Galopin Des Champs wins Ladbrokes Novice Chase for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was being billed as the next big thing to emerge from the champion trainer's Closutton base after a devastating chasing debut win at the same track over Christmas, and he followed up without much trouble on the return to Grade One level on Sunday.

The 4/9 favourite was always to the fore under Paul Townend and was at the head of affairs three fences from the finish as early pace-setter French Dynamite began to wilt. Fury Road had earlier made a shuddering error a the fourth-last when looking to track the winner through, so it was left for 12/1 shot Master McShee to prove the biggest threat.

He briefly looked like closing the gap on the powerful leader but Galopin Des Champs continued to go through the gears turning into the straight and he stormed away to win by nine lengths after another good jump at the last.

Stablemate Gaillard Du Mesnil ended up filling third spot, while one of the winner's main market rivals, Capodanno, unseated Mark Walsh early on in the two mile, five furlong contest. Beacon Edge was another not to finish having fallen soon after Capodanno's departure.

Paddy Power reacted by cutting the winner to 13/8 from 2/1 for the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, while Sky Bet went 10/11 (NRNB) for the same race and 5/6 (NRNB) from 11/10 for the three-mile Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.

Sky Bet also trimmed Galopin Des Champs to 6/1 in their long-range market for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Mullins said: "I wasn't as happy with his jumping as I was at Christmas, but then Paul said it was a Grade One pace today. Bryan Cooper got down off my other horse and said the same thing, they were going so fast.

"Paul said he didn't want to let him down to jump fences the way he did at Christmas otherwise he would maybe have been in front too early, on softer ground, so he held on to him a bit longer.

"He didn't go with them a few times and the horse was very brave and I was wondering how long that was going to last.

"They finished together, which is good, and both would have learned a lot from today's run against real stiff company. The horses behind him were really good horse, Grade One winners.

"When they jumped the second I said 'is there anything going well' and you could see all the jockeys were sort of nudging. I said 'Paul is still going well, all you've got to do now is jump the last' and that's what happened.

"My heart was in my mouth jumping those fences down the back, whereas at Christmas I was waiting for another fence to come up because he was really pinging fences. Paul didn't want to let him do that today, he tried to teach him something.

Hopefully we are sound and well the week before Cheltenham.

"We'll just try to keep him right now and then decide where we are going to go. A lot of things can happen between now and Cheltenham.

"Hopefully we are sound and well the week before Cheltenham and we'll know then what's happening."

Townend added: "He knew he had a race there today, but he still hit the line well. It was a pressure ride and I'm glad it worked out.

"He possibly would appreciate further, but when he can put in performances like that over today's trip, it definitely opens more doors for him.

"What he did that day (at Christmas) was very special to see, but he had to back it up in my book and he didn't do himself any harm there, I think."

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