2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Tips
In the 2025 race, the horse was a 15/2 shot before getting the better of Galopin Des Champs by six lengths. This came after finishing well behind the latter at Leopardstown, although a longer distance suited the charge. The most recent outing saw the horse finish well off the pace at Punchestown although the runner's odds of 18/1 outlined that it might always be a struggle over a stiff distance.
Perhaps Galopin Des Champs will return to the winners' enclosure at the Festival and secure a third Gold Cup triumph. Willie Mullins saddles a horse that was all the rage in March when being sent off as the odds-on favourite. There had previously been a comprehensive in the Irish Gold Cup and the horse was able to hit the target in April when securing a twenty-two length success in a Grade One encounter.
The Jukebox Man has shortened in the betting market after a famous King George VI Chase success at Kempton Park. The Harry Redknapp-owned runner is saddled by Ben Pauling and the 7/1 shot was able to secure a Boxing Day success when edging out Banbridge. This came after an odds-on success in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase when the 8/11 favourite produced a strong effort.
Gaelic Warrior finished third in the King George VI Chase and the Willie Mullins-trained runner has subsequently drifted in the market, although he still might rate as the best each-way option in the race. After all, he was only a short head behind The Jukebox Man at Kempton Park and that came after three successive wins at Aintree, Sandown and Punchestown.
2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase is always an enthralling encounter, with the best chasing horses in the land battling it out in the race that gets the top billing at the Cheltenham Festival. Galopin Des Champs is a horse with rock solid credentials and he’s already claimed a victory twice in this race. A third triumph looks likely according to the latest odds.
At the recent Dublin Racing Festival, the horse was able to land the spoils in the Irish Gold Cup Chase, claiming a victory over three miles, half a furlong. This came after a success in the Savills Chase, with this being another Grade 1 success at Leopardstown, with the horse winning by seven and a half lengths. It’s hard to knock his ability and he could go down in Cheltenham folklore.
In terms of looking for bigger priced alternatives to win the Gold Cup, Banbridge was successful at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and there could be a bold showing from the Joseph O’Brien-trained runner. The victory in the King George VI Chase was over three miles on good ground but this is more of a stamina-sapping contest.
Fact To File is the other runner operating at single figure betting odds, with the horse finishing less than five lengths behind Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown in the Irish Gold Cup and that bodes relatively well for the Cheltenham Festival. He’s closing the gap after trailing the same horse at the same Irish track in December.
2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
Galopin Des Champs was able to claim a 2023 Gold Cup victory and the same horse could be crowned champion at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The horse was sent off as the 7/5 favourite twelve months ago before enjoying a seven-length win and the Willie Mullins-trained charge will be a similar price when it comes to the 2024 renewal.
All roads have led to Cheltenham for a horse who has collected successive wins, with the Gold Cup favourite enjoying a twenty-three length triumph in the Savills Chase over Gerri Colombe, with the horse a facile winner at the Dublin Racing Festival when winning the Irish Gold Cup by four and a half lengths.
The horse who finished second on that occasion was Fastorslow and the Martin Brassil-trained runner did beat Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown back in April, while the horse then beat the champ at the same track in November, so this has to be considered as a very solid each-way bet. You might even do worse than back the favourite and second favourite in a straight forecast.
Gerri Colombe is another eight-year-old set to take his chance in the blue riband race at the Cheltenham Festival, with the Gordon Elliott-trained runner needing to find twenty-eight lengths on the favourite after the recent outing at Leopardstown. There was previously a success at Down Royal in November when Envoi Allen was nudged out by a neck.
2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Tips
Galopin Des Champs is now trading as the short-priced favourite to win the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup and it’s hard to crab his form this season. The horse won the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in the Dublin Racing Festival, with the Willie Mullins-trained charge claiming an eight-length victory although it was against a modest field.
Previously to this, the horse won the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase as the 2/9 favourite although sterner examinations are sure to come and we should note that the horse fell in the Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last year. Perhaps we will see reigning champions A Plus Tard come to the boil and the horse has previously been brilliant in the Gold Cup.
