Galopin Des Champs: Profile, Record, Age & Best Races

bet365 News Team Published: 18 May 23 10:45

Galopin Des Champs has triumphed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in each of the last two years to underline his status as one of the greats of modern National Hunt racing.

Having landed the prestigious prize for the first time in 2023 after seeing off nearest challenger Bravemansgame by seven lengths, he followed up to claim the Festival feature for the second year running in 2024.

That second success, achieved in some style as he finished clear of nearest challengers Gerri Colombe and Corach Rambler, made Galopin Des Champs just the third horse this century to land back-to-back Gold Cup victories.

Name: Galopin Des Champs

Age: 9

Weight: 11-10

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Winnings: £1,405,990

Cheltenham Festival wins: 3

Galopin Des Champs Race Stats

Runs	1st	2nd	3rd
22	14	3	2

Galopin Des Champs Age

Galopin Des Champs is nine years old.

Galopin Des Champs Weight

Galopin Des Champs weighed in at 11-10 for his most recent race, which is the same weight as when he landed both of his Gold Cup successes at Cheltenham.

Galopin Des Champs Record

Galopin Des Champs recorded his first win on debut at Auteuil in May 2020 before moving to Willie Mullins’ yard.

He was beaten on his first three starts under Mullins before winning the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 off a mark of 142.

He followed up with a Grade 1 score in the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle at Punchestown the following month before embarking on his chasing career.

He won his first two outings over the larger obstacles, including a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival in 2022, and was set to collect the Turners Novices' Chase at Cheltenham in fine style, only to come down on the landing side of the final fence when well clear, handing the prize to Bob Olinger.

He won all three starts to begin his second season as a chaser, each at Grade 1 level, including the Irish Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he held off Bravemansgame by seven lengths in a clash of Britain and Ireland's best chasers.

He was surprisingly beaten by Fastorslow at Punchestown in their Gold Cup in April 2022 and doubts were raised when the same horse won the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown in November 2023 on their respective comebacks.

Galopin Des Champs responded with an emphatic Savills Chase win at Leopardstown in December before getting the better of Fastorslow in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival in February.

The eight-year-old then claimed his second Cheltenham Gold Cup in March 2024, seeing off the challenge of Gerri Colombe and Corach Rambler to underline his status as a leading light of jumps racing.

Once more, Galopin Des Champs followed Gold Cup success at Cheltenham by being pipped in the Punchestown equivalent by Fastorslow, while he again finished third on his seasonal reappearance in the John Durkan at the same venue - this time coming behind Fact To File and Spillane's Tower.

However, just like last season and perhaps ominously for his rivals, Galopin Des Champs returned to form by landing the Savills Chase over the festive period before winning a third successive Irish Gold Cup.

Galopin Des Champs Next Race

After winning the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, the next race for Galopin Des Champs will be the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.

Galopin Des Champs Owner and Cost

Galopin Des Champs is owned and races in the yellow & brown quartered silks of Mrs Audrey Turley.

Her husband, entrepreneur Greg Turley, and his brothers Niall and Mark were raised in the car rental business in Dublin.

Argus Car Hire was the platform for CarTrawler, now one of the world's leading online car rental suppliers.

The Turley family sold CarTrawler to a private equity buyer in 2014, while Greg Turley's principal investment vehicle is RoundTown Investments Ltd, which provides growth equity for technology firms, including cybersecurity specialist Ekco.

Their colours have also been carried by former Triumph Hurdle winner Burning Victory as well as Sir Argus and Sayar, though Galopin Des Champs is by far their greatest success story so far.

Galopin Des Champs was bought by the Turley family from Damien Bonne, a trainer and driver of trotting horses, in a private sale, with the fee undisclosed.

Galopin Des Champs Trainer

Galopin Des Champs is trained by the very best in the business, Willie Mullins.

The Irishman is the all-time leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival with 103 wins and he became the first trainer to go beyond a century of victories at the meeting in 2024.

The Closutton maestro has been champion jumps trainer in Ireland 17 times and he became the first Irish trainer to land the British equivalent since Vincent O'Brien 70 years previous last season.

Mullins took out his license in 1988 and saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winner via Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 1995.

He has won all the major races at the Cotswolds extravaganza, including five Champion Hurdles, four Gold Cups, two Queen Mother Champion Chases and a pair of Stayers' Hurdles.

The stars to have passed through his care include Hurricane Fly, Faugheen, Annie Power, Vautour, Douvan, Quevega, Al Boum Photo and Un De Sceaux.

Mullins had more than his share of near misses in pursuit of the Gold Cup, with the likes of Sir Des Champs, On His Own and Djakadam all going close, before Al Boum Photo finally ended his quest for the most coveted prize in jumps racing in 2019.

He has won the Grand National at Aintree twice, doing so with Hedgehunter in 2005 and I Am Maximus in 2024, while he has also landed most of Britain's Grade 1 prizes alongside an incredible tally of Ireland's richest races.

Galopin Des Champs Official Rating

Galopin Des Champs has an official rating of 173.

His peak Racing Post Rating was 184 over fences, attained in the Savills Chase in December 2023, while he's rated 161 over hurdles based most recently on his Grade 1 novice hurdle success at Punchestown in April 2021.

Galopin Des Champs Prize Money

Over the course of his illustrious career so far, Galopin Des Champs has won £1,405,990 in prize money, the vast majority - £1,304,340 - coming during his chase career, with the remaining £101,651 being collected over hurdles.