While every day at the Cheltenham Festival is full of exciting races and drama, Day Four is the most anticipated. The Gold Cup Steeple Chase is the biggest race, which is saying something as there are 28 events across the festival. The £625,000 figure makes it one of the most valuable jump races in the world and the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain. Only the Grand National has a bigger prize purse.
Ran over 3m2½f on the New Course, the Gold Cup is the most prestigious race on the National Hunt calendar. It is sometimes referred to as the Blue Riband of jump-racing. Though first inaugurated in 1924, its lineage can be traced back over 200 years. This is a race steeped in history and tradition, and the 2025 renewal is set to be another exciting edition.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview
The Cheltenham Festival schedule is full of thrilling races and this is not one you want to miss. Leading Irish Champion trainer Willie Mullins is bidding for a record-matching fifth win in this race. His charge, Galopin Des Champs, has won the Gold Cup in the two previous renewals and has proven to be an all-time great.
Galopin Des Champs has won the Gold Cup for two consecutive years, beating Bravemansgame by 7L in 2023 and Gerri Colombe by 3½L last year. He has returned to form this term, becoming a dual Grade One winner. He won the Savills Chase and most recently the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February.
Banbridge bounced back to win the King George superbly in December after unseating his rider a couple of weeks prior. That thrilling finish at Kempton has put him right in amongst it in the Gold Cup. That was his first run in a stayers chase in two and a half years and he proved he has come on since then. However, Paul Townend will ride Galopin in this race after an incredible King George triumph with Banbridge.
Inothewayurthinkin was a late addition to this race with owner JP McManus paying £25,000 for the privilege. He is a great stayer, so much so that he is the current ante-post favourite for the Grand National next month. However, two finishes behind Galopin Des Champs this term does not bode well for Gavin Cromwell’s charge.
Monty’s Star was only beaten by Fact To File and Spillane’s Tower last season, finishing second in the Brown’s Advisory. Monty had somewhat disappointing reappearances at Tramore and in the Irish Gold Cup this season. He struggled to keep up in both races, ending with a fifth-place finish in the Irish Gold Cup.
Corbett’s Cross was held up and couldn’t find the pace on good ground in the King George. The issues were compounded when there was no answer to Pic D’orhy as a favourite in the Ascot Chase in February. This trip would be more up his street, and the ground should suit him better.
Of the rest of the field, Jungle Boogie is an interesting, lightly raced entrant despite being 11 years old. However, Henry De Bromhead still holds him as an entry in the Ryanair Chase and he probably has a better chance there.
If you want to place wagers on the festival, don’t forget to check out our betting tips for the other big races. We have predictions for the Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase available now. Revisit this page closer to the start of the race to get the latest horse racing news before the flag drops.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Predictions
Winner: Galopin Des Champs
Who else? Triumphs at the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup confirmed what we had come to suspect of Galopin Des Champs; he is an all-time great. Plenty of horses in that grade who never retained a Gold Cup. Galopin has already done that. He can become one of the few to win it three times in a row here. Our Cheltenham Festival prediction is for Willie Mullins’ star to do just that.
The fact is, the standard of chasers at 3m and over is just not what it used to be. That is not to say that Galopin is the best of a bad bunch, quite the opposite. He is a diamond in the rough. More than £1.5 million in prize money alone tells you just how far ahead he is of his fellow runners. We struggle to see any of them hold a candle to the favourite in this race.
Banbridge is the most likely if any. The way he finished the King George Chase was truly thrilling and a testament to his talent. Especially when you consider he had unseated his rider in his previous start and had not run over 3m or more in three years. He has a decent record at Cheltenham (2-1) and the ground will suit him better this time after a poor showing in the Ryanair Chase last year.
The experience difference between the two is night and day. Banbridge is a three-time Grade One winner. Galopin Des Champs has three in the last year. Add another eight throughout his career and it becomes apparent that Willie Mullins’ runner is in a different realm from the rest of the competition here.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Tips
Galopin Des Champs is the odds-on favourite for the third year running. Unfortunately, he will have odds with poor returns. Anything priced further than 1/2 is a good bet on the two-time winner. Otherwise, it may be best to look at the places for this race.
There are a few that catch the eye for a place here, starting with Banbridge. He proved his worth over a similar trip in the King George. He had more in the tank that day, which is needed here with the extra 2f. His 6/1 odds leave plenty of room for an each-way bet. It could also be profitable to pick the top two finishers at the Gold Cup this year. Backing Galopin Des Champs to finish first and Banbridge second promises large returns.
Jungle Boogie is still in the hat for the Ryanair Chase and the likelihood is he will run there. However, he could still be worth a small wager should Henry De Bromhead opt for the Gold Cup. He would be the oldest but the most unexposed horse in the race, with just five runs to his name. Rachael Blackmore would be the likely rider which would boost his chances. At 40/1, he is worth an each-way bet. He doesn’t have a Grade One to his name but comes out of a great yard who has a lot of belief in the 11-year-old.
Betting on horse races is never as straightforward as it seems. While it seems likely that Galopin Des Champs will run away to a third consecutive win in the Gold Cup, anything can happen between now and the final lengths. Live betting could be a flurry of activity if there is an issue with the favourite during the start of the race. Ensure you are ready for anything when this race takes place on Friday, March 14th.
