From Galopin's hat-trick bid to dipping attendances: six key talking points from the 2024 Cheltenham Festival

Galopin Des Champs

Galopin Des Champs is a hero now. If all the nice things said about him this weekend were turned into bouquets and piled up in front of his box at Closutton, he would disappear from view.

Multiple Gold Cup winners are rare; not as rare as they used to be but still so special that any jump racing fan can reasonably be expected to carry them all around in their head forever. We've had Easter Hero, Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle, L'Escargot, Best Mate, Kauto Star, Al Boum Photo and now Galopin Des Champs. That's it. Not even one per decade on average, though we've had three in the last 15 years.

The question now is whether Galopin can join the still rarer club of horses to win our most prestigious jumps race three times (or more). So far, that list is: Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle, Best Mate. I'm assuming that Golden Miller's record of five is untouchable. To match it, Galopin Des Champs would have to hold his form to the age of 11, older than any Gold Cup winner in my lifetime. That's not going to happen, is it?