Willie Mullins’s two-time winner is one of 15 horses who remain entered in the £625,000 race after the latest scratching stage on Tuesday
Galopin Des Champs was cut to 1-2 favourite to claim an historic Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup hat-trick after the latest scratching stage.
Willie Mullins’s two-time winner of the £625,000 completed a hat-trick of wins in the Irish Gold Cup at the weekend.
Last year’s runner-up Gerri Colombe defected from the big race on Monday when he was ruled out for the rest of the season.
On Tuesday another three horses were taken out of the Gold Cup in which Galopin Des Champs will bid to emulate Best Mate and the legendary Arkle in March.
The list of potential runners is down to 15 after Mullins took out Embassy Gardens and Minella Cocooner and French horse Il Est Francais also defected. He remains engaged in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair Chase.
Mullins kept Grangeclare West and Fact To File, second and third behind Galopin Des Champs on Saturday, in the Gold Cup.
Grey Dawning, last season’s top staying novice chaser, is one of five British horses still in the Gold Cup but his trainer Dan Skelton has indicated he may bypass Cheltenham entirely.
Galopin Des Champs was cut to 1-2 (from 4-7) favourite by Coral who have Fact To File as the 5-1 second favourite, but also 6-4 market leader for the Ryanair Chase, while another Ryanair entry Banbridge is 6-1.
“Galopin Des Champs has shortened to 1-2 for the Gold Cup hat-trick since his victory at Leopardstown on Saturday, and with his two leading market rivals holding other options at next month’s Festival, those odds are only likely to tumble further,” reckoned Coral’s David Stevens.
The Ryanair Chase has 28 possibles following the latest forfeit stage, with Fact To File currently favourite. The withdrawals include Embassy Gardens and the Gold Cup-entered Ahoy Senor as well as Il Ridoto, Martator and Stage Star.
Jonbon dominates the Champion Chase market following a faultless season so far and is the headline act among 20 Champion Chase contenders.
Sunday’s Leopardstown winner Solness is among the possible rivals, along with familiar foe Energumene and Gaelic Warrior, who was a Dublin Racing Festival disappointment.
American Mike, Blue Lord, Boothill, Gentleman De Mee, Kalif Du Berlais and Martator will not be contesting the two-mile crown at the Cheltenham Festival.
All three races still have supplementary stages, with the Champion Chase on March 6, the Ryanair a day later and the Gold Cup on March 8.