Galopin Des Champs © Photo Healy Racing
Galopin Des Champs was truly awesome in the Savills Chase as the 6/4 favourite surged clear in the home straight to score by a scarcely believable 23 lengths.
Ridden handily and kept wide by Paul Townend, this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was really good three out and at the next after which he headed Conflated What he did up the straight was something else as he left runner-up Gerri Colombe s Gold Cup aspirations in tatters. Paddy Power cut Galopin Des Champs' Gold Cup odds from 3/1 and he's now their 5/4 favourite to retain his title.
Willie Mullins said of his fourth winner of the afternoon: “Paul was keen to change tactics today, he wanted to bounce out and let him enjoy himself over the first few fences. I said 'let's do that' because the last twice he was beaten and things didn't work out.
“I think the horse gave it back to Paul. When I saw him jumping the first the way he did I thought 'right game on here today'.
“He fiddled a few fences after that but Paul was very happy at all stages and he showed his absolute stamina in the the way he galloped away from the third last, down over the second last and then up over the last.
“He put everything to bed coming around the last bend. I was hugely impressed by him.
“I didn't know what to expect as his work had been a little bit indifferent at home. We tried a few different things with him and obviously they must have worked.
“We had no winner the first day and people were wondering were things not going to happen for us over Christmas. Things came right on the second day and it's been really good today as well.
“We had Appreciate It in the race, Capodanno and I Am Maximus all Gold Cup standard horses and you never know whats's going to fire on the day.
“It's like a player going out to play a rugby or hurling match, the ball has to bounce for them. This fella just made the ball bounce for himself today.
“Take him out and you still had a fantastic race, but he looked a class ahead of them.
“He put everything together, he really enjoyed himself, and Paul made the right decision to get him out early, get him up there and let him enjoy himself.”
On the possibility of running in the Irish Gold Cup he added:-
“We'll see, he obviously likes this place. The Irish Gold Cup is a great prize and I love having horses good enough to compete in it. We're lucky enough we have him.
“We won't make any decision about that to later on.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
