The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 race over an extended three miles at the Punchestown Festival meeting in late April.
The race was created in 1999 to attract Cheltenham Gold Cup horses and quickly became established as one of the top staying steeplechases in Ireland.
Notable past winners include Imperial Call (2010), Florida Pearl (2002), Kicking king (2005), Don Cossack (2015) and Sizing John (2017).
The Punchestown Gold Cup is the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and horses that have previously competed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup are normally entered in the Punchestown version. Sizing John was the last horse to win both races in the same year, in 2017.
For more information on the Punchestown Gold Cup such as tips, odds and previous winners, check out this full guide.
The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase held in Ireland for horses aged five and higher.
It is run at Punchestown over a distance of approximately 3 miles and 1/2 furlong, with seventeen obstacles to be jumped.
Each year, the race takes place in late April or early May during the Punchestown Festival.
Punchestown Gold Cup Tips
Our Punchestown Gold Cup 2022 tips are:
Our Punchestown Gold Cup 2022 NAP Pick is Allaho to win
Our Punchestown Gold Cup 2022 Outsider Selection is Clan Des Obeaux on an EW bet
Punchestown Gold Cup Odds
Below are the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup odds:
Allaho – 5-2
Minella Indo – 4-1
Clan Des Obeaux – 4-1
Galvin – 5-1
Fakir Doudairies – 7-1
Punchestown Gold Cup Previous Winners
Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
2011
Follow the Plan
8
Tom Doyle
Oliver McKiernan
2012
China Rock
9
Barry Geraghty
Mouse Morris
2013
Sir Des Champs
7
Davy Russell
Willie Mullins
2014
Boston Bob
9
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
2015
Don Cossack
8
Paul Carberry
Gordon Elliott
2016
Carlingford Lough
10
Barry Geraghty
John Kiely
2017
Sizing John
7
Robbie Power
Jessica Harrington
2018
Bellshill
8
David Mullins
Willie Mullins
2019
Kemboy
7
Ruby Walsh
Willie Mullins
no race 2020 [b]
2021
Clan des Obeaux
9
Sam Twiston-Davies
Paul Nicholls
Famous Punchestown Gold Cup Winners
The Punchestown Gold Cup is widely regarded as the highlight of the Punchestown Festival meeting. It regularly attracts top-quality chasers who competed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the previous month.
The inaugural running in 1999 was won by Imperial Call who had won the Cheltenham showpiece three years earlier.
Willie Mullins won the race for the first time in 2002 with Florida Pearl, undoubtedly one of the best steeplechasers never to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He won half of his 32 career starts including a record four Irish Gold Cups between 1999 and 2004.
France won the race in 2003 with First Gold, trained by Francois Doumen. He had beaten Florida Peal in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park in 2000.
2004 winner Beef or Salmon was another high-class Irish chaser, claiming three Irish Gold Cup victories in 2003, 2006 and 2007.
Kicking King (2005) and War Of Attrition (2006) both followed up their Cheltenham Gold Cup victories in this race. Kicking King was also a dual King George VI Chase winner (2004, 2005) for Trainer Tom Taaffe and jockey Barry Geraghty.
Neptune Collonges became the first horse to win the race twice when successful for Paul Nicholls in 2007 and 2008. He went on the record the biggest success of his career in the 2012 Grand National and was promptly retired by connections.
Don Cossack won here in 2015 and won the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following season for Gordon Elliott. Unfortunately, his career was curtailed through injury and he was retired to his owner’s Gigginstown House Stud.
Sizing John (2017) is the most recent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to take this valuable prize.
Key Punchestown Gold Cup Trials
Despite all of the links to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, this race has only been won three times in the past eleven seasons by horses who ran in chasing’s blue riband event last time out. That figure is matched by the Betway Bowl at Aintree, a double successfully completed by Clan Des Obeaux in 2021 after side-stepping the Cheltenham Festival.
Only four of the last eleven winners ran in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following season. Don Cossack was the only one to succeed with the Willie Mullins trio of Boston Bob (2014), Bellshill (2018) and Kemboy (2019) all well beaten.
Punchestown Gold Cup Betting Trends
Four of the last eleven Punchestown Gold Cup favourites have been successful; Sir Des Champs (2013), Boston Bob (2014), Sizing John (2017) and Kemboy (2019). The latter at 13-8 favourite was the shortest-priced winner during that period.
