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Irish Gold Cup Preview – Galopin Des Champs & Fact To File Meet for Round 3 Before Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is not the only major prize Galopin Des Champs is seeking a hat-trick in. He will attempt to seal three victories in a row in the Irish equivalent at Leopardstown on Saturday and Joe Napier previews whether the champion can do so.

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In a four-runner field a year ago, Galopin Des Champs kept Fastorslow at bay at odds of 1/3.


GALOPIN DES CHAMPS

(Willie Mullins/PaulTownend)

Little glamour can be added to the profile of Galopin Des Champs that is not already prevalent. The nine-year-old is almost certainly the best staying chaser since Kauto Star, winning two Irish and Cheltenham Gold Cups apiece, accumulating an unbeaten record over fences at Leopardstown with six wins from six starts.

His only four defeats when standing up have all come at right-handed Punchestown, which could be the barrier between him going down as a legend of the sport, but while he races at Leopardstown, there is little reason to oppose him, especially as he trounced the new guard by 7½ lengths and more over Christmas. He was marginally below his very best in this race last year, but still won with something in hand and he should do so again even with Cheltenham the priority.


FACT TO FILE

(Willie Mullins/Mark Walsh)

Fact To File filled the doomed position of challenger to Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase and was swiftly left for dust in the closing stages. However, the eight-year-old is yet to finish outside of the top two in his career under rules and remains very unexposed for his age after just nine starts.

He did, of course, beat Galopin Des Champs in that memorable John Durkan Chase at Punchestown in November, but at a venue that his celebrated stablemate excels at, it is difficult to see him overturning Christmas form. He could potentially jump better than he did that day, and Mark Walsh may ride him more aggressively, but 7½ lengths is a lot of ground to make up.


MONTY’S STAR

(Henry De Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore)

Five starts over fences may have only resulted in one victory for Monty’s Star, but Henry De Bromhead’s charge has been very consistent in his chasing runs so far. He is yet to miss out on the frame and chased home Fact To File and Spillane’s Tower in Grade 1 novice events last season.

However, his yard have yet to fire in 2025, which may have explained the son of Walk In The Park’s disappointing effort behind Embassy Gardens at Tramore on New Year’s Day. The winner had first run throughout from the front, but was conceding 6lb, and with De Bromhead’s runners still in a rut, overturning even that running looks unlikely, let alone toppling the top two.


EMBASSY GARDENS

(Willie Mullins/Michael O’Sullivan)

Having shown significant promise in his first two chase runs last season, Embassy Gardens’ novice form tailed off come April. He was a distant second to Corbetts Cross in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival before pulling up at Punchestown on ground that may have been too quick.

However, he bounced back in great style, landing the New Year’s Day Chase from the front under Michael O’Sullivan, who renews acquaintances on Saturday. He had the run of the race that day, but a similar front-running ride looks likely, which could see him make the frame, albeit he would still need to show much more to trouble his big-name stablemates.

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THE FIELD

There are three more runners representing Mullins. Grand National winner I Am Maximus was outpaced early in the Savills Chase and Aintree has already been nominated as his ultimate target; there is little reason to believe he will run much better here having been comfortably last of three finishers a year ago. Grangeclare West and Minella Cocooner are useful in their own right, but were down the field in the Savills and will be trying merely to nick a place.

As well as Fact To File and I Am Maximus, JP McManus owns Inothewayurthinkin. A Grade 1-winning novice, he ran significantly better at Leopardstown than he had in the John Durkan, only narrowly missing out on third, and softer ground may bring his stamina into play to challenge each-way.

Hewick and Conflated are the two older stagers in the field. The former is still capable of high class form over fences, though not against this level of rival, while the latter won this three years ago but looks regressive nowadays.

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VERDICT

Round three of GALOPIN DES CHAMPS vs Fact To File and the score is 1-1, though Galopin Des Champs’ victory came emphatically over course and distance in the Savills Chase. He remains unbeaten over fences at Leopardstown and while he will probably strip fitter at Cheltenham, he should still claim this en route. Fact To File is the clear second choice, with Inothewayurthinkin best of the rest with his ideal conditions likely.

  1. Galopin Des Champs
  2. Fact To File
  3. Inothewayurthinkin
15:30 Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
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