Galopin Des Champs (5/6 favourite) won the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.
The dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, beaten twice previously in the Punchestown showpiece, produced a devastating performance today to win by 22 lengths.
Ridden by his regular partner, Paul Townend, Galopin Des Champs led the four-runner field throughout the extended three mile race.
With Banbridge tracking him for much of the Grade 1 contest, the Joseph O’Brien-trained 4/1 chance was being pushed by jockey J.J. Slevin three fences from home.
Rachael Blackmore on Monty’s Star (13/2) was positioned in third spot until the half-way stage, before dropping towards the rear five from home.
Spillane’s Tower (4/1), the mount of Mark Walsh, for trainer Jimmy Mangan, was held up at the rear of the quartet, but made a significant mistake four out.
Soon the J.P. McManus-owned son of Walk In The Park became the main challenger in the home straight. Galopin Des Champs was never in danger, however, and crossed the line to huge cheers from the packed stands.
Galopin Des Champs had been beaten on his two previous races at the Punchestown Festival. Both of these defeats came on the back of success in the Cheltenham Gold Cups in 2023 and 2024.
One of the best chasers
The winning trainer, Willie Mullins, said of today’s win:
“I thought he was more at home (today). I was a little bit worried about the heat and the weather. I imagine the other trainers were too but the horse, you could see from the start he was enjoying himself. There was a spark in him from jumping out the gate.
“He had a look at the road or gate or something. Paul said to me that when he was able to do that, he felt he was only playing in front and when he got to the top of the hill he felt, ‘Let’s go a little faster, put them under more pressure,’ because he felt when he had time to do that sort of thing, it really showed that he was at ease.
“He’s a very good horse. He has to be one of the best chasers we have ever had anyway.”
