Galopin Des Champs chasing Irish Gold Cup hat-trick

Galopin Des Champs is the star name in the line up as he aims to land his third success in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Chase at Leopardstown.

The nine-year-old has been the winner of the Grade One for the past two seasons, both times taking the race in good style en route to a subsequent victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

His route through the campaign has followed a familiar path as he was third in the John Durkan on debut and then a runaway winner of Savills Chase over the Irish Gold Cup course and distance over Christmas.

He now returns to the track, where he has been beaten only once in seven runs, and leads a field of 11 entries for the feature race on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival.

Trainer Willie Mullins has also entered Fact To File, who defeated his stablemate in the John Durkan but was second in the Savills Chase.

Reigning Grand National hero I Am Maximus is also on the list for the stable, with Grangeclare West, Embassy Gardens and Minella Cocooner entered alongside him.

Gordon Elliott is represented by Conflated, Mouse Morris has entered Gentlemansgame, Gavin Cromwell has Inothewayurthinkin and Henry de Bromhead will saddle Monty’s Star.

Tara Lee Cogan has entered Hewick for the contest, but a dry spell between now and the weekend will be essential if he is to run as soft going is not to his liking.

The 10-year-old was last seen reverting to smaller obstacles to contest the Savills Hurdle at Leopardstown late last month, where he was fifth in a field of eight on yielding going.

“He’s been entered on Saturday but he’s ground dependent as usual, so I think we’ll make a decision in the week,” said Cogan.

“He came out of his last run grand and he’s in great form, it was just the ground was too holding for him that day and that isn’t what he likes.

“I suppose we’re in the same position going into this weekend, we won’t run him if he doesn’t get his ground.

“This morning I think it’s soft, hopefully we’ll get a couple of dry days but we’ll just have to wait and see.

“If we don’t run him then we’ll wait until Cheltenham in March and hope he gets his ground there, there’s nothing else to really run him in.”

A field of six could assemble for the Grade One Goffs Irish Arkle, with the Mullins team entering two very promising novice chasers in Ile Atlantique and Majborough.

Gordon Elliott’s Firefox and Touch Me Not take them on, with Patrick Neville due to send over Here Comes Georgie and Gearoid O’Loughlin rolling the dice with Jeannot Lapin.

The Mullins-trained pair of Sainte Lucie and Lady Vega Allen are to the fore in the Triumph Hurdle betting and feature among nine entries for the Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle, along with Gavin Cromwell’s Cheltenham contender Hello Neighbour.

Mullins also seemingly holds the key to the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle with Final Demand and Supasundae topping his contenders in a 14-strong field.