Check out our team's Stars of Christmas following a thrilling festive period on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Banbridge (Joseph O'Brien)
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by Tony McFadden
It was clear from some way out in the King George that it would take a big effort to overhaul the freewheeling Il Est Francais, but BANBRIDGE delivered the top-class performance that was required.
Il Est Francais jumped superbly and travelled with zest at the head of affairs which placed the bulk of his rivals under pressure from a long way out. Only one rival even threatened to land a glove on him and that was Banbridge who was expertly produced to lead soon after the final fence by Paul Townend and kept on well to score by a length and three-quarters, with ten lengths back to L'Homme Presse in third.
The victory was Banbridge's third in Grade 1 company and he's now a top-level winner at two miles, two and a half miles and three miles, with all three victories coming away from testing ground. He may need to have the going in his favour but is clearly remarkably versatile in terms of distance and deserves tremendous credit for proving himself a top-class operator across such a range of trips.
Galopin des Champs (Willie Mullins)
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Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefitsby John Ingles
It looked something of a knee-jerk reaction when Fact To File was promoted to favourite for the Gold Cup after he’d beaten stablemate GALOPIN DES CHAMPS into third in last month’s John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
After all, Galopin des Champs had bounced back from defeat in that race last season to win the Savills Chase impressively and the same scenario played out again at Leopardstown this year. The betting essentially made the Savills a two-horse race between the Mullins pair, though tellingly it was Galopin des Champs - unbeaten over fences at Leopardstown - who was the more strongly supported in his rematch with Fact To File.
With Galopin des Champs forcing the pace, Fact To File was just about close enough jumping the last to make a duel on the run-in a possibility but he was quickly put in his place as Galopin des Champs, strong as ever at the finish, ran out a convincing winner.
The message couldn’t have been clearer that Galopin des Champs remains very much the one to beat in the staying chase division and he’s now only a shade of odds against to win his third Gold Cup in March.
Sir Gino (Nicky Henderson)
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Zero points for originality on this but we couldn’t produce a 'Christmas Star' feature and not include SIR GINO, could we!?
Belatedly sent over fences after covering for Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, it looked to be a baptism of fire for the four-year-old, pitched into a Grade 2 for his chasing debut against a more experienced Ballyburn, but he passed the test with flying colours, tanking through the race before quickening away from the three-time Grade 1 winner three from home and taking the breath away with some of his jumping.
It was a real ‘wow’ moment when he approached the first open ditch a length behind Ballyburn and emerged a couple of lengths clear, and his performance undoubtedly tops my long list of festive racing highlights.
Perceval Legallois (Gavin Cromwell)
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Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefitsby Matt Brocklebank
It wasn't to be for Mark Walsh on Boxing Day aboard Spillane's Tower, who surely deserves another chance after finding the Kempton ground far too lively, but the jockey had a decent time of things back home at Leopardstown in winning the 2m4f maiden hurdle on Kaid d'Authie as well as the Pertemps Qualifier on Win Some Lose Some.
Walsh's finest ride, however, came as he steered PERCEVAL LEGALLOIS to a seven-length success in the Paddy Power Chase, the horse finally producing what he’s been promising to do in a valuable handicap for 18 months or so.
Firstly, a note of caution - Meetingofthewaters, Castlebawn West, Auvergnat and Anibale Fly have all won the same Leopardstown contest by four lengths or more in the past decade and not one of them was able to add to their tally in subsequent starts.
Things will hopefully be a little bit different for the Gavin Cromwell-trained Perceval Legallois, who is only just turning eight and should still have his best days ahead of him after the nine career starts over fences.
Sixth in the Kerry National and fourth in the Troytown already this season, he’s starting to look a lot like another Grand National project for Cromwell (along with Stumptown?), and his revised rating will no doubt ensure he gets into the big one on Merseyside if connections are happy to point in that direction.
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