• Willie Mullins’ mare races clear in Savills Chase
• Eight year old now odds-on for third Gold Cup

Galopin Des Champs, the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in 2022 and 2023, is a clear favourite to become the first since Best Mate in 2004 to complete a hat-trick in steeplechasing’s championship event after a deeply impressive return to winning form in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

Willie Mullins’s eight year old went into the race as the 5-2 joint-favourite for the Gold Cup alongside his stable companion, Fact To File, who was also his main market rival for Saturday’s Grade One.