Cheltenham Gold Cup

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The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the ultimate prize in steeplechasing and the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival meeting in March.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is held on the 15th of March 2024.

Past winners include many legends of jump racing including Golden Miller, Arkle, Best Mate and Kauto Star. It’s the Blue Riband event of National Hunt racing and is the target of the best horses and best trainers in the industry.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup tipsters are saying this year’s race could be the most open it has been for decades. 

If you are looking for the latest predictions for this year’s festival check out our updated Cheltenham festival tipster page.

Find out more about The Cheltenham Gold Cup:

Cheltenham Gold Cup

Some of the important players that are expected to line up will be racing through the year. So make sure to watch how all the horses perform or place ante-post betting odds wagers soon to seek value.

Check out our Cheltenham horse racing betting tips page if you are looking for more racing tips for events at Cheltenham.

For all Cheltenham races, our finest racing tipsters give free horse racing tips!

William Hill Cheltenham Willie Mullins to have a Winning Horse WILLIE MULLINS TO HAVE A WINNING HORSE IN THE GOLD CUP
William Hill Cheltenham Willie Mullins to have a Winning Horse

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Cheltenham Gold Cup Race Overview

The Gold Cup is traditionally held on the fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival, as you imagine it is run at the stunning Cheltenham racecourse, one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world.

The Gold Cup takes place over three and a quarter miles with 22 fences to be jumped. The famous uphill finish makes this a thorough test of stamina for the top chasers in Britain and Ireland; it is the ultimate National Hunt chase where the champion of the season is crowded.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy is one that all owners, jockeys and trainers want to win – it is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a true spectacle of sport and horsemanship. It’s a test of endurance, skill, and bravery, and it’s a race that captures the imagination of fans around the world. Whether you’re a seasoned racing enthusiast or a casual sports fan, the Gold Cup is an event not to be missed.

Famous Cheltenham Gold Cup Winners & Gold Cup History

The Gold Cup was first run as a three-mile flat race in 1819 with victory going to Spectre. It did not become a steeplechase until over a century later when Red Splash took the prize in 1924.

Golden Miller jumped his way into the record books with an incredible five consecutive Gold Cup victories between 1932 and 1936. His other wins include the 1934 Grand National and he is still regarded by many as the greatest steeplechaser of all time.

Others would argue that Arkle is worthy of that title, a brilliant winner of the Gold Cup in 1964, 1965 and 1966. Timeform rated Arkle on 212, a massive 21lbs higher than rival Mill House and two-time winner Kauto Star.

There have been few more popular winners than the Irish mare Dawn Run in 1986. There were jubilant scenes as Jonjo O’Neill drove her up the Cheltenham hill, becoming the first horse in history to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup.

Desert Orchid was a great favourite with the public, a dashing front-running grey trained by David Elsworth. Many doubted his ability to stay the Gold Cup distance after heavy rain turned the going soft in 1989. He produced one of the most famous Gold Cup finishes in history when fighting back to overhaul Yahoo on the run-in under Simon Sherwood.

Best Mate completed a hat-trick of victories for Henrietta Knight and jockey Jim Culloty between 2002 and 2004.

Kauto Star became the first horse in history to regain his crown with success in 2007 and 2009. He had been beaten by stable companion Denman in 2008 in another epic renewal of this famous race.

Check out our list of the best Gold Cup Winners, we look at Cheltenham Gold Cup winners from the past and recent history.

Key Cheltenham Gold Cup Trials

The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and runners from the previous year set the standard for form guides. Barring injury, the winner and placed horses are likely to be aimed at this race all season.

Al Boum Photo was skilfully handled by trainer Willie Mullins, winning the Savills Chase at Tramore on New Years’ Day prior to his two Gold Cups with victories in 2019 and 2020.

The established chasers will face the challenge of rising stars from the novice ranks. The RSA Chase has produced several future Gold Cup winners including Denman (2007), Bobs Worth (2012) and Lord Windermere (2013). Native River (2018) won the Gold Cup a year after finishing third in the RSA and won the Denman Chase at Newbury on his way to the festival.

Sizing John won the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown before his win for Jessica Harrington in 2017, the first horse to complete the double since Imperial Call (trained by Nicky Henderson) in 1996.

The King George VI Chase over three miles at Kempton is second only to the Gold Cup in terms of prestige. However, the shorter distance on a much flatter track does not make it an ideal trial for Cheltenham.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

Best Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Offers 2024

Cheltenham Gold Cup odds are available throughout the year and it is one of the top betting races of the National Hunt season.

Bookmakers update Gold Cup prices immediately after each of the main trials.

In recent years, they have offered “non-runner – no bet” on the Gold Cup in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival. They can also offer enhanced each-way betting down to sixth place.

Here are the Best Cheltenham Gold Cup betting offers December 2024:

Favourites have a mixed recent record in the Gold Cup, Al Boum Photo (100-30 in 2020) becoming the fourth winning favourite in ten seasons since 2011. Long Run (2011), Bobs Worth (2013) and Don Cossack (2016) were the other successful favourites during that period.

The shortest-priced winner in history was Arkle who returned at 1-10 favourite in 1966.

