Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs and top hurdler State Man back this weekend as Willie Mullins stars return
CHELTENHAM Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs is set to make his return this weekend in a bid to achieve back-to-back wins.
And trainer Willie Mullins is backing the seven-year-old to be bang on at the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
The campaign had started well with victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One last season before going on to lift the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.
But Martin Brassil’s Fastalow inflicted a shock defeat on his final start of the campaign in the Punchestown Gold Cup in April.
And Sunday’s race sets up a tasty rematch with Fastorslow with both featuring among the nine entries.
Regardless, jockey Paul Townend is relishing the chance to team up with Galopin Des Champs again this weekend.
As quoted by RTE, he said: “I’m looking forward to Galopin Des Champs, every day you get to get up on a Gold Cup winner is a brilliant day and they’re the type of horses we wall want.
“He takes on Fastorslow, which won’t be an easy task.
“He beat us here at the Festival, so we’ll have to try to get our own back on him.”
Mullins is responsible for four other runners – Appreciate It, Asterion Forlonge, Blue Lord and Stattler – in the John Durkan.
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Meanwhile, State Man is also back over the weekend for the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle.
State Man’s win 12 months ago handed Mullins his ninth win in ten years.
And Townend backed both horses to do well this weekend.
He said: “It’s the most exciting time of year – none of them have been beaten yet (this season).
“It’s a joy to go into Willie’s and look at the board and see the names.
“There’s a lot of big names from last year and a lot of new horses there – we’re trying to find the next superstar at this time of year.”
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