Cheltenham Gold Cup: Galopin Des Champs big favourite for glory
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Leading contenders for Cheltenham Gold Cup success
We’re taking a look at the leading Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders ahead of this year’s Festival.
Irish raiders have dominated steeplechasing’s blue riband event in recent years, winning the past four renewals and six of the last seven.
Entries from the Emerald Isle feature at the head of the Cheltenham Gold Cup betting again, but some strong home hopes have emerged as well.
Here are the fancied horses for the Friday feature:
Galopin Des Champs
Won the 2021 Martin Pipe conditional jockeys hurdle race and arrived at last year’s Festival hailed as the next big thing over fences, but came a cropper at the final obstacle when well clear in the Turners Novices’ Chase.
Survived a late blunder to get back on track at Fairyhouse a month later and has picked up two more Grade One victories this term, in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase and the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
That last triumph dispelled any stamina doubts and if his jumping holds up, the visually impressive seven-year-old clearly has a seriously powerful engine.
“He seemed to gallop away through the line and hopefully we can build on that now over an extra two furlongs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup,” said Willie Mullins. “He’s matured in his mind and he’s settling into being a proper racehorse.”
A Plus Tard
After finishing second to Minella Indo in 2021, Henry De Bromhead’s charge turned the tables on his stablemate in emphatic fashion last season, storming home 15 lengths clear for a famous victory under Rachael Blackmore.
The defending champion has not had an ideal preparation this time around, though, as he was pulled up after never travelling well at Haydock in November and punters must take a leap of faith in hoping he is none the worse for that experience.
“He seems good – we gave him a full check over and everything seems fine, his joint is good again, it was just a bang,” De Bromhead said in January. “We’re well able to get him spot-on for the day and we’ll just aim for that.”
Noble Yeats
Left his previous form behind him when staying on strongly to claim Grand National glory at 50/1 and has been well backed in the ante-post Cheltenham Gold Cup betting to secure another major prize en route to an Aintree return.
Following an off-day in France, Noble Yeats won nicely at Wexford and Liverpool before plugging on gamely when third behind Ahoy Senor in the Cotswold Chase here on 3lb worse terms.
“You can’t be unhappy with that run,” said owner Robert Waley-Cohen. “That was important, as he gets experience on the New Course. He never looks very flashy. He just keeps jumping away. He came up that hill well.”
Bravemansgame
Showed plenty of promise as a novice last term and looked to have matured mentally and physically when returning to action with a smooth success in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.
Bravemansgame then stepped up to another level when landing the King George at Kempton, where he was three lengths ahead when L’Homme Presse parted company with his pilot at the final fence.
Paul Nicholls declared: “We think he has a lovely chance. He is unbeaten this year and a different horse to last year. No one knows if he will stay…but plenty of mine who have won a King George have won a Gold Cup.”
Stattler
Galloped on strongly when taking last season’s National Hunt Chase over half a mile further and is expected to come on for finishing runner-up behind stablemate Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown.
Mullins said: “He ran a cracker. I thought he was going to fade out of it but he stayed on again to be second. We’re all very happy with how he ran. He was up there, jumping fantastic and making the running. It was a great run.”
Protektorat
Let favourite backers down in the Cotswold Chase and there is a feeling that last season’s Gold Cup third needs things to go all his own way to be seen at his best.
However, he has certainly posted some eye-catching displays when that is the case, including when beating Native River by 25 lengths at Aintree and when hacking up in Grade One company at Haydock in November.
Ahoy Senor
Was undone by several costly jumping errors when second to L’Homme Presse in last season’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase but recovered with a Grade One success at Aintree.
His form this term has been mixed but Ahoy Senor booked his place in this contest with victory in the Cotswold Chase on trials day, despite again being far from fluent over these fences.
Scottish handler Lucinda Russell commented after that win: “He’s always been good, but he just had to learn about it and today I think he just came of age. I’m delighted and it is nice to see our monster back.”
Conflated
Last year’s Irish Gold Cup hero fell two out when set to be placed in the Ryanair Chase before pushing Clan Des Obeaux close at Aintree and will return to Prestbury Park in fine spirits following a Savills Chase triumph ahead of Kemboy at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Minella Indo
The Cheltenham Festival certainly brings out this best in this fellow, who won the 2019 Albert Bartlett and was a gutsy second to Champ in the RSA Chase 12 months later before finishing first and second in the last two renewals of this race.
Cool Dawn was the last 10-year-old to be successful here back in 1998, but Minella Indo warmed up with a hard-fought win over Stattler at Tramore on New Year’s Day and will feature in plenty of each-way Cheltenham Gold bets.
Hewick
Shark Hanlon’s money spinner has proved he can handle the big occasions, landing valuable handicaps at Sandown and Galway prior to prevailing in the American Grand National, which prompted some memorable scenes of celebration.
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