Galopin Des Champs’ brilliant Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup double left bookmakers licking their wounds at the end of the Cheltenham Festival.

Willie Mullins’ defending champion was sent off the well-backed 10-11 favourite and barely gave his supporters a moment of worry as he stormed to back-to-back triumphs in the blue riband.

It means that three of the four feature-race favourites obliged over the four days and although the layers received temporary relief on day two when El Fabiolo fluffed his lines in the Champion Chase, Galopin Des Champs’ victory only compounded the misery inflicted by State Man and Teahupoo earlier in the week.

“When the Festival’s leading trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend team up on the reigning Gold Cup champion and hot favourite in the biggest betting race of the week, victory for the combination is never going to be anything other than bad news for the bookmakers,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

“Overall it’s been a rollercoaster week for us, but Galopin Des Champ’s Gold Cup double means plenty of punters have ended this huge week on a high.”

BoyleSports were another firm losing on the Gold Cup, with spokesperson Lawrence Lyons adding: “It was already a bruising week with so many Mullins winners going in, but he rubbed salt in our wounds on Friday and Galopin Des Champs was the knockout blow as he was the best backed horse of the week.” 

However, it was not all bad news for the old enemy, with BetVictor relieved to escape relatively unscathed after an up and down week.

Sam Boswell of the firm explained: “After a bruising day one and day two – which could have been much worse if El Fabiolo had obliged for the many multiple bets – days three and four proved fruitful for the bookmakers with only Galopin Des Champs being a significant negative result.

“It is safe to say both bookmakers and punters had lots of fun at this year’s Festival and it is more or less honours even, perhaps a small win for the punters, over the last four days.”

Paddy Power’s Paul Binfield echoed those sentiments adding: “El Fabiolo’s unfortunate defeat in the Queen Mother was the turning point of the week.

“It went downhill from there for punters and the books have come out on top after a rather worrying start.”

Galopin Des Champs bids to join the Prestbury Park immortals when he defends his Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup crown on Friday.

Willie Mullins’ stay stayer erased any stamina doubts with an ultra-impressive success in the blue riband 12 months ago, staying on strongly up the hill to finish seven lengths ahead of game runner-up Bravemansgame.

Although subsequently defeated by Fastorslow in both the Punchestown Gold Cup and when reappearing in the John Durkan, Galopin Des Champs firmly accounted for his reopposing rival when producing a dominant display in last month’s Irish Gold Cup, a victory which supplemented a clinical display at Leopardstown over the Christmas period and sees him head to the Cotswolds in peak condition.

The first time Paul Townend and Galopin Des Champs joined forces at Prestbury Park, the Irishman finished on the deck in the Turners Novices’ Chase as the then bold-jumping novice forfeited a 12-length lead when falling at the last.

However, the Closutton number one was handed plenty of plaudits for the way he nursed the eight-year-old to Gold Cup glory last year and with his mount now the ultimate professional, Townend is relishing the prospect of linking up once again.

“It was disappointing to get beat in the John Durkan but he was very good at Christmas and again at the Dublin Racing Festival,” said Townend.

“People had doubts about him (last year) and you always have doubts I suppose when a horse runs in the Gold Cup – until they stay, they don’t stay. We had confidence in him that he would stay and he did.

“Like us all, he’s getting older and wiser and a bit more laid-back and he’s developed into the finished article.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on him and it’s always exciting. I’ve had the horse underneath me (a few times) in the Gold Cup and you wouldn’t be anywhere without the horses and the rub of the green.”

Golden Miller famously won five successive Gold Cups in the 1930s, with Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate recording heralded hat-tricks in the Cheltenham Festival feature. But as a rule, back-to-back champions are a rarity in the modern era, with the great Kauto Star even surrendering his crown in 2008 before regaining the title a year later.

The outlier in the past 20 years is Al Boum Photo and now Galopin Des Champs has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious former stablemate and provide Closutton with their fourth Gold Cup in six years.

However, the trainer’s son Patrick Mullins believes there are few similarities between the pair, viewing the stable’s latest Gold Cup hero as a “superstar”.