There was so much to like about the horse’s victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup twelve months ago when landing a twelve-length win as the 3/1 favourite, even if this season hasn’t gone at all to plan. The horse was sent off as the 1/2 market leader in the Betfair Chase before being pulled up at Haydock in November and there’s clearly a question mark coming into the Festival.
Bravemansgame has the look of a good Cheltenham each-way bet and the Paul Nicholls-trained runner is operating at an attractive price to secure a victory here. The eight-year-old obliged with back to back wins this season, with the latest of these coming in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase where the runner obliged by an amazing fourteen lengths. Perhaps there is more to come.
Perhaps we should start with Minella Indo who was the 2021 Gold Cup winner and the Henry de Bromhead will therefore be bidding to record a double when it comes to the 2022 Cheltenham Festival top race. Jockey Rachael Blackmore is likely to give the horse a tremendous spin although there’s a question mark over a runner who has failed to win this season.
Since winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 19 March 2021, the horse finished third in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal. This took place on 30 October, with Frodon and Galvin proving too strong. The runner was then pulled up in the King George VI Chase before finishing second behind Conflated in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.
A Plus Tard is the Cheltenham Gold Cup betting favourite and this is another Henry de Bromhead-trained charge. Having finished just over a length behind Minella Indo in the 2021 Gold Cup, we clearly have to respect the chances of a runner who was the brilliant winner of the 2021 Betfair Chase.
The argument is that, while that twenty-two length win was mightily impressive, there is still the fact that the race took place at Haydock Park. This is a much flatter track than Cheltenham, with A Plus Tard then being sent off as the odds-on favourite in the Savils Chase at Leopardstown over the festive period.
Galvin was able to land the spoils on that occasion and our Cheltenham Gold Cup betting tip is the Gordon Elliott-trained runner who hasn’t put a foot wrong this season. Davy Russell is likely to be on board a horse who has demonstrated that he can put in a splendid round of jumping, while the horse won the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Chase at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.
Al Boum Photo will bid to land a third Cheltenham Gold Cup win, with the ten-year-old having finished five-and-a-half lengths behind Minella Indo in the previous renewal and some might argue that age isn’t on his side. Not a lot was gleaned from a facile win in the Savills New Year's Day Chase and much depends on how Mullins is able to prepare the former champ.
Can Al Boum Photo Land a Hat-Trick in the Gold Cup?
Al Boum Photo was sent off at odds of 12/1 to win the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup, although the Willie Mullins-trained charge demonstrated all his class to land a victory ahead of Anibale Fly, with the horse putting in a smart round of jumping at Prestbury Park on good to soft ground.
The horse then returned to win the 2020 Gold Cup at the Cheltenham meeting, with Al Boum Photo sent off as the 10/3 favourite on that occasion and it’s currently possible to land odds bigger than this when it comes to the horse securing a hat-trick.
It’s clearly difficult to train a horse to win three Gold Cups, although Best Mate was able to manage it in living memory, with the runner being lightly raced in the build-up to the 2021 Gold Cup and the horse hasn’t been seen at a track since narrowly beating Santini last March.
Who Are the Other Main Gold Cup Contenders?
Santini was extremely close to being a Gold Cup winner twelve months previously and Nicky Henderson has the eight-year-old prepared for another assault on this race, having recently run a solid enough race when finishing fifth in the King George VI Chase behind Frodon and Clan Des Obeaux among others.
However, we know that Santini can battle hard over this Cheltenham track and Henderson will fancy that Al Boum Photo can be toppled this time around, while the same trainer has Champ potentially lining up for this race too.
Champ produced a blinding performance in the RSA Chase on 11 March when coming from a long way back up the straight to beat Minella Indo, with Barry Geraghty potentially on board to try and produce the goods once again although it will be interesting to see how he is after a long break.
Can Minella Indo Win First Gold Cup?
Minella Indo looked for all the world a winner when leading up the Cheltenham Hill in the RSA Chase, with the horse having previously scored victories at Wexford and Navan, Henry de Bromhead then seeing his horse fall in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.
De Bromhead will hope that his runner doesn’t suffer any ill-effects from that fall and another interesting runner could be Frodon who is currently trading at 14/1, with punters knowing that the horse enjoys the Cheltenham track.
