Townend’s brilliant ride steers Galopin Des Champs to glory
| Published date | 18 March 2023 |
At the line Galopin Des Champ had seven lengths in hand on the big English hope Bravemansgame with two other Irish contenders, Conflated and Noble Yeats, filling the frame.
How Galopin Des Champs got to the line under an ice-cool Townend was so much of the story of this 95th Gold Cup.
Even allowing for the horse being unproven at the trip, the champion jockey's decision to drop Galopin Des Champs out the back in the most coveted race of all was audacious.
At one point the partnership was last of the 13 runners and only moved up the pecking order when rivals Stattler and the 2021 winner Minella Indo started finding the pace too hot.
In a late game of musical chairs, the latter wound up ridden by Nico De Boinville after intended jockey Mark Walsh had a fall in the previous race.
Felt frantic
Davy Russell was stood down after the same race and his Gold Cup place on Conflated was taken by teenager Sam Ewing. If it all felt frantic Townend appeared to treat the whole scenario like the everyday.
With Ahoy Senor cutting out the pace he was content to sit right out the back with a remarkable display of sangfroid in the most pressurised of environments.
Ahoy Senor's fall six out all but finished the chances of last year's winner A Plus Tard as Rachael Blackmore's mount got hampered.
But as the hugely popular bargain buy Hewick took over and momentarily threatened a fairytale outcome, the eye kept returning to Galopin Des Champs' remorseless progress from the rear.
By the turn in, Bravemansgame made his move for glory and Townend's response was to take another pull on the favourite.
Considering he was publicly dressed down by Mullins after a couple of rides at last month's Dublin Racing Festival, Townend's assurance was remarkable.
Afterwards, no less a judge than ITV's AP McCoy acclaimed it as being as good a big-race ride as he's ever seen.
"Talk about riding a horse with bottle. Talk about the pressure, the privilege and pressure - oh my God, he coped with it better than anyone I've ever seen," McCoy said.
Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame jumped the last together, but any lingering doubts about the winner's stamina were banished in style up the final hill.
It was a third Gold Cup success for both Townend and Mullins who scored back-to-back with Al Boum Photo in 2019-20.
In Galopin Des Champs they have a seven-year-old with...
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