Having triumphed in the Cheltenham version over a month ago, Galopin Des Champs is the clear favourite to do the same in the Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday.
He is one of six runners gearing up for the 3 mile Grade 1 chase on the first day of the 2023 Punchestown Festival and is aiming to be the first since Sizing John in 2017 to win the Cheltenham and Punchestown Gold Cups in the same year, having already won the Irish Gold Cup at Fairyhouse this year.
Willie Mullins’ 7-year-old is at 1.33 with William Hill and has won eight of his last nine, two of which came at Punchestown in other Grade 1s.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 24th, 3:30 P.M. (BST)
Paul Townend is on board once again, as he has been for all of the last eight runs. Note this trainer-jockey combination was successful in this race last year with Allaho.
Second to Galopin Des Champs at Cheltenham and second in the betting this time is Bravemansgame at 6.00.
The Harry Cobden-ridden 8-year-old will also be having his first outing since then, when he was beaten by seven lengths.
Before that, he had won the Grade 2 Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the King George VI at Kempton for Paul Nicholls, the only trainer other than Mullins to win this race in the last four runnings.
Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore have third favourite Envoi Allen at 12.00. A winner at Cheltenham, in the Ryanair Chase, Envoi Allen was only seventh in the King George.
Usually doing better over shorter distances, the 9-year-old has won once over this distance at this level, at Down Royal in November.
Hewick fell when leading the Cheltenham Gold Cup but at 41.00 was not expected to hold out for victory. This time John Joseph Hanlon’s 8-year-old, who won the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills, is at 23.00.
Also a faller last time out was Gordon Elliott’s runner Fury Road who only made it to the second fence in the Grand National. Well beaten by Envoi Allen in the Ryanair before that, a more promising run was third in the Irish Gold Cup behind Galopin Des Champs. Mark Walsh rides him for the first time and he is at 29.00.
The rank outsider at 51.00 is Fastorslow for Martin Brassil, ridden by JJ Slevin. Narrowly beaten by soon-to-be Grand National winner Corach Rambler in the Ultima Handicap at Cheltenham, he was well beaten in two Grade 1s before that, including by Galopin Des Champs in Punchestown’s John Durkan Memorial Chase.
