Does Galopin Des Champs Deserve to be Favourite Again for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
We’re kicking off the much-anticipated Cheltenham 2026 next month, and most of us are already on the edge of our seats for the annual event that draws in well over 200,000 spectators over its four-day event.
Starting March 10th, 2026, and kicking off with Champion Day, before culminating in the best event, Gold Cup Day, pundits are already predicting who’s likely to steal the show.
As with any year, the Gold Cup gets the most attention, and Galopin Des Champs has topped the charts as one of the favourites to win after years of strong performances at the prestigious event.
Does he deserve to be the favourite again at Cheltenham 2026? Read on to find out.
Galopin Des Champs Profile
10-year-old Galopin Des Champs, born May 12th, 2016, is the powerhouse product of France’s Manon Des Champs and the US’s Marchand De Sable. The lineage comes from the highly successful breeder G A E C Des Champs, who has a long history of producing thoroughbred horses that know how to win races.
Now owned by Mrs Audrey Turley (since 2020) and trained by W P Mullins, it’s so easy to see why he seems almost unstoppable on the track. And with a jockey like Paul Townend, the only decider of who’s actually going to win depends on how good the other horses are on the day.
Galopin Des Champs Gold Cup History
Galopin Des Champs has one of the best Gold Cup records.
The 2025 event was unlucky, with Des Champs going into the race as favourite to win with odds of 8/13, and he did lead most of the race before Inothewayurthinkin, trained by Gavin Cromwell and the supplemented 15/2 winner, stormed ahead to win by six lengths.
That second place denied Des Champs of becoming part of a small and elite group of three-time winners. Des Champs had managed to secure a win at the 2023 and 2024 Gold Cup events and did no doubt go into the 2025 event thinking he’d live up to the betting odds expectations.
What Are The Odds for Cheltenham 2026?
The odds will be slightly different wherever you look, but the BetMGM Cheltenham Festival odds follow the latest news and updates for the most accurate odds.
Galopin Des Champs is the current favourite with odds of 9/2, but he’s up against the following horses and odds:
- Inothewayurthinkin (5/2)
- Jango Baie (5/2)
- The Jukebox Man (7/1)
- Gaelic Warrior (8/1)
- Haiti Couleurs (12/1)
- Spillane’s Tower (14/1)
- Spindleberry (14/1)
- Affordable Fury (16/1)
If we’re basing our opinion on last year’s performance, Inothewayurthinkin could steal the day again. That said, Galopin Des Champs is still on form, and it really depends on how strong he comes out on March 13th.
Does Galopin Des Champs Deserve to Win the Gold Cup 2026?
Does he deserve to? Absolutely. He’s one of the elites and almost became part of the rare group to win three consecutive Gold Cup titles.
Does that mean he will win? Absolutely not. He’s up against some big wins who have managed to get the attention of pundits in the run-up to Cheltenham 2026, and despite putting in a strong performance in 2025 and leading for most of the race, Inothewayurthinkin still managed to get the win.
Let’s see if the dual Cheltenham Gold hero can make it a third in 2026.
We don’t have long to wait until Cheltenham 2026, and tickets start from £48.60 or a gate price of £70+. We’d definitely recommend booking in advance to make sure you get a good seat to see whether Galopin Des Champs will win the Gold Cup.