Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs makes his seasonal reappearance on Sunday and heads five Willie Mullins entries in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.
Galopin Des Champs Leads Willie Mullins Runners In Feature Punchestown Race
With just six horses going to post in this race, Willie Mullins and Martin Brassil are the only trainers represented in this Grade 1 contest, with the former saddling five runners.
Galopin Des Champs leads that pack, and won this last year on his return which sealed a fifth straight success in the race for trainer Mullins, taking his tally to nine wins in total.
Mullins has everything in his favour to pick up a 10th win in this contest and his leading charge Galopin Des Champs is the red hot favourite with the best UK horse racing betting sites.
Galopin Des Champs! 🌟
The ante-post Boodles Gold Cup favourite makes a foot-perfect return to action in the John Durkan Memorial @punchestownrace Chase.@WillieMullinsNH | @PTownend pic.twitter.com/bVOpimfFHN
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 19, 2022
This is set to be an interesting rematch with Galopin Des Champs locking horns again with his Punchestown Gold Cup conqueror Fastorslow.
Brassil’s charge was a 20/1 outsider when turning over the odds-on GDC at this course back in April. However, it’s also worth noting that Fastorslow was beaten 21 lengths in the renewal of this contest last year, with 2m4f not looking to be his ideal trip.
See the full list of 2023 John Durkan Memorial Chase runners below, with Willie Mullins saddling five horses from five different owners and Martin Brassil with the other.
John Durkan Memorial Chase Runners 
Galopin Des Champs (Paul Townend)
After winning this ¢100,000 contest last year beating Fakir D’Ourdairies, the Audrey Turley-owned seven-year-old went on to win the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown. He then had Bravemansgame seven lengths behind him when triumphing in the Cheltenham Festival showpiece back in March when bolting up in the Gold Cup.
However ended the season with a shock defeat at the hands of Fastorslow in the Punchestown Gold Cup in April. He remains the 2/1 favourite to win the Gold Cup again next year and this race should be the start of another successful season for one of Willie’s stable stars.
Fastorslow (JJ Slevin)
Ending last season with that monumental victory over Galopin Des Champs, it was the perfect end to a revival campaign having not won since 2019. In the run before his last, he had finished just a neck runner-up behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
If Fastorslow is to beat Galopin again, it would be a huge statement and prove that last time was no fluke and his Kildare-based trainer is looking forward to the rematch.
Blue Lord (Daryl Jacob)
The second of the Mullins runners in this field is Blue Lord, a three-time Grade 1 winner including an 11-length victory over Captain Guinness at Leopardstown last December. That triumph completed a hat-trick of wins after winning a Grade 2 contest at Clonmel and a Grade 1 at Punchestown.
Whilst his last three runs have been disappointing, he is the type to bounce back and goes well when fresh and can be involved on reappearance.
Asterion Forlonge (Michael O’Sullivan)
Next from the Mullins camp is Asterion Forlonge, who hasn’t been able to win since stepping up in trip the last two runs but did win a valuable Grade 2 contest over this distance in April.
He did finish just half a length behind Klassical Dream on his penultimate run though, and his stable companion recently impressed on chasing debut, so this return to the bigger obstacles for Asterion Forlong may suit.
Appreciate It (Patrick Mullins)
Coming next is three-time Grade 1 winning hurdler Appreciate It, who makes his seasonal return for a second campaign over fences and is a fairly high price in the betting.
He won at this meeting last year on his chase debut and clearly has the ability, but this will be his toughest test yet in this sphere and it would take a lot to beat the market leading stablemate Galopin Des Champs.
Although he has won his last two races on reappearance, so could be worth siding with considering his decent record at Punchestown with form figures of 21 at the track.
Stattler (Rachael Blackmore)
The sixth and final horse in the field is Mullins’ fifth entry – Stattler. His last two runs have been against GDC, he was pulled up the last day at Cheltenham and finished eight lengths behind him in second place at Leopardstown before that, so it looks to be a tough ask once again.
However, Rachael Blackmore’s mount has won at this distance despite mostly racing over longer and also has a respectable record when returning from a layoff.
John Durkan Memorial Chase Odds: Galopin Des Champs The Hot Favourite
- Galopin Des Champs (Willie Mullins) @ 4/9
- Fastorslow (Martin Brassil) @ 6/1
- Blue Lord (Willie Mullins) @ 8/1
- Asterion Forlonge (Willie Mullins) @ 11/1
- Appreciate It (Willie Mullins) @ 18/1
- Stattler (Willie Mullins) @ 25/1
Note: Odds are subject to change and others on request
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