Willie Mullins said the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup would be the target next season for Galopin Des Champs after he emerged as favourite over reigning champion A Plus Tard with a dominant victory at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
He showed he was none the worse from his final-fence fall at the Cheltenham Festival with an 18-length romp in the BoyleSports Gold Cup Novice Chase, with Master McShee closest.
A Cheltenham return on the cards
The six-year-old was cut to 7/2 for the race with A Plus Tard - a 15-length winner of the race last month - a 4/1 chance. Ahoy Senor is the best of the British-trained runners at odds of 10/1. You can follow the action via our Sports Live Streaming platform.
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Mullins explains Galopin Des Champs thoughts
Mullins said after Sunday's win: "I have to discuss it with Greg and Audrey [Turley, owners] but he looks a horse for the Gold Cup.
"He had a hard race at Cheltenham. Any horse who goes at that pace would have a hard race, but all his homework suggested he was fine and Paul was happy with him.
"Paul rode him differently down to the first than he did at Cheltenham and that made a big difference. To me it looked an ordinary pace and it looked like the other two elected to challenge him over the last three fences.
"Once he changed gear between the last two it was over bar jumping the last. He quickened away after the last and he couldn’t pull him up going around the bend."
The victory was his third over fences and a third at the top level. This came over the two-and-a-half mile trip but the son of Timos has already proven he stays three miles with victory at the Punchestown festival last season.
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