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Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
CALUM McCLURKIN: Galopin Des Champs is back... but the reality is that he never left
What a tremendous thrill it was to see Galopin Des Champs avenge his Cheltenham Gold Cup defeat with a scintillating victory in the Punchestown equivalent this week. What a price, too. Odds of 6/4 were widely available all week and he was backed into 10/11 before the off and that was still generous. It was not long ago that Galopin Des Champs was considered borderline unbeatable in top-class staying steeplechases. His defeat in the Gold Cup to Inothewayurthinkin was by no way the aberration it appeared to be. Yes, he ran below par but everyone was blindsided by the winner. Punters included. Let's not forget that Inothewayurthinkin was given a very soft campaign that appeared to revolve around the Grand National. His eyecatching effort when behind Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup looked like a prep run for Aintree. He was supplemented very late in the day for the Gold Cup and by then pretty much everybody had climbed aboard the Galopin Des Champs train. The defending champion was beaten by a ridiculously unexposed rival that came to have one crack at him all season. It was a wonderful piece of target training by Gavin Cromwell to lower his colours. Amid the disappointment over Galopin Des Champs, Inothewayurthinkin wasn't given enough credit for a truly terrific performance. There wasn't a rival of Inothewayurthinkin in a four-runner Punchestown Gold Cup. Banbridge had won the King George but was well-beaten at Cheltenham and looked a horse that had enough for the season. Spillane's Tower hadn't been seen since an underwhelming effort at Kempton in Boxing Day and his second in the John Durkan Chase was really the only bit of top level form he had achieved. The 5-2 against Galopin Des Champs' 6-4 was plainly ridiculous. Punchestown might not be the favourite place for Galopin Des Champs to race but that statistic was overblown, just like his defeat at Cheltenham was. The combination of those two factors meant 6-4 was a gift from the betting gods that was duly lapped up. He produced a stunning front-running display and put his rivals to the sword in grand style to prevail by 22 lengths. It was emphatic and sealed a 12th Grade One success for a top-class horse that will stay at the top table for a good while yet. NO JOY FOR WELL-BEATEN CONSTITUTION HILL The writing was sadly on the wall very early for backers of Constitution Hill in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle on Friday night. Inexplicably punted off the boards into 8-13 on the back off two crashing falls at Cheltenham and Aintree, Constitution Hill was reluctant to get into stride at the start. He instantly gifted the initiative to main rival State Man and he ballooned the first hurdle. His jumping scarcely improved and when he threatened to get into the race, mistakes crept in yet again when the pace lifted. The big question apart from his jumping was whether the old engine was there when asked for his effort off the bridle. The answer was no. It's back to the drawing board for Nicky Henderson now and his entry for the Ascot Gold Cup looks more fanciful than ever. At least the team at Seven Barrows have the whole summer to mull things over. It's a long way back after such a tame effort and nobody would blame them if they drew stumps on Constitution Hill's career. GLASSES UP A TERRIFIC SPECTACLE AT AYR Glasses Up winning twice at Ayr this week to become the winning-most horse at the track was a delight to watch. Yes, it's mostly low grade stuff but horses like Glasses Up really keep the show on the road and the ten-year-old is a fond favourite at Ayr, a place where he has won ten times. It also capped off a week to savour for Galston-based trainer Mike Smith. He had a 50-1 winner at the Punchestown Festival that was ridden by his son Ben, a huge talent and an apprentice jockey to follow. Smith does incredibly well with the modest resources at his disposal and is a Scottish trainer who is firmly on the up. Glasses Up has been the stable flagbearer, a constant presence in an operation that trains its jumpers just as well as Flat operators. The ten-year-old has raced 93 times under rules and will surely reach the century mark by the end of the season. A remarkably durable horse who was rated as high as 90 in 2020. Glasses Up has seen it all and done it all in most grades and trips. And he hasn't stopped winning yet! PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK… RULING COURT was given a brilliant ride by William Buick to win the 2,000 Guineas from Field Of Gold and stablemate Shadow Of Light, with all three looking like bright future prospects. Buick had better track position and kicked two furlongs out which caught out favourite Field Of Gold, who couldn't quite quicken as effectively as Ruling Court. It was a race-winning move by Buick and trainer Charlie Appleby bagged a third 2,000 Guineas success in four years. SELECTION OF THE DAY… There could be more Guineas glory in the offing for Godolphin with DESERT FLOWER (11/8, Paddy Power) a worthy favourite for the 1,000 Guineas today (Newmarket, 3.35). As long as she handles quicker conditions, she's the one to beat on her Fillies' Mile romp of last season and can deny Lake Victoria. Simmering, Elwateen and Hey Boo are three big-priced outsiders to keep an eye on.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Galopin Des Champs storms to victory at the Punchestown Festival - as the 'horse of a lifetime' bounces back from shock Cheltenham defeat
