Galopin des Champs has been awarded a provisional Timeform rating of 175p, putting him behind only Douvan among the highest-rated novice chasers in Timeform's history.
Galopin des Champs, who like Douvan is trained by Willie Mullins, was set to register an impressive, wide-margin win over Bob Olinger in the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Thursday afternoon but he fell at the final fence with the race at his mercy.
Assessing the performance, Timeform chase handicapper Phil Turner said: “Galopin des Champs was around 12 lengths clear at the time of his fall and has been rated along those lines for now.
"If anything, though, that could be a conservative view - he seemed to be pulling further away from Bob Olinger at the time, whilst the latter finished tired once left clear.
“Obviously small-field events can be tricky to assess and there is always the chance Bob Olinger wasn’t at his very best, but Galopin des Champs has been magnificent on all three chase starts so far and is clearly a horse from the very top drawer.”
Timeform's top-rated novice chasers (2021/22 season)
175p Galopin des Champs
166p Ferny Hollow
162p L'Homme Presse
162 Edwardstone
161p Bravemansgame
161+ Bob Olinger
Galopin des Champs' provisional Timeform rating of 175p cements his position as the season’s leading novice chaser and also puts him in exalted company from a historical viewpoint. Douvan (c180p) is the only novice chaser to have been awarded a higher rating in Timeform history, whilst future stars Sprinter Sacre and Altior shared the same figure as Galopin des Champs at the end of their novice campaigns.
Turner added: “Injury, of course, prevented Douvan from reaching the heights that seemed likely after he’d gone on an imperious 14-race winning streak, whilst Mullins suffered cruel luck with the ill-fated Vautour, who was another potential superstar.
"Hopefully there will be no such issues for Galopin des Champs and he’ll be none the worse for today’s tumble. If so, today’s disappointment will prove to be just a temporary setback.”
Timeform's top-rated chasers
181 Shishkin
180 Energumene
179 Chacun Pour Soi
176* Allaho
175p Galopin des Champs
174 A Plus Tard
* Allaho's rating is subject to change after his Ryanair Chase win is assessed
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
Fast Results
Scores
