Willie Mullins is aiming Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs at the John Durkan Memorial Chase in Punchestown to begin his season.
Galopin Des Champs, a seven-time Grade 1 winner, is arguably the biggest name at Mullins’ Closutton yard and the 17-time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer believes he has the perfect opening run in mind.
The John Durkan is a Grade 1 chase ran at a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs at Punchestown in December – and the seven-year-old is bidding to join a star-studded group of back-to-back winners of the race.
Mullins trained Djakadam to consecutive triumphs in 2015 and 2016 before he went one better with Min, who won the race on three straight occasions from 2018-20.
Eight of the last ten John Durkan winners have come from Closutton and it’s a race that Mullins clearly likes to target. Last year, Galopin Des Champs justified 2/9 favouritism to beat Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies by 13 lengths.
The son of Timos was denied a five-timer at the Kildare venue back in April to close out the season, where he was pipped in the Irish Gold Cup by an incredible showing from Fastorslow.
Mullins told At The Races:
“I’m happy enough and I know the John Durkan is a week nearer the start of the season this year which is probably better and I assume we go there.
“I imagine I will try to do what I did last year with him and keep the same routine.
“He will set off there and hopefully he will be all right and then Christmas at Leopardstown, then the Dublin Racing Festival and then on to Cheltenham and Punchestown.”
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS 🏆@WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/x4v1hMSlL4
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 25, 2023
According to the best horse racing betting sites, Galopin Des Champs is the clear 2/1 favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup once again – some distance clear of market rivals Gerri Colombe (7/1) and last year’s runner-up Bravemansgame (12/1).
Earlier this year, the Audrey Turley-owned superstar made no mistake of landing one of horse racing’s biggest prizes at the course where he made a cruel final-fence exit in the Turners Novices’ Chase in 2022.
He’s set to be campaigned in very similar fashion this season and we can expect another successful campaign from one of jumps racing’s most elite chasers.
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