The Times

14 March 2025

Legends always grow in hindsight. Galopin Des Champs is a terrific horse. He has won the last two Gold Cups and should blow his rivals away today to become only the fifth horse in 90 years to land the treble. But his name hardly echoes outside the racing bubble. So is he truly a “great.”

The quartet who precede him ring of very different days Golden Miller won the Gold Cup no less than five times in the 30s. Cottage Rake three times in the 50s as did Arkle in the 60s and finally Best Mate in 202/3/4. But that was then and Galopin Des Champs has one big advantage. He is only 9 years old. He could even take two more to match Golden Miller himself.

So let’s start by giving this fine black horse his due for he already has a career to wonder at. In May 2020 he journeyed up to Paris from trainer Arnaud Chaille Chaille’s stable down in Bordeaux to win his only race in Frandce before moving to Willie Mullins academy in County Carlow. Next March he won the Martin Pipe Hurdle to make his first of five tips trip to Cheltenham. With 14 wins in 22 races including three Irish Gold Cups he has been making headlines ever since.

Unwanted ones at Cheltenham in 2022 when he capsized on landing when miles clear in the Turners. In his early steeplechasing days he was very headstrong – mind you so was Arkle, have a look at the 1964 Gold Cup footage and you can see him pulling Pat Taafe’s arms out. So Galopin Des Champs was ridden from the back of field when he beat Bravemansgame in a glorious showdown in 2023. Last season he was closer to the lead to hold off Gerri Colome and on his last two powerhouse runs in Ireland he has looked awesome from the front.

At home he would already be a name most would know in the street. Back here that accolade is rarely given. Everyone knew a bit about racing in Golden Miller days and his connections were pretty crazy anyway. Over 10 years and 59 races he also ran five times in the Grand National winning once but failing to complete on all other occasions.

Cottage Rake never ran in the National but was the first time we had seen the genius of somebody called Vincent O’Brien and for Ireland to take three Gold Cups from the arrogant English was something to celebrate. When Arkle did it in the 60s as the most dominant chaser of his or any era they wrote poems and songs and plays about him.

Best Mate was as good looking a jumper as you will ever see but his hold on the British public was as much to do with the wonderful empathy shown by trainer Henrietta Knight and her husband Terry Biddlecombe.

If Galopin Des Champs wins today he deserves his place in the pantheon and it’s not his fault that he will never be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Red Rum, Desert Orchid, Denman, Kauto Star and even Sprinter Sacre. For, besides being British all of them had something freakish about them.

Red Rum’s five glorious Grand Nationals from his training ground on Southport beach. Desert Orchid 74 races starting and ending with a crashing fall at Kempton won the two mile Tingle Creek, the Gold Cup and the Irish Grand National. Kauto Star won the Tingle Creek, two Gold Cups and five King George VIs at Kempton. He also cracked a bone in his foot on his second race in England while both Denman and Sprinter Sacre came back to the big time after serious heart problems.

Galopin Des Champs is just an utterly admirable and enviable three mile chaser. Throughout his career he has been trained flawlessly and beautifully ridden. His claim to greatness is a very orthodox one with the magnificent proviso that the best could be yet to come.

A lot has changed from the days of Cottage Rake, Arkle or indeed from Best Mate. But you may be pleased to read that some traditions remain. Early yesterday morning three cases were being wheeled into the jockeys changing room. They were of champagne. May the bubbles ever flow.