He said: “They’re chalk and cheese a bit. Al Boum Photo very much had his own way of jumping. I remember schooling him one day in Punchestown after racing and Paul just said ‘close your eyes and trust him’!

“He broke Ruby’s leg one time and he fell at the last with David (Mullins) another. He wasn’t a flashy horse and didn’t work fantastically well, whereas Galopin Des Champs is a superstar.

“It’s a bit like Nicky Butt and Roy Keane, but Al Boum Photo won two Gold Cups. It feels to me like he was more a specialist horse for that race, whereas Galopin is a superstar of the sport.”

Martin Brassil knows all about the might of Galopin Des Champs, but his Fastorslow is the only horse to lower the defending champion’s colours in the past two seasons.

The eight-year-old is the general second favourite as he prepares to lock horns with Galopin Des Champs yet again, but his handler believes there is plenty of depth to a competitive Gold Cup.

“We’re looking forward to the race and it’s a really strong renewal of the Gold Cup,” said Brassil.

“They call it a wind operation but we’ve just cauterised his palate that’s all (since Leopardstown last month). There is more than one horse in the race and some really good Grade One winners in there, it’s a strong race that will take plenty of winning.

“He’s as entitled to be there as any of the others, though. The horse has travelled over great and has eaten and drank and stuff and it’s all system go.”

Gordon Elliott’s Gerri Colombe entered the season as a major Gold Cup player in the making and was disputing favouritism after making a winning return at Down Royal.

However, hopes were tempered somewhat when trailing some 23 lengths behind Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Christmas.

Asked how he can reverse that form with Galopin Des Champs, Elliott said: “We need a miracle, I’d say.

“He’s in great shape, he didn’t run his race at Christmas and it’s going to be very hard to turn that distance around, but we’ll see what happens.

“He was unlucky when he just got touched off here last year and it’s an open race if you take the favourite out of it.”

Owners Robcour have a second string to their Gold Cup bow in the form of Gentlemansgame, who made a successful raid on the Charlie Hall Chase in the autumn, downing Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame.

Mouse Morris’ gigantic grey heads to the blue riband on the back of just three chasing starts but would have a fighting chance of giving his handler a second Gold Cup victory if repeating his Wetherby heroics.

Ten-year-olds Jungle Boogie (Henry de Bromhead) and Monkfish (Mullins) are others from Ireland in the Gold Cup mix, representing the two trainers who have traded the last six runnings of the race.

The latter is a dual Festival winner who finally gets his crack at the main event having been seen just the four times since winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase here in 2021.

However, one who will not to be at the start is John ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s King George hero Hewick, who is likely to now head for the Randox Grand National after ground conditions curtailed Gold Cup hopes.

In a post on X, Hanlon said: “After walking the track this morning, we have decided Hewick will not run in the Gold Cup.

“While this is disappointing, we are doing what’s best for the horse”

Connections of L’Homme Presse could do little but sit and watch last year’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup unfold before them, but 12 months on he is tasked with leading the British charge in the blue riband.

With the Irish raiders dominating the top of the Gold Cup market, it falls on Venetia Williams’ nine-year-old to fly the flag for the home team, having already enjoyed one special day at the Cheltenham Festival when winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in 2022.

Owned by Andy and Pam Edwards alongside Peter and Patricia Pink, it was injury that saw their pride and joy miss the action in the Cotswolds last year, but he served a timely reminder of his staying qualities when making an emotional winning return at Lingfield in the Fleur De Lys Chase.

Things didn’t go to a similar plan when putting the finishing touches to his Gold Cup preparations in the Ascot Chase last month, although his handler is unperturbed by that reversal at the hands of the speedier Pic D’Orhy.

“I still assess his Ascot run exactly as I did on the day,” said Williams.

“I was very pleased with the run and it wasn’t the ideal race for him as it was just over two and a half miles on nearly good ground which we know is too much of a speed test and not a stamina test.

“In the circumstances up against Pic D’Orhy, who is very much a speed horse, I was very pleased with his run.”

The Herefordshire handler used the Ascot Chase to set-up Teeton Mill’s Gold Cup bid in 1999 and Williams will be hoping L’Homme Presse will fare better in his crack at the blue riband than that runner, who was pulled-up as the 7-2 second favourite in the year See More Business ruled the Cotswolds.

