It had been announced that the Turley family’s star chaser, who won 12 Grade 1s including his Gold Cup triumphs in 2023 and 2024, was to retire to go eventing with Ruby Walsh’s daughter Isabelle.
But Ruby said yesterday (1 September): “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.”
Galopin Des Champs was trained by Willie Mullins throughout his stellar career, and ridden in almost all his races by Paul Townend. His other wins included the Irish Gold Cup in 2023, 2024 and 2025, the 2023 and 2024 Savills Chase and the 2025 Punchestown Gold Cup. This last win, by a staggering 22 lengths, was also the last of his career, after which Willie described him as “still the horse of a lifetime”.
Galopin Des Champs arrived with the Mullins team having won his only start in France, but his first few races were slightly disappointing for Willie. Then he won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, followed by a novice Grade One at Punchestown.
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Galopin Des Champs with, from left, Paul Townend, Willie Mullins, Adam Connolly and Greg and Audrey Turley after his 2024 Gold Cup win
(Image credit: Alamy)
“I think it took him six months to really start to thrive in our system, to find his stride,” Willie’s son and assistant Patrick told H&H last year. His only fall was at Cheltenham in 2022, which Patrick believes made him what he became.
“Without that fall, I’m not sure he’d have been a Gold Cup horse,” he said. “It made him into that professional staying chaser.
“As a hurdler, he’d been perfectly fine, but as a chaser he was enjoying jumping so much, it was making him keen, he was maybe doing too much. Suddenly he realised he had to respect his fences.”
Adam Connolly told H&H last year that his charge was relaxed and affectionate, and that he enjoyed every moment of looking after him.
“You don’t really think of it as work,” he said. “I’d say it’ll be the best thing I’ll ever do with horses. I won’t touch another one like him.”
Willie said Galopin Des Champs’ death was heartbreaking for all his connections.
“It's devastating for Audrey and Greg and heartbreaking for Ruby and Isabelle, who were so looking forward to him,” he said. “It’s just so unfortunate and my heart goes out to both families. He was a legend of a horse.”
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
