The dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was bidding for a third straight victory in Sunday’s Grade One feature, but had to make do with an honourable third behind Affordale Fury on what was his first appearance since winning the Punchestown Gold Cup in late April.

With the nine-year-old’s reappearance delayed by an an autumn setback, Mullins can expect his stable star to improve ahead of a planned bid for a fourth Irish Gold Cup back at Leopardstown on January 31.

Mullins said: “I thought he ran a cracker as he probably needed the race against that type of opposition.

“He looked like he might win after the second-last and again going to the last, but the lack of a race told on him in a race of that calibre over that trip.

“I’m hoping he’ll improve, you never know. He did have a hard race and you don’t know what sort of effect it will have on them, but he went home and ate up, which is a great sign. It suggests he didn’t take it as hard as I thought it looked.

“Hopefully he’ll be back for the Irish Gold Cup.”

Galopin Des Champs is a 6-1 joint-favourite alongside the defending champion Inothewayurthinkin for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Paddy Power, with his stablemate Gaelic Warrior a 10-1 shot after he was beaten a short head into third place in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

Of the latter, Mullins added: “He ran a cracker in Kempton. Things didn’t fall for him and he met a bit of traffic.

“Fact To File was a bit disappointing, he probably just didn’t handle the track and it was a slowly-run race. They have both come home OK.

“Gaelic Warrior could come back here (Leopardstown) for the Irish Gold Cup, it could be a fascinating race.”