“He will line up at the start with all of them and it’s a very competitive race, so he will have as good a chance as any of them,” added Williams.

“It’s the Gold Cup isn’t it and there’s lots of top horses there, but I like to think we will have our chance. It’s what you hope to be doing with a horse of his quality and you hope to be competitive at the top table and we will see. Hopefully he will be there good and well.”

See More Business was of course the first Gold Cup winner for Paul Nicholls, who has gone on to score with Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009 and Denman, whose 2008 triumph sandwiched in the middle.

Bravemansgame came closest to giving Ditcheat a first Gold Cup since 2009 when second to Galopin Des Champs last year and the champion trainer believes he has his star stayer in much better shape than when runner-up in defence of his King George title on Boxing Day.

He said: “It just didn’t work in the autumn, it was heavy ground in the Charlie Hall and then we ran him a bit quick in the Betfair Chase, which was close enough to Kempton. It just didn’t work out but he’s very well now.

“In another year we’d have done things differently and the ground may have been different, but I’m very happy we haven’t run him since Kempton and we could go to Aintree or Punchestown like last year.

“He worked well on Saturday morning, he looks great and I think I have him in a good place. He did well at Kempton (in a racecourse gallop) and he’s in better shape than he was then.

“We’ve all got to beat the favourite but I’m really happy with where he is, I think we’ll see a much better horse than we’ve seen so far this season and if he runs like last year, he’ll be there or thereabouts.”

Bravemansgame was up with the pace until giving way to the eventual winner after the last 12 months ago, but Nicholls does not envisage a change of plan this time around as they seek a different outcome to the finish.

He added: “I’ll leave tactics to Harry (Cobden). Last year he was right on the front end and at the end of the day he ran a great race riding him like that.

“Galopin Des Champs was dropped in and had a dream run (last year). They are going to ride him a lot more positively now because he stays and Harry will slot in where he is happy.”

Two places behind Bravemansgame at Kempton over Christmas was The Real Whacker, who further enhanced his Gold Cup claims when second in the Cotswold Chase on Festival Trials day.

Trained by Yorkshire-based Irishman Patrick Neville, he was a brave winner of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the meeting in 2023 and this has been the eight-year-old’s ultimate goal ever since.

Neville said: “He’s in great form, this has been the target all year and we’re hopeful he’s improved again from his last run.

“Hopefully the ground will dry out a little bit, but we’re not too worried about it – it is what is at this stage and he did win in soft ground there last year.

“He was just looking around a bit the last day and we’ve worked him a few days in the visor and we’re a bit like Tesco, every little helps! He’s entitled to be there and I couldn’t be happier with him going into the race, so we can do no more.”

Corach Rambler is another with winning form at Prestbury Park and the dual Ultima winner will now take his chance at the highest level en route to the defence of his Grand National crown.

“It’s a difficult thing as we feel the National is his main aim, but we know he runs well round Cheltenham so that gives us hope he can run well,” said trainer Lucinda Russell’s partner and assistant, Peter Scudamore. “We’re hopeful he could get a place.”

Also taking in the blue riband before a trip to Aintree next month is Gary Moore’s Welsh Grand National victor Nassalam, who bids to join the likes of Native River, Synchronised and Burrough Hill Lad by supplementing victory in the Chepstow marathon with success in the Cotswolds.

Moore said: “This rain will be beneficial to him, it will slow the others down a bit hopefully.

“I personally didn’t think he had the class for the Gold Cup before he ran the race he did in the Welsh Grand National. I’m kind of being guided by the handicapper, he’s kind of telling me he’s a 160 horse. Is he? I don’t know.

“I’ve never trained a Gold Cup horse and I’ve never trained a Grand National horse. I think he’s entitled to run in his ground because he jumps and stays well, but (if it dries) he might not get his ground to see him at his best.”

