Savills Chase Tips: Class act to storm to Leopardstown win on Thursday
We are set for an absolutely phenomenal renewal of the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Thursday afternoon as most of the premier Irish staying chasers will do battle for glory with the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs looking to bounce back from defeat last time out in the John Durkan Memorial Chase. Our man Steve Chambers previews the feature race of the day and picks out his best bet here...
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A tremendous winner of the Gold Cup back in March, GALOPIN DES CHAMPS was a red-hot favourite to return with a win at Punchestown last month in the John Durkan Memorial Chase, but the Willie Mullins-trained star suffered a shock defeat to Fastorslow, who continued his improvement for Martin Brassil as the Ultima Handicap Chase runner-up ended last season with a fine victory over Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup.
The pair are set for another epic tussle on Thursday afternoon at Leopardstown in a mouth-watering Savills Chase, but it's Galopin Des Champs that is fancied to turn the tables as he's sure to improve for that first outing of the season and the step up in trip should play to his strengths. He may just have been tapped for a bit of toe in the John Durkan and the 3m 100y trip should see him blossom again. His jumping was a bit sketchy at times during the John Durkan, so the Mullins team will want him to jump better in this event, but he showed at Cheltenham that when he's on a going day he's the best chaser in training and if he can build on his Punchestown run then he should be the one to beat.
Fastorslow has certainly progressed into a top notch Grade 1 chaser, but the biggest danger to Galopin Des Champs could be Gordon Elliott's Gerri Colombe, who has been a revelation over fences and he will put his Cheltenham Gold Cup credentials on the line here. Second to The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase in March, Gerri Colombe then cruised to a Grade 1 victory at Aintree a month later and he returned to the track with a gutsy win in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal. A real stayer, Gerri Colombe could just find things happen a little quickly in this event and while he will be doing all his best work in the closing stages he may just struggle to reel in some speedier rivals.
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There's a chasm in the betting between the top three in the market and the rest of the field, but there are a whole plethora of proven class acts taking their chance and last year's winner Conflated has to be a leading each-way player. Available at double-figured odds, at the time of writing, Conflated was a stunning five-length winner of this event 12 months ago, but that contest was a lot weaker and the Elliott raider has failed to get his head in front since. He was third behind Gerri Colombe in the Down Royal event and he is one that could just struggle in the closing stages to deal with classier rivals.
Henry de Bromhead's Ryanair Chase hero Envoi Allen was just edged out by Gerri Colombe last time out and the nine-year-old has been a real model of consistency in top class chases over the last couple of seasons and is another that could sneak into the each-way money. He often runs a big race in these top events, but is an irregular winner, however, you know what you get and he can't be discounted.
Former Gold Cup hero A Plus Tard isn't the force of old, but he is another for the de Bromhead team that could play a notable role for a long way, while Appreciate It ran an absolute cracker in the John Durkan last time out, but this three mile trip could easily stretch his stamina reserves and his challenge will just wane in the closing stages.
I Am Maximus is one with bundles of stamina, but he may just lack the class of Galopin Des Champs, who can bounce back to winning ways here and cement his place at the top of the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting with a win.
