Champion chaser calls time on glittering career
Galopin Des Champs, the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and one of the outstanding National Hunt horses of recent seasons, has been retired from racing. The 10-year-old gelding, trained by Willie Mullins, will move into a second career following a tally of top-level successes that included consecutive Gold Cup victories on the Cheltenham Festival stage and a hat-trick of Irish Gold Cups.
Record and final campaign
Across a career that spanned 26 starts, Galopin Des Champs won 15 races, 12 of them at Grade One level. His landmark achievements include back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cup triumphs and Irish Gold Cup victories in three successive renewals. His final public appearance came when he finished third while attempting a fourth Irish Gold Cup win in February; a subsequent setback ruled him out of a planned sixth start at the Cheltenham Festival and preceded the decision to retire him.
Owners pay tribute
Owners Audrey and Greg Turley, who campaigned the horse throughout his career, expressed their gratitude for the memories he provided. They highlighted the Cheltenham successes and the sequence of Irish Gold Cup wins among the many high points that marked his time on the racecourse. The pair acknowledged Galopin Des Champs’s popularity with racegoers and followers on social media during a career that made him a familiar figure at major festivals.
Plans for life after racing
Following retirement from competition, Galopin Des Champs will be retrained. He has moved to the family of former top jockey Ruby Walsh, where Ruby’s daughter will assess the gelding and explore potential equestrian activities suited to him. Owners have stressed that the decision over his next role will be made with the horse’s welfare and preferences in mind.
Stable prospects and the Cheltenham connection
While the Turleys will no longer be represented by Galopin Des Champs at Cheltenham, they still have a high-class prospect to follow in King Rasko Grey. The grey provided the owners with a Cheltenham Festival success in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and has returned from a summer break reportedly in good order. The Turleys have described King Rasko Grey as a horse with promise as they look ahead to future festival campaigns.
Legacy at the Festival
Galopin Des Champs will be remembered at Cheltenham for his athleticism and consistency at the highest level. Back-to-back Gold Cup victories placed him among a select group of horses capable of dominating the blue riband race across successive renewals, and his performances in Ireland secured him an enduring reputation in both jurisdictions’ staying chases. His retirement marks the end of a notable chapter for owner, trainer and festival-goers alike.
What this means for Cheltenham
- Cheltenham loses one of its recent headline performers, a dual Gold Cup winner whose presence brought attention to the Festival.
- Connections remain active in the owners’ ranks at major meetings, with King Rasko Grey the immediate hope for a return to Cheltenham success.
- Retraining plans reflect a growing trend of high-profile National Hunt horses moving into second careers once their time in competition ends.