Andy Edwards is not your typical racehorse owner. When he acquires a newcomer to his string, he is not just its owner but he becomes its guardian and friend. Now one of his greatest equine pals, L’Homme Presse, will bid to give him the greatest moment in his racing life when lining up in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

L’Homme Presse is far from the first horse Edwards has been involved in nor will he be the last, but he has easily been the most successful and has taken Edwards – along with his wife Pam and fellow co-owners Peter and Patricia Pink – on a magical journey which has already incorporated triumph at the Cheltenham Festival.

Not too dissimilar to his co-owner, L’Homme Presse’s story has humble beginnings and his French racing career was somewhat tottering on the brink when the then injured son of Diamond Boy was plucked out of a field in Normandy by an admiring Edwards.

Little did the gelding know at the time, but he had just gained his most valuable ally, and not just a new owner, but someone who – alongside trainer Venetia Williams – was prepared to put in the hours of care and nurture required to help him fulfil his destiny.

“I adopt a soul for life,” said Edwards, explaining his ownership philosophy.

“That’s what happens and that’s what it is for me. I become their guardian not their owner and as any good guardian who adopts a child or animal it is a big responsibility and you need to guide them through their life as best you can.

“We have to be patient as owners and the other three all buy into the philosophies. We feel like we have been rewarded, but more importantly, the horse has been rewarded. Because of our beliefs, the horse has been able to be the best he can be every time he goes out.”

There is something warming about Edwards’ hands-on approach to both ownership and L’Homme Presse.

‘The horse is my number one priority’ is anything but meaningless where Edwards is concerned. L’Homme Presse’s well-being is always at the forefront of his mind during regular phone calls with his trainer and the frequent visits to the handler’s Herefordshire base.

“I’m in lots to see L’Homme Presse, I go two or three times a week,” continued Edwards.

“Venetia is an amazing lady and all of her staff – Jess and Beth and the vets – are all brilliant.

“When Venetia rings me, I tell her not to say hello just to say ‘all good’ before she says anything else, and luckily, she mostly does.”

L’Homme Presse’s connections have felt the full range of emotions the Cheltenham Festival can provide over the past few years.

In 2022 there was ecstasy as their charge stormed home on a wet Wednesday afternoon in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, but their was also a sense of longing 12 months ago when their staying star was sat on the sidelines as the Gold Cup took centre stage on the final afternoon of the meeting – a race Edwards actually watched from right at the heart of the action.

“The win in the Brown Advisory was the most fantastic day you could imagine,” continued Edwards.

“At the time I stood there in the rain with my palms held up and looking up to the sky with a big grin saying ‘this is liquid sunshine’.

“Our friends are Bruce and Karen who own Ahoy Senor and they very kindly invited us last year to be with them in the paddock and for lunch. It was really lovely of them and they said to us ‘you should be here, it’s not right you are not here’. It was a lovely thing of them to do.

“But at the same time it was quite a weird feeling being their for the Gold Cup cheering on someone else’s horse – which of course we were happy to do. However, the year before we had thought we would be the ones standing in that paddock with our own horse.”

Now L’Homme Presse is just days away from finally getting his chance to line-up in the blue riband, the summit of a long adventure that has finally reached its peak.

“It’s a privilege to be there and you have to pinch yourself,” said Edwards. “The four of us (the co-owners), none of us have come from privileged backgrounds and to be in this position is dreamland.

“We have all got to try to enjoy it whatever happens and celebrate. It has been a five-year journey for me now personally and to get to that pinnacle of the sport is a massive win in its own right and an incredible achievement.

“Our attitude at the moment is to enjoy the build-up and enjoy every moment. We will accept whatever happens. I fully understand the highs and lows of this incredible sport that we’re all involved in.

“We’ve got lots of friends coming down and we will enjoy the build-up. It’s going to be a fantastic race whoever wins and a great spectacle. If all horses come back happy that would be brilliant.”

L’Homme Presse would spend over a year on the sidelines before making a triumphant return at Lingfield in January, but there was to be no repeat of heroics when he was tasked with dropping back in distance for the Ascot Chase last month.

The two-mile-five-furlong Grade One event was scheduled to be the ideal spot for L’Homme Presse to fine-tune his engine ahead of his Cheltenham assignment, but with drying ground and the emphasis becoming more about speed than endurance, the nine-year-old was unable to lay a glove on track-and-trip specialist Pic D’Orhy.