Galopin Des Champs lit up the Punchestown Festival with a performance that left Willie Mullins believing he can conquer Cheltenham once again. The €300,000 Punchestown Gold Cup is always a highlight of the final festival of the season and Galopin Des Champs exuded power, as he thrashed his rivals by 22 lengths. It was the perfect way to bounce back from his defeat at Cheltenham in March. Inothewayurthinkin thwarted Galopin Des Champs's attempt to join Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate as three-time winner of racing's blue riband steeplechase but Mullins sees no reason why he can't turn the tables next spring. In front of a bumper 23,285 crowd – an improvement on last year's figure of 21,652 for the same fixture – Galopin Des Champs was given a hero's reception and Mullins made no attempt to hide the esteem in which he holds the gelding. 'We all have the horse of a lifetime,' said Mullins, who had four winners on the card. 'He is phenomenal. Paul (Townend) showed him off. He had a little look at the road going past the stands and Paul made his mind up for him there. He felt he was dossing, just going around at his ease. 'He put him under pressure from the top of the hill and he jumped every jump. To win a race like that, beating opponents of that quality by 22 lengths, I thought was spectacular. I don't know about Cheltenham. We were beaten. But horses come back and at least he's proved he's a good horse. 'There is always next year. He is only nine, coming ten isn't he? He is still young enough to have another go. We will talk about today, rather than last month. A lot of people don't bring their horses back after Cheltenham but we were prepared to have a go. 'It's good for the sport. Win, lose or draw, you have got to turn up, I think. You have got to run the good horses in the good races and I am never afraid to be beaten. They have a short enough racing life. You take what you can when you can get it.' Audrey Turley, Galopin Des Champs's owner, was too nervous to watch the race as it happened but she was overcome in the winner's enclosure as she reflected on the journey that the gelding has taken them on. This season alone, he's won the Irish Gold Cup and Savills Chase at Leopardstown. 'He is an absolute legend and he has run his heart out,' said Turley. 'Willie has done so well, Paul has done so well, the horse has done so well. They are just the 'A' team. He is a mega star in horse racing. We're delighted that he is ours. He's our beautiful boy. He deserves every accolade he gets.'
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Galopin Des Champs finds rhythm and strolls to Gold Cup glory in Punchestown sunshine
Galopin Des Champs wowed the crowd of 23,285 as he turned the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup into a sunshine stroll on a glorious Wednesday afternoon at the Co. Kildare venue. If there were doubts about his ability to bounce back from his Cheltenham defeat, nobody told the punters who plunged into Willie Mullins' runner in the moments before the off, and just a couple of fences into the race, the writing was beginning to appear on the wall. Paul Townend was allowed an easy lead and his horse, in rude health, measured every fence beautifully and held his advantage with little fuss. There were fleeting moments when Spillane's Tower threatened to get involved but neither his nor Monty's Star's nor Banbridge's ever materialised as Galopin Des Champs seared the Punchestown turf on his way to a 22-length victory. 'We were disappointed in Cheltenham but, in hindsight, he ran a huge race to get as far as he did (given) the feeling I was getting off him,' said a jubilant Townend. 'We found a good auld rhythm here early enough, and he started to take me over fences. To be honest, it wasn't my finest moment at the last because I had revs up and was very long, and I probably changed my mind, but he figured it out and got me out of trouble. 'He's so easy to ride, so measured at his fences now, and it's so straightforward on him. 'That's as simple as it is riding him – you don't have to look for the others, you just have to ride your own horse, and if they go by you, they're fair horses.' Fair horses indeed, and few can claim to have done that to the two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, three-time Irish Gold Cup, and 12-time Grade One winner. 'We all have the horse of a lifetime, but Audrey (Turley, owner) especially, and she deserves it too,' said the winning trainer. 'He's phenomenal. Paul showed him off today. To win a race like that, beating that opposition by 22 lengths, I thought was spectacular.' Spectacular, but not unexpected, could also describe the afternoon Mullins had as he saddled five winners, including all three Grade Ones, for a 296-1 accumulator. The staying hurdle division often struggles to fire the imagination of punters but the novices in that division served up a thriller in the Grade One Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle, and it was Albert Bartlett winner Jasmin De Vaux who shaded the verdict over Honesty Policy in dramatic fashion. When he landed steep at the final hurdle, he almost sent Paul Townend out the side door and, after losing one iron, rather than waste time trying to recover it on the run-in, the rider made the split-second decision to kick out the other one and get down to the business of driving the favourite home. 