Brilliant Galopin Des Champs completes Irish Gold Cup hat-trick and now 4-6 for Cheltenham Festival
Brilliant Galopin Des Champs completes Irish Gold Cup hat-trick and now 4-6 for Cheltenham Festival
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YOU can’t gift Galopin an easy lead and expect to get away with it at Leopardstown. Willie Mullins’ champ dominated from start to finish as he completed an Irish Gold Cup hat-trick - and he’ll now try to repeat that stunning feat at Cheltenham. There are very few chinks in Galopin Des Champs armour and he is now a perfect seven from seven over fences at his beloved Leopardstown. But he wasn’t made to work hard to get the lead early doors and the writing was on the wall as Paul Townend started to increase the tempo running to two out.
![[Jockey Paul Townend celebrates winning the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Chase on Galopin Des Champs.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/paul-townend-celebrates-aboard-galopin-968376269.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
They were snapping at his heels at the last but, as he has done six times before, he powered clear again on the run-in to the delight of the crowd. As was the case at Christmas in the Savills Chase, his younger stablemate Fact To File weakened after the last and will surely now be aimed at the Ryanair Chase next month. But the Gold Cup is Galopin’s to lose, and you'll do well to find any of the 4-6 left with the bookies for the big one at the Fez.
Mullins said: "Paul has huge faith in him, he just wanted to jump out and keep it simple. He jumped and galloped for three miles and didn't look like he was stopping. "He probably is the best we've ever had. It will be hard to beat Hurricane Fly's record, but this is definitely the best chaser we've ever had. "He goes out from the front and takes races by the scruff of the neck which is probably why he is so popular with the crowd.".