Many would see the performance as a severe dent on L’Homme Presse’s future big-race ambitions, but connections have been far from despondent and are still confident the outing will have a positive effect on his Gold Cup claims.

“The timing of the Ascot Chase was perfect for us, but the distance and the ground wasn’t perfect for us,” explained Edwards.

“At the beginning of the week they were saying we were going to get 20mm of rain and we got 2mm. It went from being soft at the beginning of the week to good ground by 3.30pm on the Saturday.

“Everything was against us but we still came second in a Grade One over a trip which was far too short for a three miler and on ground he doesn’t excel on, so we are very happy.”

While Harry Cobden was receiving plenty of plaudits for his winning ride in the aftermath of that Ascot event, it was L’Homme Presse’s jockey who was coming under fire for the amount of ground he conceded to the champion jockey elect in the early salvos of that contest.

However, the ever-loyal Edwards does not agree. He said: “It’s a shame Charlie got so much criticism as it wasn’t what we intended and he has to ride the horse that is underneath him at that moment in time.

“From our point of view Charlie gave him a great ride as he got him going and he got him running through the line and he managed to get us second in a Grade One at Ascot when at the start and halfway round things weren’t looking too healthy.”

The next stop on the L’Homme Presse odyssey is the Gold Cup itself and although there may be some nerves when Williams, Deutsch, and the staying star himself enter the bustling Prestbury Park paddock before the main event, the one thing guaranteed is that Edwards will always have the trio’s back.

“One thing I will be saying to Charlie and I always say to Venetia is, we as a group of owners believe in Venetia, we believe in Charlie and we believe in our horse,” said Edwards.

“All of us will enjoy the moment and we will definitely keep the faith.”

Jordan Gainford will be reunited with Hewick in next week’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The young rider is the nine-year-old’s regular partner, steering him to a hat-trick of big-race victories in 2022 as he landed the bet365 Gold Cup, the Galway Plate and the American Grand National.

However, injuries have meant Gainford has not been on Hewick’s back competitively since his fall two fences from home in last year’s Gold Cup, with Rachael Blackmore steering him to a subsequent win at Sandown and Gavin Sheehan in the saddle for his most recent triumph in the King George at Kempton.

Having been sidelined since suffering damaged vertebrae in a fall at Naas in mid-December, Gainford made his return late last month and after enjoying his first winners since his comeback at Leopardstown on Sunday and Monday, trainer Shark Hanlon has confirmed he will be back on board Hewick at Prestbury Park.

Hanlon said: “Jordan is going to ride the horse. I spoke to Gavin last night to tell him, he’s done nothing wrong and gave the horse a great ride (at Kempton) and he might ride him again one day.

“But Jordan is back and has ridden a couple of winners and in fairness he made the horse for me, so I think it would be only manners to let him ride him next week.

“He was down here yesterday to sit on the horse and at that stage he didn’t know if he was riding the horse or not, but he came down and schooled him. I told him the story, I said we’d have to wait and see and in fairness to him he came down and rode the horse twice in the last week.

“Jordan knows the horse well, the horse travels well for him and I’m delighted to have him on board.”

Shark Hanlon is set to make a decision later this week on who will partner his stable star Hewick in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Jordan Gainford is the nine-year-old’s regular rider and steered him to a hat-trick of big-race victories in 2022, landing the bet365 Gold Cup, the Galway Plate and the American Grand National.

However, injuries have meant the young rider has not been on Hewick’s back competitively since his fall two fences from home in last year’s Gold Cup, with Rachael Blackmore steering him to a subsequent win at Sandown and Gavin Sheehan in the saddle for his most recent triumph in the King George at Kempton.

Having been sidelined since suffering damaged vertebrae in a fall at Naas in mid-December, Gainford made his return aboard the unplaced Fury Road in Saturday’s Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and also had two rides for his boss Gordon Elliott at Naas on Sunday, but without success.

With the Cheltenham Festival now only a fortnight away, Hanlon is clearly keen for Gainford to enjoy a confidence-boosting success before making a final call on whether he will be recalled.