'I feel a bit stupid, to be honest,' he admitted. 'We all know what way he jumps, and we were spot-on, and I asked him for one, and he just got his ass a bit high and had a peck. My weight went one way, and he shifted at the wrong time, and I lost my right stirrup, and I thought it was quicker to kick out the other one and ride for the finish than try to get it back.' Bambino Fever silenced the doubters with a powerful display in the Grade One Race & Stay at Punchestown Champion Bumper, completing the Cheltenham-Punchestown double for herself and Jody Townend. Teak-tough and classy, she quickened up in the manner of a truly top-class sort to keep Switch From Diesel at bay. Next season feels a long way away, and perhaps the mares' route will be her destiny, but she has all the attributes to be a Supreme Novices' Hurdle contender and, perhaps, the one to emulate Like A Butterfly, who, in 2002, was the last mare to win the Cheltenham race. Said Townend: 'In fairness to the lads that own her, they are very good to me. They stick by me, and they have struck gold with this one. It's the first horse they've had in training, and they'll struggle to find another like her.' Kaid d'Authie, a horse of considerable scope, set the ball rolling for Mullins' domination of the day, winning the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle under Mark Walsh. Chasing will likely be next on the agenda, suggested Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus: 'He's very long-striding and he's awkward over his hurdles, but hopefully he will have more respect for his fences because he has very little respect for his hurdles. He's a fine, big horse, and hopefully he will put it all together over fences.' Patience and stealth reaped reward in the Grade Three Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase as James Du Berlais, brilliantly ridden by JJ Slevin, completed the Mullins five-timer.
The Irish Sun
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘He's my baby boy' – Galopin Des Champs storms home in Gold Cup as owner Audrey Turley hides in the stands
AUDREY Turley has revealed that she was hiding in the stands as Galopin des Champs romped to victory on DAY 2 of the Punchestown Festival. The famous horse made it third time luck at the Kildare racecourse to claims the Gold Cup. 2 Galopin des Champs owner Audrey Turley after the horses win at the Punchestown Gold Cup 2 Paul Townend celebrates with the cup after winning the Punchestown Gold Cup Chase on Galopin Des Champs on day two The Wille Mullins' trained superstar strolled home to win by 22-lengths in the feature race of the festival. Mrs Turley hailed the horse and trainer after the win in the Kildare sunshine as she called them superstars before revealing that she's always too nervous to watch the race live when at the racecourse. Speaking to She said: "Not really... I got a commentary from everybody around me. I was up hiding in the stands. READ MORE ON RACING "I took their word, and once he's over the last safely, I can look and it's all good... it's fantastic." "He's my baby boy, and I absolutely love him." The French-bred, Irish-trained National Hunt racehorse claimed back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cup victories in 2023 and 2024, along with consecutive wins in the Irish Gold Cup in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Before today's success, the eight-year-old began his season with a third run in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, where he finished third behind Fact To File and Spillane's Tower. Most read in Horse Racing On 2 December 2024, Galopin Des Champs was named Horse of the Year at the Horse Racing Ireland awards. He beat off strong shortlist that included City of Troy and Kyprios. Willie Mullins breaks down in tears as Nick Rockett storms to emotional Grand National win He returned to action later that month and reversed earlier form with Fact To File, landing a second Savills Chase victory on 28 December. He followed that up with a dominant display to claim a third consecutive Irish Gold Cup on 1 February 2025.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Can Galopin Des Champs finally get over the hump and win the Punchestwon Gold Cup? The gelding is a boosted 11/8 favourite to do so
The Punchestown Gold Cup takes place at 17:30 today - as an elite field of four battle it out over three miles and half-a-furlong at the famed Irish racecourse. Multiple-time Cheltenham Gold Cup and Irish Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs is a boosted favourite at 11/8 to finish first past the post. The French-bred horse has come agonisingly close to winning the Punchestown Gold Cup on two occasions, finishing second in both 2023 and 2024 by slim margins. Can the Willie Mullins-trained horse finally get over the hump and reign supreme in the Punchestown Gold Cup? Or, will he be upset once again? For those anticipating the latter, Spillane's Tower is perceived to be the biggest threat at 11/8. Spillane's Tower boasts solid course form, having won a Grade 3 and Grade 1 novice chase at Punchestown over the past 18 months. Meanwhile, if you're after an outsider, Banbridge and Monty's Star round out the field at 10/3 and 17/2 respectively. Sky Bet odds for the Punchestown Gold Cup today: Galopin Des Champs WAS 1/1 NOW 11/8 Spillane's Tower 3/1 Banbridge 10/3 Monty's Star 17/2 All odds are correct at the time of publication