After nearly four days of fantastic horse racing at the Cheltenham Festival, it all comes down to the highlight feature race of the meeting, with the Gold Cup the biggest race of the week and it attracts a huge amount of media attention and betting interest.
This is a prestigious encounter which is run over three miles, two-and-a-half furlongs, with Al Boum Photo looking to win the race for the second time after a brilliant success in 2019 which saw the eight-year-old fend off the challenge of Anibale Fly and score for each-way backers at 12/1.
Willie Mullins is as good as it gets when it comes to training at the Cheltenham Festival, with Paul Townend likely to retain the ride and it was a flawless round of jumping at Tramore on New Year’s Day where Al Boum Photo obliged as the 4/7 favourite.
However, the horse was unable to win on the previous encounter when finishing second to Kemboy and perhaps the latter is the big danger when it comes to the 2020 renewal, with the seven-year-old also trained by Mullins who could have a stranglehold on the race this time around.
Kemboy claimed the spoils in the Betway Bowl Chase at the Aintree meeting before that success in the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup, with the horse having unseated his rider in the previous Gold Cup at Cheltenham although it could be a different story this time around.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a real test of stamina and one can’t help but feel as though Clan Des Obeaux could run an impressive race, with Paul Nicholls having produced an excellent training performance when winning the King George Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
The eight-year-old could have started to reach his peak this season and he finished a credible fifth place in last year’s Gold Cup, with the horse then finishing second to Kemboy at Aintree.
There were only five horses who entered the King George, although Clan Des Obeaux was sent off at odds of 11/2 and yet won by a distance of 21 lengths ahead of Cyrname who was priced as the 5/4 favourite.
The fact that the King George was run on soft ground is quite a telling factor and Nicholls will surely want the heavens to open in order for Clan Des Obeaux to have the best possible chance of winning.
Lostintranslation was also in that race at Kempton on Boxing Day and it was disappointing for connections to see that the horse was pulled up after previously looking impressive in previous races.
Having won at Carlisle, there was a victory in the Betfair Chase when beating Bristol De Mai and trainer Colin Tizzard will hope that the horse comes out of the King George disappointment in a great place to win.
Delta Work is another horse trading at single figures, with the runner triumphing over the Christmas period, with the six-year-old having fended off Monalee by a head at Leopardstown and obliging at 11/2.
Presenting Percy was sent off as the 100/30 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season before finishing in a disappointing eighth place, with the horse having failed to rediscover the sort of form that saw the horse win the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase twelve months previously.
Cheltenham Gold Cup FAQ
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the principal race of the Cheltenham Festival. It’s a three mile, two furlong encounter that is regarded as the most prestigious race in National Hunt racing. This will take place at 4pm on Friday 14 March 2025, with bettors enjoying the chance to try and predict a winner.
It’s hardly a surprise that Galopin Des Champs is favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This is a horse that has won the race in 2023 and 2024, with the Willie Mullins-trained charge having obliged as the 7/5 favourite two years ago before claiming the spoils as the 10/11 favourite a year ago.
Betting on the Cheltenham Gold Cup is really popular and the horse racing betting sites will be falling over themselves to provide odds boosts and free bets. You can look through the racecard and choose to place either a win, each-way or place bet on the action.
The favourites have got a very strong recent track record in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Galopin Des Champs has obliged as the favourite in the previous two races, with this coming after A Plus Tard was able to deliver the goods in 2022. Al Boum Photo was also the winner in 2020.
Galopin Des Champs was the winner of the 2023 and 2024 race. The nine-year-old was successful for trainer Willie Mullins twelve months ago, with Paul Townend on board and the horse will now be bidding to make history with a victory.
Each-way betting on Cheltenham Gold Cup is freely available and there’s often the chance to get four places when wagering on this race. It means that you don’t have to back the winner of the race to actually land a return on your wager.
Everyone wants to tune in and watch the Gold Cup! If you aren’t able to attend in person, then there’s the option to watch on terrestrial TV or alternatively through the racing live streaming service. You can enjoy the Bet and Watch service for all Cheltenham races.
It’s probably good to start by analysing the favourite and understand whether the market leader can continue to deliver the goods in this race. However, this is a tough race for any horse to win and you should look at the way that the odds move before placing your wager.