Cheltenham Gold Cup predictions: Galopin Des Champs to double up
It is the final afternoon at Cheltenham and the one everyone has been looking forward to, the Gold Cup, takes place at 3.30. We preview below - for predictions on the rest of the card, check out our day 4 column here.
The race was won by Galopin Des Champs last year and he will bid to win back-to-back Gold Cups facing a maximum of 11 rivals this year.
Mullins in search for four
Willie Mullins had to wait a long time to win his first Gold Cup and it would have been a huge relief when he finally won it with Al Boum Photo in 2019.
Flash forward five years later and he is now in search of his fourth success after Al Boum Photo won it again in 2020 and Galopin Des Champs took the honours last year.
Galopin Des Champs is becoming one of the National Hunt greats and that case was significantly enhanced when he won the Savills Chase by an emphatic 23 lengths at the end of last year.
He successfully defended his Irish Gold Cup in February and looks the one to beat again.
Fastorslow has been building a case for the race even though people would have laughed if you said he could be a Gold Cup horse this time last year when he finished second in the Ultima.
He has improved since then and shocked the world in April when he beat both Bravemansgame and Galopin Des Champs.
He proved it was no fluke when winning the John Durkan, beating Galopin Des Champs once again. He was, however, beaten in the Irish Gold Cup, but he comes here with solid claims.
It would be a wonderful story if Hewick was to win the Gold Cup, given his small purchase fee. He has given connections so many great days out and the best would have come last time when he won the King George.
He was brilliant that day and stayed on very well when looking like one of the first ones beat. He was running a huge race in this last year before falling, it would be silly to discount him.
Bravemansgame was second in this last year, but he did not stay up the hill and has not been in as good form this year. He should not be ruled out having an each-way chance though.
Gerri Colombe had been really talked up for this race by trainer Gordon Elliott after being unlucky in the Browns Advisory last year, but he was comfortably beaten in the Savills Chase and has plenty to find.
Gold Cup double awaits Galopin Des Champs
Galopin Des Champs has proven time and again why he is the best staying chaser around. He was so classy in this race last year and, when he was beaten by Fastorslow, he came back and went on to beat him in the Irish Gold Cup.
If he runs to the level we have seen, he will not lose, despite this looking like a competitive renewal of the Gold Cup, he is just on a different level, and it will be very tough for anything to get close to him.
If you are going to take him on, you are relying on him underperforming, but he is coming into this race in such good form that it is hard to imagine him not at his best for the most important race on the year.
Hewick to hit the places
It is hard to say where Hewick would have finished if he had not fallen in last year’s race, but he would have gone close and he may go even better as he is coming here in the best form of his life after a career-best performance inwinning the King George on Boxing Day.
He is a horse who just seems to get better and better as he gets older and it would not be a shock if he ran into the places late on.
Racing Post selection: Galopin Des Champs
Each-way contender: Hewick
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