Paul Townend salutes retiring Cheltenham star Galopin Des Champs

Irish champion jockey Paul Townend has hailed the career of two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs, after he was retired from racing.

Willie Mullins’ star 10-year-old won 12 Grade 1 races, including the three Irish Gold Cups alongside his successes at the Cheltenham Festival.

Galopin Des Champs missed out on a hat-trick of Cheltenham Gold Cup victories in 2025, when he finished second behind Inothewayurthinkin, while a training setback in 2026 put paid to final swansong on Cleeve Hill.

In an exclusive interview with Betway, Townend reflected on his remarkable partnership with Galopin Des Champs and the memories they created together.

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Gutted

Trainer Mullins confirmed Galopin Des Champs retirement at the end of August citing that he was unable to “do himself justice at the level he was used to.”

Townend partnered Galopin Des Champs 22 times, winning 13 times and only finishing outside the places on one occasion.

But Townend wasn’t expecting great things when their relationship began.

“Although I can’t quite remember the first time I sat on Galopin at Willie’s, I can remember how gutted I was when we got beat on his first start for us at Gowran Park,” said Townend.

“The truth is, you get spoilt at Willie’s when it comes to sitting on exciting young horses, so while I remember thinking he was a horse with plenty of potential that day at Gowran, I’d be lying if I said I expected him to go on and achieve what he did.”

Superstar

Their partnership soon blossomed and soon Galopin Des Champs was quickly turning heads.

“It’s incredible to think that he was sent off at 100/1 for a Grade 1 Novice Hurdle a few starts later, and although he was only sixth that day, he wasn’t that far behind Appreciate It, Ballyadam and Blue Lord, who were the real top novice hurdlers at that time,” said Townend.

“I know people like to suggest he was one of the ‘good things’ of all time when he headed to Cheltenham for the Martin Pipe off a mark of 142, but people forget that he was giving weight away to horses like Gentleman De Mee and Langer Dan, so it was a serious performance on his first visit to the Festival, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous of Sean O’Keefe who got to ride him that day.”

The switch from hurdles to fences was where Galopin Des Champs really came of age.

“He was a good novice hurdler for sure, but it was when a fence was put in front of him that he really became the superstar that we all know him as now,” said Townend.

Special

“From the minute we schooled him over fences at home, it was like a switch had been flicked with him, and he absolutely blew us away in his Beginners’ Chase at Leopardstown when obliterating Ain’t That A Shame, who was a good horse within his own right.

“The Gold Cup wins were really special, and you’d struggle to choose between them now because he was so good on those big days.

“That first one was an incredible feeling, because it felt like redemption after what happened in the Turners the year before.

“But then again, not many horses win back-to-back Gold Cups, so to write his name alongside some of the greatest staying chasers we’ve ever seen at Cheltenham was incredibly special.

“Leopardstown was his playground though, and I know many people look back on that Savills Chase where he obliterated Gerri Colombe as his best performance, but there were so many occasions there that he blew me away that I’d struggle to pick just one.”

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Relief

Though even the superstars can have off days, and Galopin Des Champs didn’t always come out on top.

One particular performance in the 2022 Turners’ Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham sticks in Townend’s mind for the wrong reasons.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have some unbelievable days at Cheltenham over the years, but the day he came down at the last in the Turners when having the race at his mercy is certainly one I’d like to forget,” said Townend.

“It’s not a race I can say I’ve watched back all that much, but I can remember getting an almighty fright as I’m rolling around on the floor after coming off him because he’d got his leg stuck in the reins, and I thought he was injured for a split second.

“It was then a massive relief that he was ok, despite the devastation of falling in the manner that we did.

“It was a peculiar fall as well, because he jumped the fence fine, and just crumpled on landing, but that’s novice chasing for you, and thankfully he didn’t do it again.”

Never forget

Despite all the praise, Townend stopped short of dubbing Galopin Des Champs the greatest horse he has ever ridden.

We will wait to see which star will be given that honour.

Townend told Betway: “He’s undoubtedly one of the horses I’ll look back on at the end of my career and feel so fortunate to be associated with, and it was really fantastic to see how much racing fans loved him on both sides of the Irish Sea. 

“There was a day at Leopardstown we jumped the last down the back straight, and I could hear the roars from the crowd coming off the stands, and you’d never hear that from that far out.

“It’s a day that will live with me forever, and Galopin Des Champs is without doubt a horse I’ll never, ever forget.”

You can read more of Paul Townend’s thoughts on Galopin Des Champs and their partnership in his latest Betway insider blog.

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