Galopin Des Champs: Willie Mullins' ace completes Irish Gold Cup hat-trick at Leopardstown
Galopin Des Champs will head to the Cheltenham Festival in March in search of a historic double treble having notched a third straight Irish Gold Cup victory at Leopardstown. Willie Mullins' star saw off Grangeclare West and stablemate Fact To File, who finished second and third.
Sunday 2 February 2025 09:33, UK
Galopin Des Champs continued his love affair with Leopardstown and added his name to the history books by winning a third Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival.
He joined Jodami and Beef Or Salmon on three wins in the race and it would take a brave man to say Willie Mullins' champion will not ultimately emulate his trainer's first top-class horse, Florida Pearl, who holds the record with four.
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A third Cheltenham Gold Cup will now be on his agenda and having briefly looked in trouble on the run to the last, challengers next month will be scratching their heads about how to beat him given the way he powered away.
Paul Townend wanted an easy lead like he had at Christmas but this time there were a few who were out to make sure he would not get it.
Embassy Gardens, Monty's Star and Hewick were all prominent and there were still several more in with a chance on the turn for home.
Mark Walsh had moved Fact To File menacingly into a challenging position, while another stablemate, Grangeclare West, was massively outrunning his odds.
Jumping the last, there were almost four in a line, but on landing Galopin Des Champs stamped his authority on the race.
He stormed home to win by four and three-quarter lengths as the 1-2 favourite and Grangeclare West caught Fact To File on the line for second to give Mullins a clean sweep.
Bookmakers cut Galopin Des Champs to 8-13 from 8-11 favourite for a third Gold Cup next month.
"Paul has huge faith in him and said he was just going to jump out and go with him," said Mullins.
"I thought we might make it with Embassy Gardens. There were four or five upsides him jumping the first but he had burned them off by the time he got to the third.
"He just jumped and galloped for three miles and it didn't look like he was stopping coming up to the winning post.
"He's just a real champion.
"They were all taking him on, there were plenty of horses up there and there was no diminishing the pace at all during the whole race. It was an out-and-out stayers race.
"I was focused on the race and getting over the last and everyone in front of me in the stands stood up so I couldn't see, so I was trying to watch the television.
"I was trying to watch and see if there was something coming out of the clouds, but sure enough, when I got to see him again, he was clear."
He went on: "I thought Fact To File would be a bit closer but Mark was happy that he had settled well and was going to leave him settled and have one go at him, and that's what he did.
"He only finished third in the end."
When asked if Galopin Des Champs was the best he'd ever trained, Mullins added: "He has to be, you'd have to say that.
Majborough bolts up in Irish Arkle
Majborough laid down a marker to Sir Gino when destroying the opposition in the Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown.
While far from foot-perfect, the five-year-old undoubtedly has a huge engine and Willie Mullins will be looking forward to taking on Nicky Henderson's current favourite for the Arkle at Cheltenham next month.
Majborough won the Triumph Hurdle last season, when Sir Gino was an absentee, and the two now look on course to finally clash on the opening day of this year's festival, barring accidents.
Mark Walsh was keen to ensure there would be no hiding place on the 8-11 favourite but there was the odd hairy moment on the way round, albeit without him ever looking like he would fall.
With stablemate Ile Atlantique seemingly unable to go the gallop set by his younger companion, only Gordon Elliott's Touch Me Not was ever within touching distance.
When Walsh asked Majborough to stretch rounding the home turn, the race was over and he went on to win by nine lengths.
Bookmakers cut the winner to 9-4 from 3-1 for the Arkle and eased Sir Gino to 5-6 from 4-6.
"It was very good, fantastic," said Mullins.
"I was looking at it from the stands, whereas everyone else was looking at it on the TV. The whole crowd were going 'ooh and aah' every time he got close to one but watching it from the side, he never looked in danger, never looked like falling. The camera does lie now and again."
On his big jump three from home, he added: "That sort of put it to bed. Mark was happy all the time, sitting in the saddle. I never thought that Mark thought there were any problems.
"He pulled him wide coming to the last and did what he had to do.
"That was Plan B. Plan A was to settle in behind one or two but Mark said when the flag went down, he just saw the first fence and took off and he didn't want to interfere with him."
Mullins went on: "I was surprised to see him in the position he was jumping the second, third and fourth, but Mark was very happy that the horse wanted to be there.
"He said he gave him a squeeze coming up to the winning post and there was plenty in the tank, which is a fair thing to say after running at that pace for two-miles-and-one around here.
"He's always been a standout for me, of his generation. We had Fact To File the year before, this fella this year and Final Demand is now the younger generation coming on.
"They are nice horses to have."
On the potential Arkle clash with Sir Gino, Mullins commented: "Hopefully we all get there.
"Look at Anzadam during the week, he won so well in Naas and got a little injury, a little bone chip that we have to take out. These things happen, they are fragile."