Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1)

AN equine hero deserves a hero’s reception and the Leopardstown crowds made their bursting admiration for Galopin Des Champs clear when the chasing colossus returned victorious to the winner’s enclosure with a third consecutive Irish Gold Cup.

It was truly box office at the Dublin Racing Festival as punters could be seen sprinting from under the grandstands to the parade ring to greet Willie Mullins’ phenomenal stayer. Chants of ‘Ole Ole Ole’ rang out, Paul Townend stood up in his irons to punch the air and the dream of a Cheltenham Gold Cup hat-trick has never been so alive.

Seven starts over fences at Leopardstown, seven wins at Leopardstown. There was more suspense than usual for his supporters at odds of 1/2, however when 66/1 stablemate Grangeclare West and main market rival Fact To File (100/30) queued up to throw down legitimate challenges.

Just as Audrey Turley’s triple Cheltenham Festival winner always seems to do in the capital, though, he stormed through the closing stages with his trademark turbo finish.

He touched even-money in running before putting four and three quarters of a length between himself and Grangeclare West, who ran the race of his life under Brian Hayes. Fact To File was a short-head away in third, again failing to finish out as strongly as the winner at this three-mile trip, while Inothewayurthinkin caught the eye with a view to the Grand National in fourth.

Mullins savoured every second of his record-extending 14th win in the Irish Gold Cup and hailed Galopin Des Champs as the greatest chaser he has ever trained.

“It was an awesome performance. He’s just a real champion,” said the champion trainer.

“His natural gallop is able to put other horses under pressure and there’s no end to him at three miles. As Ted Walsh said to me before coming into the winner’s enclosure ‘with another two furlongs, he’ll murder them!’ He just keeps that tempo up the whole time.

“Paul has huge faith in this horse and said he was just going to jump out and go with him. 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.

“They were all taking him on; there were plenty of horses up there and there was no diminution in the pace at all during the whole race - it was an out-and-out stayers’ race. He goes out and just takes it from the front. He grabs races by the scruff of the neck and battles off everyone.

“I don’t know if people realise how long it takes to make a horse like this. It’s three-mile chasing, the pinnacle of our sport and it just takes ages. People go on about hurdlers… I’m a bit confused that the Irish Gold Cup is run on Saturday as opposed to being the feature on Sunday, when we’ll have the hurdle race. These chasing horses deserve the top billing, I think.”

Asked whether a step back in trip looks to be on the cards for Fact To File, Mullins said: “We’ll have a word with J.P. [McManus], Frank [Berry] and Mark [Walsh] but I think that’s probably the thought. Everything went according to plan. It doesn’t look like another two furlongs would be up his street anyway.

“I thought he 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. That’s what he did. He only finished third in the end.”

As for Galopin Des Champs’ upcoming bid to become the first horse since Best Mate to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups, he is now only 1/2 with Bet365 having been available to back at 4/5 prior to this. Roll on March.