Horse racing-Double Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs dies after field injury

Sept 1 : Two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs has died after suffering an injury in a field only five days after being retired.

The French-bred 10-year-old won the Gold Cup in 2023 and 2024 and was retired late last month.

"Sadly Galopin Des Champs suffered an injury in his field this morning and could not be saved," former champion jockey Ruby Walsh, whose family was looking after the gelding, told Racing TV in a statement on Tuesday. 

“He was checked a few times throughout the morning but late in the morning when I went to get him for exercise I found him with a severe injury, high up on his near front leg.

"He was attended to by our vets immediately but X-rays revealed extensive unrepairable damage.”

Galopin Des Champs also won three Irish Gold Cups at Leopardstown and was a 12-time Grade One winner trained mostly by Willie Mullins in Ireland.