Horse Racing

Savills Chase Runners, Trends and Stats as Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs Clash

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The Savills Chase runners ahead of Saturday’s huge Leopardstown clash between Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs have been declared – with nine horses heading to post.

Willie Mullins Pair Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs Dominate The Savills Chase Market

The best horse racing betting sites in the UK are finding it hard to split the Willie Mullins big guns in the staying chase division for Saturday’s Savills Chase – with punters making strong cases for both to win.

Fact To File is the current Cheltenham Gold Cup market leader after beating Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last time out.

However, back at Leopardstown and over the longer trip, many Galopin Des Champs fans are saying the two-time Gold Cup hero will gain his revenge.

Both horses are also unbeaten over fences at Leopardstown – with Fact To File 2-from-2 and Galopin Des Champs 5-from-5 – so one will be losing this record come 3pm on Saturday.

Galopin Des Champs will also be looking to become the first ‘back-to-back’ Savills Chase winner since Beef Or Salmon, who won the race three times between 2002 and 2005.

While Fact To File’s popular owner JP McManus will be hoping to win the Savills Chase for the first time since Synchronised took the prize in 2011.

Win, lose or draw, after this race Galopin Des Champs will have the Cheltenham Gold Cup as his season target – as he looks to win the race three years on the spin, just like Best Mate did between 2002 and 2004.

Savills Chase Trends and Stats

See below the Leopardstown horse racing stats to apply to the final Savills Chase runners 2024 – use these to find the best profiles based on past winners of the big Grade One Chase.

  • 22/23 – Priced 8/1 or shorter in the betting
  • 22/23 – Won at least 3 times over fences before
  • 21/23 – Aged 8 or younger
  • 21/23 – Placed in the top 3 last time out
  • 19/23 – Raced within the last 8 weeks
  • 17/23 – Won by an Irish bred horse
  • 18/23 – Won over at least 3m (fences) before
  • 15/23 – Favourites placed
  • 13/23 – Aged either 7 or 8 years-old
  • 11/23 – Winning distance – 4 lengths or more
  • 8/23 – Won by a UK-based stable
  • 8/23 – Favourites
  • 6/23 – Won last time out
  • 4/23 – Raced at Haydock last time out
  • 3/22 – Went onto win that season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup
  • Trainers Gordon Elliott (4) and Willie Mullins (3) have won 7 of the last 9 runnings

Fact To File Career In Numbers

  • Age: 7
  • Runs: 8
  • Career Wins: 5
  • Chase Runs: 5
  • Chase Wins: 4
  • Total Career Prize Money: €307,926

Galopin Des Champs Career In Numbers

  • Age: 8
  • Runs: 20
  • Career Wins: 12
  • Chase Runs: 14
  • Chase Wins: 9
  • Total Career Prize Money: €1,439,209

Three Savills Chase Winners Since 2007 Followed Up In The Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Savills Chase over the years has been used as a stepping stone race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup – despite there being 2 1/2 months between them.

Galopin Des Champs, of course, landed the famous double last season. However, he was the first to win both these big staying Grade One Chases in the same season since Synchronised in 2011-12 and before that it was Denman in 2007-08

Watch Galopin Des Champs winning the 2023 Savills Chase at Leopardstown.

Trainer Gordon Elliott Needs One More Savills Chase Win To Equal Michael Hourigan’s Race Record

Slightly surprisingly, trainer Willie Mullins has only won the Savills Chase three times – they’ve all come since 2015 with Don Poli, Kemboy and Galopin Des Champs.

Paul Nicholls also has three wins in the race – Denman, What A Friend and Tidal Bay.

While Gordon Elliott has four successes after taking the prize with Outlander, Delta Work, Galvin and Conflated, who runs again in 2024 – three of which were for the Gigginstown House Stud.

Elliot runs the 2022 winner Conflated this year – his only runner in the race after taking out Gerri Colombe at the final declaration stage.

However, all the above mentioned are still behind trainer Michael Hourigan, who holds the record for the most Savills Chase winners with five.

His Beef Or Salmon won three, with Dorans Pride and Deep Bramble his other successes in the race.

Savills Chase Race Details

📅Date: Saturday 28th December 2024
⌚Time: 2:35pm
🏇Racecourse: Leopardstown
🔄Trip: 3m 1/2f
💷Winning Purse: €103,250
📺 TV: ITV4 / RTE 2

Savills Chase Runners 2024

There are nine horses declared for the 2024 Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Saturday 28th December.

  • Conflated
  • Fact To File
  • Galopin Des Champs
  • Gentlemansgame
  • Grangeclare West
  • Heart Wood
  • I Am Maximus
  • Inothewayurthinkin
  • Minella Cocooner

Recent Savills Chase Winners

  • 2023 – GALOPIN DES CHAMPS
  • 2022 – CONFLATED
  • 2021 – GALVIN
  • 2020 – A PLUS TARD
  • 2019 – DELTA WORK
  • 2018 – KEMBOY
  • 2017 – ROAD TO RESPECT
  • 2016 – OUTLANDER
  • 2015 – DON POLI
  • 2014 – ROAD TO RICHES
Author photo
Andy Newton
Sports Editor

Andy is a horse racing journalist and betting expert who specializes in trends and stats. With his long association with TrainersQuotes and FromTheStables, Andy has also built up solid s with some of the best stables in the UK. Has written for GeeGeez and bookmakers Matchbook and BetBright in the past too, plus was the former sports betting editor of odds comparison site Easyodds and Juicestorm. Has also appeared on betting podcasts for MatchBook and has featured in the popular Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Guide in the past. Andy's also ghost written for former top jockey Richard Dunwoody and continues to have a monthly column in the Racing Ahead horse racing magazine. Now a regular on Sportscasting giving his views, trends and tips mainly on horse racing - if there's a stat to be explored and it's a sport, Andy is sure to find a betting angle to use. You can also hear Andy's weekly horse racing views and best bets on the popular Final Furlong podcast.

Get to know Andy Newton better
Author photo
Andy Newton Sports Editor

Andy is a horse racing journalist and betting expert who specializes in trends and stats. With his long association with TrainersQuotes and FromTheStables, Andy has also built up solid s with some of the best stables in the UK. Has written for GeeGeez and bookmakers Matchbook and BetBright in the past too, plus was the former sports betting editor of odds comparison site Easyodds and Juicestorm. Has also appeared on betting podcasts for MatchBook and has featured in the popular Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Guide in the past. Andy's also ghost written for former top jockey Richard Dunwoody and continues to have a monthly column in the Racing Ahead horse racing magazine. Now a regular on Sportscasting giving his views, trends and tips mainly on horse racing - if there's a stat to be explored and it's a sport, Andy is sure to find a betting angle to use. You can also hear Andy's weekly horse racing views and best bets on the popular Final Furlong podcast.

All posts by Andy Newton