3 minutes Ahead of the race, we’ll take a look back at last year’s Irish Gold Cup whilst we also provide betting tips, free bet offers and odds on this weekend’s renewal courtesy of Bet Goodwin.
The Dublin Racing Festival gets underway at Leopardstown on Saturday and the day’s feature race is the Grade 1 Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup. Contested over 3m and seventeen fences, this year’s renewal will feature just four horses. However, in what promises to be an exciting race, all four entries are previous Grade 1 winners. Ahead of the race, we’ll take a look back at last year’s Irish Gold Cup whilst we also provide betting tips, free bet offers and odds on this weekend’s renewal courtesy of Bet Goodwin.
2023 Recap
Galopin Des Champs justified odds of 3/10 to land the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup twelve months ago. The eight-length victory over stablemate, Stattler gave Galopin Des Champs a Grade 1 win at the Dublin Racing Festival for a second year in a row, having landed the Ladbrokes Novice Chase in 2022. Stattler finished less than a length clear of Fury Road in third with the likes of Any Second Now, Franco De Port and Kemboy some way back.
This Year’s Quartet
Galopin Des Champs got back to winning ways last time out as he landed the Savills Chase in commanding fashion here at Leopardstown. The eight-year-old finished 23 lengths clear of Gerri Colombe and Capodano to earn a seventh Grade 1 win. Prior to the Savills Chase, Galopin Des Champs had lost in back-to-back races with Fastorslow winning on both occasions. Fastorslow landed the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup last April, finished 2½ lengths clear of Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame before proving that was no fluke by beating Saturday’s odds-on favourite again in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
It’s likely that Conflated’s best days are behind him now, the Gordon Elliott-trained ten-year-old has not won a race since landing the Savills Chase in December 2022. Back for the Savills Chase in December 2023, Conflated unseated his rider at the last but by this time he was well-beaten.
If you’re looking to oppose the leading two in the betting then I Am Maximus looks better-positioned to pull off a shock. That said, he did finish a full 31 lengths adrift of Galopin Des Champs last time out. I Am Maximus won the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse in December, albeit over half a mile less than Saturday’s distance. His last three mile race saw him finish fourth in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase at last year’s Cheltenham Festival before landing the Irish Grand National over 3m 5f last April.
| Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Odds | |
|---|---|
| Galopin Des Champs | 2/5 |
| Fastorslow | 3/1 |
| Conflated | 10/1 |
| I Am Maximus | 40/1 |
The Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup is just one of many highly-anticipated Grade 1 races at this year's Dublin Racing Festival. Here at betting.bet, we will be previewing and offering punditry on all.
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