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SportsCasting

Andy Newton

Savills Chase Runners & Trends For Leopardstown

Galopin Des Champs Leopardstown (Geopolitical Entity) Gordon Elliott Galvin Gold

The Savills Chase runners ahead of Saturday’s huge Leopardstown clash between Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs have been declared – with nine horses heading to post.

Willie Mullins Pair Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs Dominate The Savills Chase Market

The best horse racing betting sites in the UK are finding it hard to split the Willie Mullins big guns in the staying chase division for Saturday’s Savills Chase – with punters making strong cases for both to win.

Fact To File is the current Cheltenham Gold Cup market leader after beating Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last time out.

However, back at Leopardstown and over the longer trip, many Galopin Des Champs fans are saying the two-time Gold Cup hero will gain his revenge.

Both horses are also unbeaten over fences at Leopardstown – with Fact To File 2-from-2 and Galopin Des Champs 5-from-5 – so one will be losing this record come 3pm on Saturday.

Galopin Des Champs will also be looking to become the first ‘back-to-back’ Savills Chase winner since Beef Or Salmon, who won the race three times between 2002 and 2005.

While Fact To File’s popular owner JP McManus will be hoping to win the Savills Chase for the first time since Synchronised took the prize in 2011.

Win, lose or draw, after this race Galopin Des Champs will have the Cheltenham Gold Cup as his season target – as he looks to win the race three years on the spin, just like Best Mate did between 2002 and 2004.

Savills Chase Trends and Stats

See below the Leopardstown horse racing stats to apply to the final Savills Chase runners 2024 – use these to find the best profiles based on past winners of the big Grade One Chase.

22/23 – Priced 8/1 or shorter in the betting
22/23 – Won at least 3 times over fences before
21/23 – Aged 8 or younger
21/23 – Placed in the top 3 last time out
19/23 – Raced within the last 8 weeks
17/23 – Won by an Irish bred horse
18/23 – Won over at least 3m (fences) before
15/23 – Favourites placed
13/23 – Aged either 7 or 8 years-old
11/23 – Winning distance – 4 lengths or more
8/23 – Won by a UK-based stable
8/23 – Favourites
6/23 – Won last time out
4/23 – Raced at Haydock last time out
3/22 – Went onto win that season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup
Trainers Gordon Elliott (4) and Willie Mullins (3) have won 7 of the last 9 runnings

Fact To File Career In Numbers

Age: 7
Runs: 8
Career Wins: 5
Chase Runs: 5
Chase Wins: 4
Total Career Prize Money: €307,926

Galopin Des Champs Career In Numbers

Age: 8
Runs: 20
Career Wins: 12
Chase Runs: 14
Chase Wins: 9
Total Career Prize Money: €1,439,209

Three Savills Chase Winners Since 2007 Followed Up In The Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Savills Chase over the years has been used as a stepping stone race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup – despite there being 2 1/2 months between them.

Galopin Des Champs, of course, landed the famous double last season. However, he was the first to win both these big staying Grade One Chases in the same season since Synchronised in 2011-12 and before that it was Denman in 2007-08

Watch Galopin Des Champs winning the 2023 Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

Trainer Gordon Elliott Needs One More Savills Chase Win To Equal Michael Hourigan’s Race Record

Slightly surprisingly, trainer Willie Mullins has only won the Savills Chase three times – they’ve all come since 2015 with Don Poli, Kemboy and Galopin Des Champs.

Paul Nicholls also has three wins in the race – Denman, What A Friend and Tidal Bay.

While Gordon Elliott has four successes after taking the prize with Outlander, Delta Work, Galvin and Conflated, who runs again in 2024 – three of which were for the Gigginstown House Stud.

Elliot runs the 2022 winner Conflated this year – his only runner in the race after taking out Gerri Colombe at the final declaration stage.

However, all the above mentioned are still behind trainer Michael Hourigan, who holds the record for the most Savills Chase winners with five.

His Beef Or Salmon won three, with Dorans Pride and Deep Bramble his other successes in the race.