There’s no denying that the Gold Cup is the standout attraction every time the Cheltenham Festival rolls around. As the meeting’s most prestigious race, every trainer and jockey is desperate to get their name on the trophy at least once in their careers, with some lucky enough to do the business on multiple occasions.
Of course, the reputation and stature of the race brings pressure on all those who take part, and a sense of the unknown around horses who are entering the race for the first time.
One such example this year will be the Gordon Elliott-trained Galvin, who has earned a shot at the big time through some stellar performances, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against some of the country’s best steeplechasers.
Interestingly, the horse racing betting sites have Galvin as a relatively strong contender to get the win at Cheltenham on March 18th, but he’ll be facing stiff competition, none more so than last year’s winner Minella Indo, who looks set to defend his crown after causing a stir last year.
Also in the field will be A Plus Tard, another horse from Henry de Bromhead’s stables, who was heavily fancied in 2021 but lost out to his stablemate in the end. Al Boum Photo is also in the hunt, desperate to regain the title that he won in 2019 and 2020 before being denied a hat-trick last year. There is also Tornado Flyer, who enters as something of a wildcard after surprisingly winning the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
So, how will Galvin fare when lined up against all these great competitors. Well, there’s a reason he is rated so highly ahead of the Gold Cup, namely his sensational victory in the Savills Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival towards the end of December. With A Plus Tard lining out as the odds-on favourite for the race, few expected Galvin to put up such a fight, but a sensational performance from experienced jockey Davy Russell helped steer the seven-year-old to a famous win.
For Elliott, who will return to Cheltenham action this year after serving his ban from the sport, the Savills Chase victory was particularly emotional.
“I had a tear in my eye after the race, I’m not afraid to say it,” the trainer said. “We’ve had a rough year and it’s brilliant for the horse to do this. We started out having a bit of fun around Perth with him and he hasn’t let us down the whole way. That’s 12 races he’s won now, he’s the horse of a lifetime. He stays like hell and he’ll go straight to the Gold Cup now.”
While much of the attention ahead of the Gold Cup will be on the likes of A Plus Tard, Minella Indo and Al Boum Photo, many punters will be more than happy that Galvin is going under the radar somewhat.
After that glorious win in the Savills Chase, you wouldn’t expect this talented gelding to be fazed by the clamour surrounding the Gold Cup. It’ll be head down all the way, hooves thundering, focused all the while on that finish line and the glory that awaits the winner.
