Red-hot favourite Galopin Des Champs will face a maximum of 13 rivals in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.
The seven-year-old has a sensational record winning five of his six starts over fences to date, his only defeat coming at last year’s Festival when falling at the final fence with the Turners Novices’ Chase his for the taking.
He has been extremely impressive in winning the John Durkan at Punchestown and the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month.
He is fancied by many to provide Willie Mullins with a third success in Friday’s blue riband following the back-to-back victories of Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020.
Mullins has a major second string to his bow in the form of Stattler, who is a proven stayer having won the National Hunt Chase 12 months ago and finished best of the rest behind Galopin Des Champs in last month’s Irish Gold Cup.
Henry de Bromhead has saddled the one-two in the last two editions of the Gold Cup, with Minella Indo beating A Plus Tard in 2021 before the latter turned the tables with an imperious display under Rachael Blackmore last year.
Both horses are in contention once more, but A Plus Tard returns to the Cotswolds with something to prove after being pulled up in Haydock’s Betfair Chase on his only previous outing this term.
A formidable Irish challenge is further strengthened by Grand National winner Noble Yeats, Savills Chase hero Conflated and American Grand National victor Hewick, trained by Emmet Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Shark Hanlon respectively.
The pick of the home team on form is Bravemansgame, who was brilliant when giving Paul Nicholls a 13th King George VI Chase win at Kempton on Boxing Day and now bids to provide him with a fifth Gold Cup.
Ahoy Senor won the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January for Lucinda Russell and will renew rivalry with the runner-up Sounds Russian (Ruth Jefferson), the third placed Noble Yeats and the fourth home Protektorat (Dan Skelton), who was best of the British when third in last year’s Gold Cup.
Eldorado Allen (Joe Tizzard), Royale Pagaille (Venetia Williams) and the novice The Real Whacker (Patrick Neville) complete the acceptors.
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