An iconic Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse has died aged 10 – just five days after it was announced he had been retired
Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse Galopin Des Champs has died aged 10 – just five days after it was announced he had been retired.
The iconic race horse had become one of the most popular jumpers of recent times, winning 12 races at Grade 1 level, including the most prestigious race of all, the Gold Cup at the 2023 and 2024 Cheltenham Festivals.
In 2025, Galopin Des Champs had attempted to join an elite group of three-time winers – but he finished second to Inothewayurthinkin and missed the race this year due to an injury setback. His final race was at Leopardstown in February in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.
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Last week Willie Mullins announced he had been retired: “We took a collective decision to retire Galopin Des Champs at his age because we felt he could not do himself justice at the level he was used to.
“He retires a good, sound horse who will hopefully have a good second career as a sport horse.”
Galopin Des Champs was going to spend his retirement with former stable jockey Ruby Walsh – where he would be retrained by his daughter. However, on Tuesday, Walsh shared the sad news of his death.
In a statement, Walsh said: “Sadly, Galopin Des Champs suffered an injury in his field this morning and could not be saved.
“He was checked a few times throughout the morning, but late in the morning when I went to get him for exercise, I found him with a severe injury, high up on his near front leg. He was attended to by our vets immediately, but X-rays revealed extensive, unrepairable damage.
“He was a fabulous horse whose short time with us has left lots of broken hearts, but none more so than those of Grey, Audrey and Sarah Turley, and Adam Connolly, who looked after him for so long. He will be sadly missed.”