'He put everything together out there' - Galopin Des Champs back to his best with 23-length win over Gerri Colombe

Oh we of little faith. They are not supposed to come back. The Cheltenham Gold Cup saps the life and soul out of horses. They are never the same again, and that overwhelming whiff of invincibility which had followed him everywhere he went evaporated over the course of two stinging Punchestown defeats. Well, put this in your pipe and smoke it.

On the fourth day of Christmas Galopin Des Champs gave to us one of the most extraordinary jumping displays of the modern era and, perhaps, the most complete chasing performance of all time at Leopardstown. Yes, it was that good.

No Fastorslow, granted, but we still had a blockbuster Savills Chase showdown between the highest-rated horse in training and the relentless galloper who was supposed to be on his way to taking that accolade off him. Many expected a changing of the guard, and Gerri Colombe spent most of the morning edging favouritism before eventually going off at 7-4. He couldn't lay a glove on 6-4 favourite Galopin Des Champs when it mattered, though. Out with the new and in with the old.

This was the pure, unadulterated version of Galopin Des Champs. The no-nonsense version. The one who takes no prisoners and isn't fluffing fences in behind horses.

Paul Townend allowed him to bowl along on the coattails of last year's winner Conflated, and he pinged everything. There was a fleeting moment shortly after the second-last when a gripping contest looked in store as just three lengths separated five of them, but what happened next was explosive evidence to prove that Galopin Des Champs is by far the best chaser in training and will take the world of beating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

Galopin Des Champs is well clear under Paul Townend in the Savills Chase at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Ladbrokes were offering 3-1 before the race, but he's evens with them now. Paddy Power go 5-4 about him retaining his title, while bet365 are biggest at 11-8.

Willie Mullins admitted afterwards that Galopin Des Champs' work at home had been "a bit indifferent" leading up to the race, and that he had tinkered with a few things. Whatever he did, it worked. The champion trainer continues to redefine his genius.

"Take him out and you still had a fantastic race, but he looked a class ahead of them," said the Closutton maestro. True that. Galopin Des Champs put a yawning gap of 23 lengths between himself and Gerri Colombe, who won a fierce tussle for the runner-up spot by a head from Capodanno. Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus ran a big race in fourth too. This was about one horse, though, and what a horse he is.

Mullins added: "It's like a player going out to play a rugby or hurling match, the ball has to bounce for them. This fella just made the ball bounce for himself. He put everything together out there.

"Paul was keen to change tactics. He wanted to bounce out and let him enjoy himself over the first few fences. I said 'let's do that', because the last twice things didn't work out.

"When I saw him jumping the first the way he did I thought 'right, he's got his game face on today'. He put everything to bed coming around the last bend. I was hugely impressed by him."

On the prospect of the seven-year-old defending his Irish Gold Cup title at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, Mullins said: "We'll see – he obviously likes this place. The Irish Gold Cup is a great prize and I love having horses good enough to compete in it. We're lucky enough to have him, but we won't make any decision about that until later on."

Paul Townend celebrates Savills Chase success on Galopin Des ChampsCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Mullins was blown away by this performance, and so too was the man with the best seat in the house.

"I enjoyed that a lot! The pressure was on," admitted Townend. "I got the biggest pleasure out of the fact he is back. He's back to himself and that means everything. He enjoyed himself and I enjoyed myself. When big horses like him get beaten it is always disappointing, so it's great to have him back."

When asked to describe the feeling of coming up the long run-in at Leopardstown in splendid isolation, he replied: "It's definitely better than being 20 lengths behind!"

Jack Kennedy, the rider who is setting a blistering pace at the top of the jockeys' championship and who has three Grade 1s already to his name at this meeting, could put forward no excuse whatsoever for his wide-margin defeat on Gerri Colombe. He was beaten by a better horse, simple as that.

Kennedy said: "We've no excuses, everything went even more smoothly for him than it did at Down Royal. He jumped and travelled great, but the winner just picked up and went away. The winner was unreal. The gallop was strong the whole way and I was happy. The winner just picked up and went away from me."

Galopin Des Champs didn't just go away from him, he pounded him into submission. The answer was Galopin Des Champs. Oh we of little faith.

Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase (Cheltenham, March 17)

bet365: 11-8 Galopin Des Champs, 7-2 Fastorslow, 9 Gerri Colombe, 12 Shishkin, 14 Hewick, 16 L'Homme Presse, 20 Bravemansgame, 25 bar

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