Galopin Des Champs clear favourite on Punchestown return

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs is 1/2 favourite in Coral’s John Durkan Memorial Chase betting odds to begin his new season with victory on Sunday.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old kicked off a tremendous campaign with victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One last season before going on to lift the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.

He suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow on his final start of the campaign in the Punchestown Gold Cup in April – and the pair are set to renew rivalry in the feature event on day two of the new-look Winter Festival in County Kildare.

Fastorslow (pictured below) is 4/1 in the John Durkan Memorial Chase betting odds to repeat the success, ahead of Appreciate It and Blue Lord, who are both 8/1.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “Although Galopin Des Champs was beaten by Fastorslow when they last met, we favour the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to gain his revenge this weekend, and he’s a red-hot favourite for Sunday’s John Durkan.”

Paul Townend is relishing the prospect of again riding the favourite, saying: “I’m looking forward to Galopin Des Champs, every day you get to get up on a Gold Cup winner is a brilliant day and they’re the type of horses we all want.

“He takes on Fastorslow, which won’t be an easy task. He beat us here at the Festival, so we’ll have to try to get our own back on him.”

There are nine horses in contention, with Mullins also responsible for Asterion Forlonge and Stattler.

Gordon Elliott’s pair of Conflated and Farouk D’alene, and French Dynamite from Mouse Morris’ yard, complete the potential field.

John Durkan Memorial Chase betting odds

1/2 Galopin Des Champs

4/1 Fastorslow,

8/1 Appreciate It, Blue Lord

10/1 Asterion Forlonge, Conflated

16/1 Farouk D’alene, Stattler

20/1 French Dynamite

View the latest horse racing odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication