Galopin Des Champs going for Gold Cup double at Punchestown

Side by side jumping the last in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs will attempt to again conquer Bravemansgame in a mouthwatering renewal of the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday.

Willie Mullins' star chaser has a chance to emulate Kicking King (2005), War Of Attrition (2006) and Sizing John (2017) as the most recent to record the Cheltenham-Punchestown double.

The seven-year-old justified favouritism under Paul Townend by giving Bravemansgame a seven-length beating in jump racing’s most prestigious event, answering any stamina doubts some – but not his trainer – may have had.

Officially rated the best National Hunt horse in training, Mullins will bid for a seventh triumph in the three-mile Grade One feature.

"He’s in great shape. We’re aiming for Punchestown since Cheltenham," said Mullins.

"I didn’t have any worry about his stamina until about four furlongs out (at Cheltenham) when I said, 'Right, now' when what I was convinced about was going to happen or not.

"I just took his novice hurdle form to mean he would stay three-and-a-quarter miles easily as an older horse.

"I didn’t have any fear about him staying all year. I was surprised myself how much doubt crept in as they rounded the top of the hill.

"But Paul seemed to be going well at all stages. The only little blip was at the third-last where he brushed the top but the minute he did that, Paul just pulled him together, got him in behind the others, gave him just a little bit of time to recover. You could see Paul’s body language telling you, ‘This fella’s got plenty in the tank.’"

The Audrey Turley-owned Galopin Des Champs has won six of his seven starts over fences and has won both starts at Punchestown, taking the Grade One novice hurdle in 2021 and