Willie Mullins Announces Retirement of Two-Time Gold Cup Champion Galopin Des Champs, the 'Horse of a Lifetime'

CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 17: Jockey, Paul Townend on Galopin Des Champs celebrates winning the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase during day four, Gold Cup Day, of the Cheltenham Festival 2023 at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 17, 2023 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Sam Mellish/Getty Images) Credit: Getty

WILLIE MULLINS has confirmed two-time Gold Cup winner and ‘horse of a lifetime’ Galopin Des Champs has been retired.

The legendary handler said his Closutton stable star will now embark on a ‘second career’.

Galopin Des Champs, who bows out as a ten-year-old, was last seen finishing third in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Leopardstown last February.

Ever brave in defeat, he didn’t make it to Cheltenham afterwards for one last shot at a third Gold Cup.

Galopin Des Champs bows out having earned just shy of £2million in prize money.

His glittering CV, one of the greatest in the modern age, includes 12 Grade 1s, the last of which was a 22-length Punchestown Gold Cup win in April last year.

Perhaps his crowning moment was his first Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup win in March 2023.

He and the Paul Nicholls-trained Bravemansgame jumped the last together only for Galopin Des Champs to power away up the hill and win by seven lengths.

A three-time Grade 1 monster and 14-length King George winner at the time, Bravemansgame never tasted victory again.

Mullins told Sporting Life the decision to retire Galopin Des Champs – made in conjunction with owner Audrey Turley – came because he could no longer ‘do himself justice at the level he was used to’.

The Closutton boss 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.”

More to follow.