Cheltenham Festival 2025: Three things we will learn on Friday 

Galopin. Des. Champs. As history awaits, he's the be-all and end-all to the closing day of this year's gathering

READY TO BOLT: Galopin Des Champs pictured in his stable at Willie Mullin's Closutton yard last month. Pic: Healy Racing

Galopin... 

In the year 1819 there was a horse race run in the general Cheltenham area that was billed as the Gold Cup but the contest that we know, love and will watch raptly at 4PM this afternoon traces back as far as 1924. A five-year-old called Red Splash beat eight opponents to win £685 that day and so secured a place of honour unique in the history of horse racing.