, a domination merely mirroring his supremacy in the sport.

These are the heady days of Irish racing, ones the next generation is likely to look back upon in disbelief, and even Mullins will admit that, however easy he is making it look, Cheltenham Festival winners, let alone Gold Cup winners, do not come easily.

Who can forget the promise of Imperial Call’s success in 1996? Or Kicking King in 2005? The six-year-old Long Run in 2011?

They all promised a period of domination which, for a variety of reasons, did not materialise, but Mullins has now done it twice, and is the only trainer to achieve that.

“He is classy, isn't he?” he said of his latest. "We were just afraid of the first couple of jumps - the last couple of years he has come here he has ballooned them a little bit - and this year Paul said, ‘No, we’ll get him out there, get him racing earlier on, and then settle him in and ride a race’, and that’s what he’s done.

“Apart from the loose horse, there wasn’t much worry, was there? You didn’t know which way he was going to go, and I could see Paul thinking he’d like to go on his inside in case he ran off the track into the horse cage and into the stable yard gate, and he took a brave decision going the other side, but it worked out in the end.

"Paul was very brave at the last couple of fences and sent him down to them: ‘Go on, son, you’ve got to jump these two’, you know.

“Paul has full confidence in him - he has more confidence in him than I have, I think - and I can see why. He’s obviously getting that sort of feel from the saddle all along. Looking at it, I can think, is he doing too much and getting into a battle too early? But I think he’s just settled a bit this season.

“He gallops, he jumps, he stays - what more do you need?”

Doubtlessly, Mullins will be dreaming of his charge emulating Best Mate (2002-2004) and Arkle (1964-1966) and Cottage Rake (1948-1950) as three-time winners of the race, but experience tells him nothing in this game is guaranteed.

“It would be nice if he and Fact To File (Brown Advisory winner) both were able to come here next year but, as we know, horses are fragile, especially going over fences...I just think he put himself in the superstar category, to do what he did in the way that he did it.

"I think we have to say, we’re coming back next year to try to win a third one if we can. He has the ability to do it, he just has to stay sound, I think.”