Cheltenham Gold Cup 2023 Racecard

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival and the most prestigious race of the entire Jumps season. It takes place each year on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.

3:30 Fri 17 Mar CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP Distance: 26f 70y Age: 5yo + Prize: £625,000 Going: Gd/Sft Analyst's Verdict GALOPIN DES CHAMPS would be unbeaten over fences but for falling at last year's Festival. The way he forged clear in the Irish Gold Cup suggests the slightly longer trip this afternoon should be within range and he's very much the one to beat. Bravemansgame is another who has suffered only one defeat over fences and is feared most after his impressive King George success. Last year's National Hunt Chase winner Stattler will relish the return to a longer trip and looks best of the rest.

ENTRY FORM	SILKS	HORSE JOCKEY & TRAINER	AGE WGT		ODDS
1		1. AHOY SENOR (IRE) J: Derek Fox T: Lucinda Russell	8 11-10		BET
Initially found the transition from top novice to contender at the highest level a bit of a struggle, but he pieced it all together with a defeat of Sounds Russian, Noble Yeats and Protektorat in the Cotswold Chase here in January. More needed now but his yard is in flying form.
2		2. A PLUS TARD (FR) J: Rachael Blackmore T: Henry de Bromhead, Ireland	9 11-10		BET
One of the best Gold Cup winners of recent years when beating stable-companion Minella Indo by 15 lengths 12 months ago. Pulled up in Betfair at Haydock in November on his only outing since. Clearly hard to be confident but a threat to all if back on song.
3		3. BRAVEMANSGAME (FR) J: Harry Cobden T: Paul Nicholls	8 11-10		BET
Disappointed in Aintree Grade 1 novice on final start last season but that's his only defeat in 7 outings over fences, taking his form to another level in King George at Kempton in December, well in control when left clear at last. Saved for this since. Big player.
4		4. CONFLATED (IRE) J: Sam Ewing T: Gordon Elliott, Ireland	9 11-10		BET
Top-class chaser who has been kept fresh for this since readily landing the Grade 1 Savills at Leopardstown over Christmas. That wasn't the strongest of Grade 1s, though, and he'll need a bigger performance here. Not a certain stayer, either.
5		5. ELDORADO ALLEN (FR) J: Brendan Powell T: Joe Tizzard	9 11-10		BET
Very smart but his limitations have been exposed at the highest level. Did too much too soon under a change of tactics when fading into a below-form fifth in Denman Chase at Newbury last month. Big outsider.
6		6. GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (FR) J: P. Townend T: W. P. Mullins, Ireland	7 11-10		BET
Would be unbeaten over fences but for coming down at last when clear in the Turners at this meeting 12 months ago. Proved himself at 3m with an 8-length defeat of Stattler in Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month. Another 2f further to travel now but he'll be hard to beat if his stamina holds.
7		7. HEWICK (IRE) J: Jordan Colin Gainford T: John Joseph Hanlon, Ireland	8 11-10		BET
Has got better and better over fences, ending last season with win in bet365 Gold Cup and adding Galway Plate in July. Landed another significant victory when taking Grand National Hurdle in America in October. Couldn't have found a much tougher task for first venture into Graded company, though.
8		8. MINELLA INDO (IRE) J: Nico de Boinville T: Henry de Bromhead, Ireland	10 11-10		BET
Won this in 2021 and chased home stablemate A Plus Tard 12 months ago. Only scrambled home in receipt of 8 lb from Stattler in Tramore Grade 3 on his reappearance on New Year's Day but his very good Festival record (2 wins and 2 seconds from 4 runs) means it would no shock if he goes well.
9		9. NOBLE YEATS (IRE) J: Sean Bowen T: Emmet Mullins, Ireland	8 11-10		BET
Last season's Grand National winner and has progressed again over conventional fences this time round, winning Wexford listed and Aintree Grade 2 before third to Ahoy Senor (Sounds Russian second) in Cotswold here. Cheekpieces back on for the first time since Aintree. Each-way claims.
10		10. PROTEKTORAT (FR) J: Harry Skelton T: Dan Skelton	8 11-10		BET
Expertly trained to gain a second Grade 1 success of his career in Betfair Chase on return at Haydock in November. Not at best when fourth of 6 to Ahoy Senor in Cotswold here in January but no surprise were he to bounce back and record another good run in this (third last year).
11		11. ROYALE PAGAILLE (FR) J: Charlie Deutsch T: Venetia Williams	9 11-10		BET
High-class chaser who was a creditable 14 lengths second to Bravemansgame in King George on his reappearance but he's finished sixth and fifth in the last 2 runnings of this race and it's likely he'll find at least a few too strong again.
12		12. SOUNDS RUSSIAN (IRE) J: Sean Quinlan T: Ruth Jefferson	8 11-10		BET
Hasn't looked back since sent over fences, gaining a fourth success in Kelso handicap on reappearance. Better form in defeat since, notably 1½ lengths second to Ahoy Senor (Noble Yeats third, Protektorat fourth) in Cotswold Chase at this course (25f, good to soft) last time. Vulnerable here, though.
13		13. STATTLER (IRE) J: Mr P. W. Mullins T: W. P. Mullins, Ireland	8 11-10		BET
National Hunt Chase winner at this meeting last year and has improved again in defeat this time round, only narrowly failing to concede 8 lb to Minella Indo on his reappearance before chasing home stablemate Galopin Des Champs in Irish Gold Cup. Slightly longer trip now will play to his strengths.
Betting Forecast : 6/4 1.5 GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, 13/2 6.5 BRAVEMANSGAME, 9/1 9 A PLUS TARD, 11/1 11 STATTLER, 11/1 11 NOBLE YEATS, 18/1 18 PROTEKTORAT, 20/1 20 CONFLATED, 22/1 22 AHOY SENOR, 25/1 25 MINELLA INDO, 33/1 33 SOUNDS RUSSIAN, 40/1 40 HEWICK, 66/1 66 ROYALE PAGAILLE, 150/1 150 ELDORADO ALLEN

