Galopin Des Champs retained his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown at last month’s Cheltenham Festival and the Willie Mullins-trained superstar is a hot favourite to claim Wednesday’s Punchestown Gold Cup on day two of the Punchestown Festival.
A stunning three-and-a-half length winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup to win the contest for the second year on the bounce, Galopin Des Champs will yet again look to cement his place as the premier staying chaser in Ireland, but he suffered a shock defeat when sent off favourite for the 2023 Punchestown Gold Cup, but he was beaten by Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow.
Punchestown Gold Cup Runners – Nine Declared for Showdown in the Feature
Nine runners have been declared for the Punchestown Gold Cup, the most anticipated race at the track’s annual jumps festival run this week. They include Irish and Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs, who is looking to become just the second horse to win all three Grade 1 Gold Cups in the same season…
Mon 29 Apr 2024That pair are set for another mouth-watering clash in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup and Brassil’s Fastorslow is much bigger in the betting again and he was a faller in the abovementioned Cheltenham Gold Cup, so he will be hoping a return to the Punchestown Festival can bring about some luck again.
Both Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow dominate the betting with the form around the 8/13 mark, while Fastorslow is a shade bigger than 3/1 to retain the crown he won last year. Away from the front two in the betting there’s a notable chasm to the remaining seven other Punchestown Gold Cup runners.
Third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Lucinda Russell’s Corach Rambler was a first fence faller in the Grand National at Aintree a few weeks ago, as his quest to retain the Merseyside marathon came to a swift ending, but the star UK-trained chaser is around a 12/1 shot here, while the same odds are available about shock King George VI Chase winner Hewick, who returns to the chasing sphere having finished sixth in the Liverpool Hurdle.
Former Irish Gold Cup hero Conflated has shown to be a Grade 1 performer at his best and he’s a 16/1 shot for this event, while the aforementioned Mullins will also be represented by outsiders Appreciate It and Capodanno, who are 33/1, at the time of writing.
Completing the nine-strong field will be Henry De Bromhead’s Journey With Me, who is 20/1 and surprise Charlie Hall Chase winner from the start of the season Gentlemansgame for Mouse Morris, but that 66/1 outsider has failed to kick on from that Wetherby win.
Latest 2024 Punchestown Gold Cup Odds:
| Horse | Trainer | Best Odds |
| Galopin Des Champs | Willie Mullins | 8/13 |
| Fastorslow | Martin Brassil | 100/30 |
| Hewick | Shark Hanlon | 12/1 |
| Corach Rambler | Lucinda Russell | 14/1 |
| Conflated | Gordon Elliott | 16/1 |
| Journey With Me | Henry De Bromhead | 20/1 |
| Appreciate It | Willie Mullins | 33/1 |
| Capodanno | Willie Mullins | 33/1 |
| Gentlemansgame | Mouse Morris | 66/1 |
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