Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs died at age 10 on September 1, 2026, after sustaining an unrepairable front leg injury in his field. The fatal accident occurred less than a week after connections announced his retirement from racing, cutting short plans for a second career in eventing.
Willie Mullins
The racing world is mourning the loss of one of the modern era’s defining staying chasers. Just days after connections called time on a stellar career, the Willie Mullins-trained champion had to be euthanised on Tuesday following a severe accident in his paddock.
A feelgood racing story has turned bitter with confirmation that the dual-Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs had to be euthanised on Tuesday, less than a week after being retired. The Willie Mullins-trained star, perhaps the best staying steeplechaser since Kauto Star, died from injuries sustained in an accident in his field on Tuesday morning.
Ruby Walsh
Former champion jockey Ruby Walsh, whose family had taken the horse in to prepare him for a second chapter in equestrian sports, discovered the injured gelding during morning checks. X-rays confirmed the worst fears of attending veterinarians.
“Sadly Galopin Des Champs suffered an injury in his field this morning and could not be saved.”
Ruby Walsh, via Racing TV
Walsh added that the 10-year-old was checked multiple times throughout the morning before being found with severe trauma high up on his near front leg. Although veterinary staff responded immediately, extensive unrepairable damage left no alternative. Ruby Walsh revealed the news late on Tuesday evening that the 10-year-old gelding had suffered an injury to his near front leg which vets concluded was unrepairable.
He was checked a few times throughout the morning but late in the morning when I went to get him for exercise I found him with a severe injury, high up on his near front leg,
Walsh said in a statement. He was attended to by our vets immediately but x-rays revealed extensive unrepairable damage.
Greg and Audrey Turley
Conditioned by Willie Mullins and raced by owners Greg and Audrey Turley, the black gelding leaves behind a legacy defined by dominance at steeplechasing’s highest levels. Owned by Greg and Audrey Turley, ‘Galopin’ received many plaudits last week when it was announced that time had been called on a stellar racing career. Despite still being a relatively young 10-year-old, the hugely popular gelding was retired by connections who felt that he would struggle to recapture the best form of his pomp when winning steeplechasing’s ‘Blue Riband’ back-to-back in 2023-24. Only Inothewayurthinkin prevented a hat-trick in 2025.
The horse was given to former champion jockey Ruby Walsh to be retrained by his daughter Isabelle with a potential new eventing career in mind. Galopin Des Champs was embarking on a second career in the equestrian sphere with the Walsh family before tragedy struck.
Galopin Des Champs also won three Irish Gold Cups, two Savills Chases and a Punchestown Gold Cup. The 10-year-old was retired from racing by trainer Willie Mullins last week, with Mullins stating that it was because he could not do himself justice at the level he was used to.
The jumper won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2023 and 2024 and won 12 races at Grade One level.
The devasating news comes merely five days after trainer Willie Mullins confirmed the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero would not race again. Mullins had explained the decision to retire the gelding, stating: We took a collective decision to retire Galopin Des Champs at his age because we felt he could not do himself justice at the level he was used to. He retires a good, sound horse who will hopefully have a good second career as a sport horse.
Walsh paid tribute to a horse that won not only two Gold Cups at the Festival but three Irish Gold Cups at Leopardstown.
“He was a fabulous racehorse whose short time with us has left lots of broken hearts but none more so than those of Greg, Audrey and Sarah Turley and Adam Connolly who looked after him for so long. He will be sadly missed.”
Ruby Walsh, via Racing TV
