Galopin Des Champs a rare jewel who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as chasing's most glittering stars
Matt Rennie looks back on a spectacular weekend at the Dublin Racing Festival
We are in an era of a true sporting great. Football has Real Madrid, cricket has Australia, and the Dublin Racing Festival showed once again racing has its own in Galopin Des Champs.
There has been Arkle, Desert Orchid, Best Mate and Kauto Star, but Ireland's black beauty proved he deserves to be in the same breath after completing an Irish Gold Cup hat-trick. Even Willie Mullins conceded this is the best chaser he has trained.
A Racing Post Rating of 173 suggested this was the weakest of his Irish Gold Cups, but it was still a demolition job rubber-stamped with his trademark turbo charge after the final fence.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inThe Last Word
Last updated
Copy- Target trainer can hit Turners bullseye with novice hurdler carrying plenty of positives
- When is the right time to bet against Willie Mullins at the Cheltenham Festival? Don't say 'never' - there's a trend developing
- Protektorat has big chance of Ryanair double in cracking contest - plus the pick of the eyecatchers for Cheltenham
- Repeat winners take big jumps prizes at Kelso and Doncaster - while over in Meydan a 2,000 Guineas contender hacks up
- Fair-weather forecast means it's time to add this 10-1 shot to the Cheltenham portfolio
- Target trainer can hit Turners bullseye with novice hurdler carrying plenty of positives
- When is the right time to bet against Willie Mullins at the Cheltenham Festival? Don't say 'never' - there's a trend developing
- Protektorat has big chance of Ryanair double in cracking contest - plus the pick of the eyecatchers for Cheltenham
- Repeat winners take big jumps prizes at Kelso and Doncaster - while over in Meydan a 2,000 Guineas contender hacks up
- Fair-weather forecast means it's time to add this 10-1 shot to the Cheltenham portfolio