The Irish Gold Cup is run over 3m½f at Leopardstown during the Dublin Racing Festival, is one of the key staying chases of the season and a major stepping stone towards Cheltenham in March.
It carries serious prize money, serious history and, this year, a seriously short-priced favourite at around 6/4 with leading firms.
Leopardstown’s chase course is a fair test, more “honest exam paper” than trick question, but three miles in winter still asks plenty about stamina, jumping and temperament.
With 12 runners, since Stellar Story was declared a non-runner, there should be enough pace and competition to keep everyone awake through the long run to the last.
Galopin Des Champs – The Reigning King
Galopin Des Champs comes here trying to win the Irish Gold Cup for the fourth year in a row, something no horse has ever done before.
He has already taken this race in 2023, 2024, and 2025, winning by clear margins each time and making Leopardstown look very much like his own private schooling ground.
Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, he has become the modern benchmark for top staying chasers in Ireland.
His achievements don’t stop in Dublin; he is also a dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, having landed the big one at Prestbury Park in both 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, he came from off the pace to power clear, then returned in 2024 to defend his crown in style, brushing aside high‑class rivals like Gerri Colombe and Corach Rambler and confirming his place among the Festival greats.
When he’s in full flow, he tends to travel strongly, jump accurately and then stretch away late on, the sort of combination that drains the enthusiasm of both his rivals and those punters who thought it was a good day to take him on.
Leopardstown clearly suits him, and he warmed up for this campaign with another win in the Savills Chase over the same course and distance in December, confirming that his engine is still very much intact, even if he did finish in third place.
Despite three Irish Gold Cups already on the shelf, he’ll still need to put in a proper shift to see off a lively supporting cast on Saturday.
Irish Gold Cup 2026 Odds
*odds from Betfred and correct at time of publication
| Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | Paul Townend | W P Mullins | 7/4 |
| Gaelic Warrior | Mr P W Mullins | W P Mullins | 4/1 |
| Spindleberry | Danny Mullins | W P Mullins | 8/1 |
| Fact To File | Mark Walsh | W P Mullins | 9/1 |
| I Am Maximus | Jack Kennedy | W P Mullins | 9/1 |
| Affordale Fury | Donagh Meyler | Noel Meade | 10/1 |
| Inothewayurthinkin | Keith Donoghue | Gavin Cromwell | 11/1 |
| Grangeclare West | Brian Hayes | W P Mullins | 20/1 |
| Monty’s Star | Darragh O’Keeffe | Henry De Bromhead | 28/1 |
| Lecky Watson | Sean O’Keeffe | W P Mullins | 33/1 |
| Champ Kiely | J J Slevin | W P Mullins | 50/1 |
| Firefox | Sean Bowen | Gordon Elliott | 66/1 |
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The Supporting Cast – Dangers To The Favourite
Behind the star name is a deep Mullins‑and‑friends line‑up that gives this race a solid shape for betting purposes.
Affordale Fury, from trainer Noel Meade, has been in excellent form and comes here off the back of a solid win in the Savills Chase in December.
He stays strongly, handles the track and has already beaten Galopin Des Champs this season. At around odds of 9/1 he makes plenty of sense for each‑way players who like something uncomplicated and honest to cheer.
Fact To File is another intriguing contender, a classy type from the Mullins yard who has already shown high‑level form and sits high in the official ratings.
He has course‑and‑distance credentials and chased home Galopin Des Champs in the 2025 Irish Gold Cup for third place, suggesting he’s at least in the right postcode even if he hasn’t yet found the front door.
With Mark Walsh booked, he’ll likely be ridden to creep into the race and pounce if the favourite finally has an off day.
Gaelic Warrior, another Closutton heavyweight, is a very talented stayer and has already shown his class over intermediate trips.
However, Leopardstown over fences hasn’t always been his happiest hunting ground, and his record here is mixed.
If he settles, jumps fluently, and copes with the track, he could run a big race at double‑figure prices, but there is a bit of “all or nothing” about him.
Having A Bet On The Irish Gold Cup 2026
From a betting point of view, the race revolves around Galopin Des Champs, whose form and course record make that 15/8 quote feel perfectly understandable.
If you’re the sort who likes certainty (or as close as jump racing ever gets to it), then “keep it simple and side with the champ” is a perfectly reasonable strategy.
He knows the track, he knows the fences and he seems to treat this race as his annual confidence‑boosting exercise before heading to Cheltenham.
If you prefer a bit of value‑hunting, Affordale Fury makes a strong case as a solid each‑way play, with his recent Leopardstown win over the trip suggesting he shouldn’t be fazed by the demands of this test.
Fact To File, having already chased home Galopin in this race, is another who fits neatly into the “likely to run his race, might sneak a shock” category.
Between the pair of them, you can make a respectable case for each‑way bets that don’t rely on the favourite completely collapsing, just on him not being quite at his brilliant best.
History In The Making?
However you choose to play it, the Irish Gold Cup 2026 carries a real sense of occasion.
Galopin Des Champs isn’t just trying to win another nice pot; he’s chasing a possible fourth straight win in the race and nudging himself even further into the history books.
For racing fans, there’s something quietly satisfying about watching a top‑class horse return year after year to the same stage and keep delivering, like a headline act who still hits the big notes on tour.
At the same time, the supporting cast is strong enough that you can at least imagine a twist in the script, whether it’s Affordale Fury grinding away late, Fact To File taking another step forward, or one of the less‑exposed types suddenly discovering they rather enjoy Grade 1 company.
So whether you’re all‑in on the favourite or quietly plotting an each‑way coup against him, the Irish Gold Cup looks set to give us another fascinating chapter in the story of the staying chasers.
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