Recent history, both this week and in recent years, suits the chances of Galopin Des Champs in Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse in Britain. The $799,900 Gold Cup, run at 3 5/16 miles over 22 fences, is the leading weight-for-age race in jump racing, and compares well to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in terms of prestige. Galopin Des Champs, an 8-year-old gelding trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, won the 2023 Gold Cup, and has won his two starts since Christmas in a manner that suggests he is capable of a dominant performance on Friday. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. A winner of 11 of 17 starts, Galopin Des Champs won the Savills Chase on Dec. 28 by 23 lengths over Gerri Colombe, and the Irish Gold Cup by 4 1/2 lengths over Fastorslow on Feb. 3. Those Grade 1 races were run at 3 1/4 miles at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland. As of Wednesday, Galopin Des Champs was 6-5 for the Gold Cup, with Fastorslow 5-1 for trainer Martin Brassil, and Gerri Colombe at 10-1 for trainer Gordon Elliott. Recent race history suggests one of them has an excellent chance to prevail. Irish-trained runners have won the last five Cheltenham Gold Cups. Mullins has been in red-hot form this week, winning six of the first eight Grade races at Cheltenham on Tuesday and Wednesday to become the first trainer in history to win 100 races at the popular jump race meeting. On Wednesday, the Mullins-trained Ballyburn ($2.60 in American pools) won a Grade 1 novices’ hurdle at 2 5/8 miles, followed by a victory by stablemate Fact to File ($2.80) in a Grade 1 novices’ chase at 3 1/16 miles. In the day’s main race, the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion at two miles, the Mullins-trained El Fabiolo (1-9) was pulled up early after a poor jump. The race was won by Captain Guinness ($15.40). In the final race, a Grade 1 two-mile flat race, Mullings reached the three-figure milestone when Jasmin Du Vaux ($10.80) remained unbeaten after two starts with a win by 1 3/4 lengths. If Galopin Des Champs succeeds on Friday, he will be the first repeat winner of the Gold Cup since the Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo won in 2019 and 2020. Fastorslow is the only horse to beat Galopin Des Champs in the last 12 months. Fastorslow and Galopin Des Champs were first and second in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup at three miles last April. Last November, Fastorslow won the Group 1 John Durkan Memorial Chase at 2 7/16 miles at Punchestown with Galopin Des Champs third, racing at a distance shorter than the best trip for Galopin Des Champs. The British runners in the Gold Cup are led by L’Homme Presse, who should benefit from the expected soft turf conditions. Trained by Venetia Williams, L’Homme Presse won a Grade 1 novices’ chase at 3 1/16 miles at Cheltenham in March 2022 in his last appearance at the venue. Cheltenham has a seven-race program on Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern or 6:30 a.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.