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse, over a distances of three miles and two and a half furlongs. There are a total of 22 fences to be jumped.

The first race known as the Cheltenham Gold Cup was run in July 1819, but it was a flat race contested over three miles.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup ran as a jumps race for the first time in March 1924 but did not start with the prestige it now has, overshadowed by the National Hunt Chase.

However, now is very different, and the legend of the Cheltenham Gold Cup has grown over the decades thanks to a raft of top-class winners that have written themselves into Cheltenham Gold Cup history.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup Trophy is awarded to the winning connections of the horse that wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The original Cheltenham Gold Cup will be presented to the winners of the festival highlight after the racecourse was reunited with the prize in 2018.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy, first awarded 94 years ago, was offered to the course by a private owner who had kept it in a bank vault since the 1970s. It will replace the current Cheltenham Gold Cup, which has been in use since 1972.

The all-time most successful horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Golden Miller, who won it a total of five times across five consecutive years – 1932 to 1936.

Past greats such as Golden Miller, Arkle and Desert Orchid, and modern heroes like Best Mate and Kauto Star, have all tasted victory in this race.

Since the turn of the century, Best Mate (2002-04) and Kauto Star (2007 and 2009) are the only ones to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup more than once.

There have been several notable Cheltenham Gold Cup Results this century, including a hat-trick of wins in the race for the Henrietta Knight -trained Best Mate between 2002 and 2004.

Kauto Star became the first horse to regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup when winning the 2009 renewal, two years after landing his first win in the race.

Synchronised received a never-say-die ride from AP McCoy when winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2012, while Native River’s superior stamina won the day in 2018 when he stayed on best of all to deny Might Bite a first ever Cheltenham Gold Cup success.

In terms of Timeform ratings, the best winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup this century was Kauto Star, who produced a performance rated 184 on the Timeform scale when regaining the Cheltenham Gold Cup crown in 2009.

As well as a class act, Kauto Star was a thoroughly game racehorse and he could never be written off as he showed when still managing to whittle down Denman's advantage in the closing stages of the Gold Cup in 2008, despite also being under pressure a long way out on that occasion.