Major shocks are rare in this race, although Lord Windermere returned at 20-1 in 2014.

The biggest shock result came in 1990 when Norton’s Coin won at 100-1, one of only three horses trained by Welsh dairy farmer Sirrel Griffiths.

Top Trainers and Jockeys of the Gold Cup

Michael Dickinson’s remarkable achievement of saddling the first five home in 1983 is most unlikely to be repeated. Bregawn won under Graham Bradley and was followed by stable companions Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House.

Irish trained horses have a very good recent record, taking five of the seven renewals between 2014 and 2020.

Willie Mullins had been trying for over twenty years to win the Gold Cup prior to Al Boum Photo’s back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020.

Paul Nicholls has won the race four times, the most recent being Kauto Star (2009).

Pat Taaffe is the winning-most jockey in the history of the race with four wins, three of those aboard Arkle.

Paul Townend won on Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020 and will be hoping to emulate Jim Culloty who rode a hat-trick of wins aboard Best Mate.

What are the betting trends for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Find out the betting patterns on the Cheltenham Gold Cup horses this year, the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Race Stats

  • The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England.
  • It is the feature race of the week.
  • The race is open to horses aged five years and older and is run over a distance of 3 miles, 2 furlongs and about 70 yards (5,331 metres).
  • The race was first run in 1924 and has been won by some of the greatest steeplechasers in history, including Arkle, Golden Miller (the most successful horse winning 5 times), Best Mate and Kauto Star. Other big names include See More Business and Denman.
  • The current record time for the Cheltenham Gold Cup is 6 minutes, 19.1 seconds, set by Best Mate in 2002.
  • The most successful jockey in the history of the race is Pat Taaffe, who won it four times between 1956 and 1964.
  • The most successful trainer in the history of the race is Tom Dreaper, who won it six times between 1946 and 1969.
  • Previous form at Cheltenham is a definite plus factor for Gold Cup winners.
  • Proven stamina in order to get the Gold Cup distance (3mile 2f) is also vital with most previous winners having won over three miles or further. It takes a class horse to win this race.
  • Most past winners were officially rated 166 or higher and had at least one previous Grade 1 victory to their credit.
  • You also need a safe jumper to navigate Cheltenham’s stiff fences and most previous winners had raced at least seven times over fences.
  • Experience is a key factor when assessing your Cheltenham Gold Cup tips. Most winners had at least seven races over fences before winning the race.
  • The age group from 7 to 9 has dominated the Gold Cup winners in recent times. Long Run (2011) was the first six-year-old to win since Mill House in 1963. Cool Dawn was the last ten-year-old to be successful in 1998.
  • Only four mares have ever won the Gold Cup, the most recent being Dawn Run in 1986.
  • Often horses that have run well in the King George VI Chase and Betfair Chase run well here.
  • Coneygree became the first novice chaser to win for forty years when successful in 2015. Gold Cup Winners tend to have a good level of experience of jumps.
  • Rachael Blackmore was the first female jockey to win the race in 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions about The Cheltenham Gold Cup

FIND THE ANSWERS TO YOUR THE CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP QUESTIONS!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can mares run in the Gold Cup?

Mares can run on the Gold Cup, it is open to both geldings and mares, in fact, Dawn Run is widely considered to be one of the best winners of all time.

What horses are running in Cheltenham Gold Cup?

The horse running in the Cheltenham Gold Cup is shown on our page, along with their odds.

Aiming to run in the race is normally months and years in the planning. Betting normally starts a year ahead, straight after that years running. The picture becomes much clearer the closer to the race you get. Normally a few weeks out the main horses and betting is all in place.

How many horses are in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

The number of horses in the Gold Cup differ from year to year – an average field size is about 10. It is always more about quality rather than quantity.

How much are Cheltenham Gold Cup tickets?

Cheltenham Gold Cup tickets start from £40 normally.

To find more about Cheltenham Gold Cup tickets visit here.

What is the prize money for winning the Gold Cup?

The prize money for the winner of The Gold Cup is £350,000, with the overall prize pool being £625,000.

Summary of The Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeplechase

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is simply one of the greatest horseraces in the world and only the best win this race; regarded as the pinnacle of jump racing and the feature race of the whole week, held on the final day of The Festival.

The role of honour is full of great names from Arkle through to Best Mate. It has also produced some of the most famous races in history such as Michael Dickinson’s famous five and Desert Orchid’s heroic victory. The winners become household names.

Can Minella Idaho or Al Boum Photo regain it? Or will Al Boum Photo defend? Or will a new champion emerge? Time will tell.

Ruby Walsh who is seen by many as the best Cheltenham gold cup tipster is saying the race is the most open it has ever been and going to be a great race to see how it pans out.

It provides a fitting climax to the Cheltenham Festival 2024 and no racing fan will want to miss it.

Other Cheltenham Festival Articles

If you have enjoyed this Cheltenham Gold Cup page, here are some other articles related to Cheltenham betting you may also like:

Keywords covered

  • Horse racing market for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup
  • The highlight of the racing sporting calendar and the entire Cheltenham festival and entire national hunt chase held at Cheltenham racecourse – the feature race.