The Irish, led by Willie Mullins, continued their dominance of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup with Galopin des Champs successfully defending the title, according to BHA Handicapper Martin Greenwood.
Mullins secured his fourth victory in the past six years and accomplished his second consecutive win with the same horse. Although Al Boum Photo showcased his ability by winning the race in 2019 and 2020, Galopin des Champs is a superior competitor. He entered the race as the highest-rated horse in training, with a rating of 179, primarily based on his impressive victory over Bravemansgame and others in the 2023 Gold Cup.
Despite facing a few setbacks in his subsequent races, Galopin des Champs displayed his former strength when he convincingly defeated his rivals at Leopardstown in December and February.
He continued to excel on Friday, solidifying his position as the top contender. While his performance may not have been as visually stunning as the previous year, he maintained control after making a decisive move and possibly lost some focus towards the end of the race.
Historical standards indicate that the expected performance for this race is in the low to mid 170s. However, Galopin des Champs achieved a rating of only 174, while the pre-race rating of 179 still stands.
Gerri Colombe showed great determination and finished in second place, three and a half lengths behind the winner. He achieved a personal best rating of 170, which is the same as Fastorslow, who unfortunately was unseated before the race truly began.
The horse that came in next was Corach Rambler, last year's Grand National winner. Despite starting a long way off the pace, he finished strongly and achieved a new rating of 162 (up from 159), which puts him at an advantage of 3lb for the next renewal of the race in four weeks. It was an impressive performance, and hopefully, the challenging race he had here won't have a negative impact on his pursuit of another victory in the Grand National.