Two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs retires 

The curtain came down on the career of one of the all-time great National Hunt horses today with the announcement from Closutton that two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs has been retired.

Speaking to Sporting Life, trainer Willie Mullins said:

“We took a collective decision to retire Galopin Des Champs at his age because we felt he could not do himself justice at the level he was used to. He retires a good, sound horse who will hopefully have a good second career as a sport horse."

His back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cup victories in 2023 and 2024 were the highlights of a glittering career that also included three Irish Gold Cups among 12 Grade 1 wins.

Ridden by Paul Townend, he justified favouritism in the 2023 renewal as he pulled clear of Bravemansgame before producing an even more dominant display 12 months later, defeating Gerri Colombe by three and a half lengths.

"I think he just put himself in the superstar category, to do what he did and the way he did it,” Mullins said after that second Gold Cup triumph.

Galopin Des Champs attempted to join the sport's immortals with a third consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2025, but on ground that was a little quicker than ideal he could not match the pace of Inothewayurthinkin.

He bounced back to end the season with victory in the 2025 Punchestown Gold Cup, but that proved to be his final top-level success.

Third-place finishes in the Savills Chase at Christmas and the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival followed, and although he was being aimed at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, Mullins announced a month beforehand that his season was over.

That decision ultimately marked the end of one of the most decorated careers of the modern era. Galopin Des Champs retires with almost £2 million in prize money, two Cheltenham Gold Cups, three Irish Gold Cups and a legacy as one of the finest National Hunt horses of his generation.