“We’re going to leave it until later on in the week, we’ll see if Jordan can ride a winner or two before we make a decision,” the trainer said on Monday morning.

“I was talking to the owner last night and that’s what we decided.”

Martin Brassil is relishing the prospect of running Fastorslow in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, confident his star performer will not let him down on the big occasion.

Brassil’s flag-bearer had got the better of reigning Cheltenham champion Galopin Des Champs in both the Punchestown Gold Cup last April and the John Durkan earlier this season, but suffered defeat at the hands of Willie Mullins’ charge in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last weekend.

Although beaten four and a half lengths, Fastorslow more than played his part in what was a terrific showpiece to the Dublin Racing Festival – and with the race run to suit the defending champion, Brassil was content with the performance of his charge.

He said: “We were very happy with the run and he hadn’t run since November 26, so you have to be very happy with it.”

There was an argument to suggest Fastorslow may have been able to test Galopin Des Champs on the run-in if he had not been distracted by the front-running mount of Paul Townend at the final obstacle.

However, Brassil believes that is immaterial to the outcome of this particular battle.

“We might have got a flyer (at the last, if Galopin Des Champs had not jinked) but my horse was quick to spot what the other horse did and he just hesitated and got over the fence carefully,” explained Brassil.

“He was on the back foot then and Galopin Des Champs had him all the way to the line. However, I don’t think there would have been any different result I would say, he had the run of the race dictating it, so in that race he always had our measure.”

Fastorslow now heads to Prestbury Park as the general 4-1 second favourite for the Gold Cup, as he prepares to tackle the odds-on favourite for a fifth time, with the score currently 2-2, but Brassil is expecting a much deeper event on March 15 at a venue where his charge has performed well in the past.

“If you headed into a Gold Cup only worrying about one horse, then you wouldn’t be doing too bad, but I’m sure there will be a lot more competition when we get to the race though,” he added.

“He seems to like Cheltenham, which is always a positive. He’s a horse who has never let us down and you can always depend on him to perform at his best. Sometimes that’s good enough and others you come up a bit short. If he continued to do that, there will be no one complaining.

“It’s five weeks today we’re working towards and we’re looking forward to it.”

Last year’s winner Galopin Des Champs is one of 20 entries for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 15.

Trained by Willie Mullins, Galopin Des Champs came out on top in a terrific duel with Bravemansgame last season and the pair are on course to meet again.

Galopin Des Champs returned to winning ways at Leopardstown over Christmas with a spectacular display which propelled him back to the head of the betting, having suffered two defeats at the hands of the Martin Brassil-trained Fastorslow.

Brassil’s charge has also been entered for the blue riband this year, having gone close in handicap company at the Festival last season. He was a late absentee at Leopardstown.

Mullins has also entered the injury-plagued Monkfish, an impressive winner of the 2021 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, but limited to just three starts since then.

Hewick, Shark Hanlon’s King George winner, Gerri Colombe, Envoi Allen and Gentlemansgame are others from Ireland with the option.

Gary Moore’s hugely-impressive Welsh National winner Nassalam is entered along with the Venetia Williams-trained pair of L’Homme Presse and Royale Pagaille.

Shishkin, so unlucky when coming down two from home in the King George, and Paul Nicholls’ novice Stay Away Fay are also in.

There are 19 entered in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase on March 13 in which last season’s first two from the Arkle, El Fabiolo and Jonbon, dominate the betting.

The pair are due to meet at Ascot in the Clarence House Chase later this month first.

Mullins has six contenders in total, including the now nine-year-old Ferny Hollow, who has not seen since December 2021, along with the mare Dinoblue and Appreciate It.

Boothill, Captain Guinness, Edwardstone and Editeur du Gite are others to note, with the last two runners also entered in the Ryanair Chase on March 14.

Mullins’ Allaho will be bidding for a third win in the race having gone close in the King George over Christmas. He is one of eight for the trainer, along with Sir Gerhard, in a total field of 32.

El Fabiolo, Fastorslow, Jonbon and Envoi Allen, winner of the race last season, are among those who have multiple options while Fugitif is in for Richard Hobson