The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle of the National Hunt season, and each year, the Leopardstown Christmas Festival provides crucial horse betting clues about the race’s leading contenders.
As the dust settles on another thrilling edition of the festive meeting, racing fans and analysts alike are left to reassess the pecking order for jump racing’s blue-riband event.
With the Grade 1 Savills Chase often a key indicator to the Festival showpiece, the Gold Cup picture is beginning to take shape.
In this article, we examine how the action at Leopardstown has influenced the ante-post market, and what it could mean for the big day in March.
Galopin Des Champs – 4/5
Galopin Des Champs entered this season in pursuit of a historic third Gold Cup, but his chances appeared to take a major blow on his season reappearance in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
The nine-year-old could fare no better than third at the County Kildare track, as his younger, highly rated stablemate Fact To File stunner with a narrow victory over Spillane’s Tower in a JP McManus-owned 1-2.
However, Galopin Des Champs set the record straight when reversing the form in a commanding fashion with a comfortable win over Fact To File in the Savills Chase—streaking over seven lengths clear to win the Grade 1 contest for the second year in a row.
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Many pundits and racing fans alike branded it arguably the dual Gold Cup winner’s best performance to date.
It would take something special from any of his potential rivals at Cheltenham in March to stop him securing the hat-trick.
Fact To File – 5/1
Ante-post bettors who backed Fact To File to win the Gold Cup prior to the start of the season based on his fantastic novice form would have been licking their lips when the eight-year-old romped home in the aforementioned Punchestown Chase.
He firmed up as the favourite for the Cheltenham highlight with that impressive first victory against quality opposition in open company, but questions now have to be asked about his Gold Cup credentials—at least for this season—after the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Fact To File was beaten easily by Galopin Des Champs, and he now appears more likely to head down the Ryanair Chase route for the Festival when looking at the ante-post markets.
The eight-year-old is now as far out as 5/1 for the Gold Cup but is the 7/2 favourite for the day three championship race.
It would be a shame for Galopin Des Champs and Fact To File not to renew their rivalry at Cheltenham. After all, this is National Hunt’s Olympic Games, and you want the best to face the best, especially in the Gold Cup.
The Mouse Morris-trained Gentlemansgame is out to 66/1 for the Gold Cup despite finishing a respectable third in the Savills Chase from outside odds of 28/1, while Grangeclare West—another trained by Mullins—is also 66/1 after finishing sixth.
Conflated and Minella Cocooner were the last two home at Leopardstown, and are currently available at 100/1 and 80/1 for the Gold Cup, respectively.
