Who Will Win the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

There is no doubt that the upcoming Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest and best racing festivals in the UK racing calendar, with the highlight being the Gold Cup race of the final day of the proceedings.

Friday, Gold Cup Day, finishes off an incredible week packed with first-class racing action, huge prize pools - and world class racers.

Will The Favourite Win?

No matter where you look, the best horse racing betting odds are in agreement - Galopin Des Champs won’t come in with a particularly generous price. But should you bet on such a heavy favourite?

Well, last year the favourite won - A Plus Tard, guided by Rachael Blackmore took home the title for trainer Henry De Bromhead. The previous year, however, it was Minella Indo that took home the title, a 9/1 outsider.

This year, the favourite is pretty clear to see, a horse that barely missed out last year on Cheltenham Festival glory. No matter which way you look, Galopin Des Champs will be at the top of the probable Gold Cup winners list. However, there are some very worthy competitors he has to see off first, including Nobel Yeats, Bravemansgame and, of course, last year’s winner, A Plus Tard.

Bravemansgame’s trainer, Paul Nicholls believes his runner is shaping up very well for the race and he and stablemate Hermes Allen are both looking pretty impressive. Their programmes have been going well and everyone seems pretty pleased with them. The weather forecast looks good for them and everything seems to be positive. Could they possibly cause an upset?

Gold Cup Betting Tip: Galopin Des Champs

Let’s not beat around the bush, the favourite for the race, Galopin Des Champs is priced that way for a reason. The Mullins-trained horse is definitely looking the most likely candidate and you can get fair prices now, considering the backing he has.

Galopin Des Champs is now 7 years old and he looked as though he was a sure win last year in the Turners, until he fell at the last minute, gifting the victory to Bob Oliger, who won the 4 horse race by 40 lengths.

Galopin was around 12 lengths ahead of the group. All he had to do was jump that last hurdle cleanly and he would have likely extended his lead even further. But it was not to be. However, he demonstrated his true potential when he won at Fairhouse by 18 lengths just one month later.

He is now rated at 175, and there doesn’t seem to be a better favourite at those odds across the entire festival. So, is he the favourite? Yes. Do we think he’ll win? As long as he doesn’t fall at the final hurdle again, then yes, we do!

Let’s look at a few more top tips…

Paddy Power Mares’ Chase: Impervious

This JP McManus horse has an excellent chance of taking the win at the Mares Chase, run over 2m4f.

He will certainly have to race hard though as he will be going against another favourite, Allegorie De Vassy, so will need to be on his best form for the win here.

This stunning horse has been successful in all of his last three races since he switched to fences, managing to defeat geldings such as Minella Crooner and Journey With Me on heavy ground. Having raced on such testing conditions, he has proven how good he can bet at taking the battle to his competitors and taking it right to the line.

Triumph Hurdle: Comfort Zone

Our last tip of the day is Comfort Zone, a horse owned by JP McManus…

Thus far, he has proven himself to be a solid contender in good company, coming just six lengths behind Lossiemouth - this year’s favourite. Lossiemouth may be favourite but we have seen that he is certainly beatable… meanwhile Comfort Zone is steadily improving.

Having beaten Scriptwriter and Dixon Cove, he’s set up perfectly for a successful trip to Cheltenham this year!