There have been shock results here with Planet Of Sound (2010), Follow The Plan (2011) and China Rock (2012) returning at 14-1 and 20-1 twice respectively. Carlingford Lough was a 12-1 chance when scoring in 2016.
An official rating of 159 or higher has been required to win this race since 2013. Kemboy was rated 174 in 2019, just 1lb higher than Sir Des Champs in 2013.
Nine of the last eleven winners had raced at least twice at the track with eight of them having achieved at least one course victory.
The last eleven winners had all raced at least four times during the current season.
They had all won at least once at Grade 1 to 3 level.
The age range varies, although horses aged 7-9 seem to do best. Neptune Collonges (2007) was the youngest winner at the age of six while four ten-year-olds have won here, the most recent being Carlingford Lough in 2016.
Punchestown Gold Cup – Top Trainers and Jockeys
Willie Mullins predictably leads the trainer stats for the Punchestown Gold Cup with five victories; Florida Pearl (2002), Sir Des Champs (2013), Boston Bob (2014), Bellshill (2018) and Kemboy (2019).
Paul Nicholls is next best with three victories with Clan Des Obeaux (2021) adding to the two successes of Neptune Collonges (2007, 2008).
Ruby Walsh is the most successful jockey in the history of the Punchestown Gold Cup with six winners; Imperial Call (1999), Commanche Court (2000), Neptune Collonges (2007, 2008), Boston Bob (2014) and Bellshill (2018). His last victory eclipsed the record of four winners set by weighing-room colleague Barry Geraghty.
Betting on the Punchestown Gold Cup
The Punchestown Gold Cup is one of the big betting races of the festival meeting and always attracts some top quality chasers.
The field is usually relatively small but it invariably produces a thrilling race. There is a lively ante-post market for this race with an intriguing mix of established Cheltenham Gold Cup horses and up-and-coming Irish chasers.
Definitely the highlight of the Punchestown Festival for many!
The Coral Punchestown betting offers centre around the welcome bonus when you sign up. There are excellent free bets and betting offers available.
18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&Cs apply.
888sport is always very reliable for best odds guaranteed offers and has loads of Punchestown free bet offers this year.
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Betfred will be providing an array of betting offers for Punchestown such as free bets and non runner no bet money back.
New UK customers only. Register using the promo code BETFRED60, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £20 in Free Bets to be used on Sports, £10 in Free Bets to be used on Lotto and 50 Free Spins (20p per spin) credited within 48 hours of bet settlement. Further £20 in Free Bets credited 5 days after settlement. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required.
There will be many Punchestown free bets and betting offers available at Ladbrokes who are known for their dedication to horse racing since forming in 1902!
18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply.
Plenty of amazing welcome offer bet credits available from William Hill who sponsor the 17:25 WILLIAM HILL CHAMPION CHASE at Punchestown on Tuesday 26 April 2022.
New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply.
If you are looking to earn some extra winnings from the big races at Punchestown, Unibet have some delightful offers for both new and existing customers.
BetVictor is one of the top horse racing betting sites that offers plenty of betting offers and free bets at Punchestown Festival.
18+ New customers only. Deposit, opt in and place a £10 qualifying bet on Horse Racing at odds of 2.00 or greater within 7 days of opening a new account; excludes cashed out bets. Receive 3x £10 Horse Racing Free Bets, valid on set events only at odds 2.00 or greater. Plus, a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw a max of £250. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs Apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
Betfair offers outstanding betting offers for existing and new customers, with free bets, sign up bonuses, price boosts and money back refunds.
New customers place £50 worth of bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100. Min odds 1.2 (1/5). Multiple bets included. Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply.
New Paddy Power users should take advantage of the current Punchestown Festival offer, which offers new sign-up customers £60 in free bets when they stake £10 on any race at the top-class meeting.
New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion.
Full T&C's Apply
Summary of the Punchestown Gold Cup
The Punchestown Gold Cup is the big one of the week.
It is the last clash of the best 3-mile chasers in the UK and Ireland, as expected it’s been dominated by the home team and more specifically Willie Mullins in recent years.
A race already steeped in history and one to saviour.
2022 Punchestown Festival Related Articles
If you have enjoyed this Punchestown Festival page, here are some other articles related to Punchestown betting you may also like:
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