Denman beat him by seven lengths that day but Kauto Star turned the tables to win the 2009 edition by thirteen from his stablemate, in the process becoming the first horse to regain the Gold Cup (he won from Exotic Dancer in 2007).

Kauto Star is clearly entitled to be regarded as the best steeplechaser for more than forty years.

His thirteen-length victory over Denman in the 2009 Gold Cup was, in Timeform's view, the best performance in the race in that very long period.

There could have been no other choice for the accolade of Timeform Horse of the Year in 2009.

The top all-time jockey is Pat Taaffe, who won a total of four times – three times on Arkle (1964-66) and one on Fort Leney (1968).

The all-time leading trainer is Tom Dreaper, who won it a total of five times, Prince Regent (1946), Arkle (1964-66) and Fort Leney (1968).

As for the leading owner, Dorothy Paget won it seven times – five times with Golden Miller (1932-36), Roman Hackle (1940) and Mont Tremblant (1952).

Jim Culloty , who is the top jockey in the Gold Cup this century, has also won it as the trainer of Lord Windermere in 2014.

Henrietta Knight and Paul Nicholls are the most successful trainers this century, with Jim Lewis (Best Mate) being the most successful owner.

The longest Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds of any winner was recorded by Norton’s Coin in 1990.

Trained by Sirrel Griffiths and ridden by Graham McCourt, Norton’s Coin surprised nearly everyone at the Cheltenham Festival when winning at Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds of 100/1.

The shortest priced winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Arkle, when he won the third and last of his Cheltenham Gold Cups in 1966.

Such was Arkle's perceived superiority before the last of these victories that he was given a starting price of 1/10 (a £10 bet would have won £1).

The Cheltenham Gold Cup Race Card shows form for all of the leading Cheltenham Gold Cup runners.

Entries for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are first made in early January, and there is a chance for owners to either keep their horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for another fee, or scratch them from the entries, in February.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup Race Card shows form for all the leading Cheltenham Gold Cup runners.

The runners for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup will go to post at 15:30 on the Friday of the Cheltenham Festival.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup field size varies greatly over time, with variants such as ground conditions and quality of opposition taken into consideration.

Arkle is one of the famous names associated with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but he only beat a total of 10 runners over the three years that he ran in the race.

In contrast, Silver Buck beat 21 other rivals when landing the 1982 renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the same number that War Of Attrition defeated in 2006.

Recent renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup have tended to feature between 13 and 16 runners.

The potential 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup runners include Presenting Percy , who has won races at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, including the 2018 RSA Chase.

He has been given a sparing campaign this season, but his trainer Pat Kelly is a master at getting his horses to peak at the Cheltenham Festival.

The 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River was second behind Bristol de Mai in the 2018 Betfair Chase at Haydock and then chased home Clan des Obeaux and Thistlecrack in the 2018 King George VI Chase at Kempton, two top-class races which often point towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner the following spring.

The 2017 King George winner Might Bite , who was second to Native River in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has disappointed so far this season and needs to be rejuvenated by a wind operation when heading to Cheltenham in March.

The 2019 renewal finally saw Willie Mullins record a win in the race, as Al Boum Photo – ridden by Paul Townend – got the better of the previous year’s third Anibale Fly, with Bristol de Mai back in third.

Cheltenham Gold Cup FAQs

What is the distance of the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

3 miles and 2 and a half furlongs.

How many obstacles are jumped in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

22

What day of the festival is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Day 4

What time is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

15:30

What weights are carried for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

11st 8lb (5yo). 11st 10lb (6yo+). 7lb allowance for mares.

What is the purse for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

£625,000 (2019)

Who is the leading jockey in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

In recent history, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and Richard Johnson have all won it twice.

Who is the leading trainer in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Paul Nicholls

Who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

You can check out our Cheltenham Gold Cup results page here to see a list of previous winners.

Where can I compare the odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Click the link to visit our Cheltenham Gold Cup Odds Comparison page.