Cheltenham Festival: Fact To File 'has the ability to beat Galopin Des Champs'

The Cheltenham Festival kicks off next week and all eyes will be fixed on Friday’s main event the Gold Cup.

Last year’s winner Galopin Des Champs is going for back-to-back victories in the event and is fancied by many to retain the famous trophy. With two impressive Grade 1 wins at Leopardstown in the Irish Gold Cup and the Savills Chase this season, it’s hard to see past Willie Mullins’ favourite in the Blue Riband.

While Galopin Des Champs is the leading candidate this year, Tony Mullins believes brother Willie has a younger horse in his yard that would beat the reigning champ.

That is Fact To File – second in last year’s Champion Bumper – who was sent straight over fences this term and is the favourite in Paddy Power’s betting for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on day two of the Festival.

The seven-year-old announced himself as a leading chaser by trouncing Gaelic Warrior at Leopardstown over Christmas, and speaking on Paddy’s Ultimate Cheltenham Preview Night, Tony Mullins described him as ‘out of this world’.

You can run the rule over the Cheltenham Festival odds on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app.

Tony Mullins:

“Fact To File is the new champion. I think he’d actually beat Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup!

“This is the new champion, JP [McManus] has never owned one like this and he’s owned a lot of good horses.

“Out of this world this horse, no questions about his jumping, about him staying, no questions about nothing.

“He’ll do a Lossiemouth on it and he’ll win half the track!”

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change