Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Preview
It’s the standout race on Friday at the Cheltenham Festival… and perhaps of the whole meeting itself.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious races in the National Hunt calendar, with the finest jockeys, trainers and owners earmarking this three-mile renewal for their horse racing bucket list. The winner’s prize money – a cool £360,000 – only serves to add to the majesty.
You perhaps need no introduction to Galopin Des Champs, the odds-on favourite for this year’s rendition of the Gold Cup. Willie Mullins’ star is an awesome sight to behold at full flight, and while he’s not unbeatable – the nine-year-old has lost four times in recent seasons, albeit all at Punchestown – an official rating of 177 suggests he’s by far and away the best horse in this particular field.
Can he become the first to win three consecutive editions of the Gold Cup since Best Mate in the early noughties?
From a betting perspective, it’s hard to get excited about backing ‘bankers’ at odds of 4/7. And particularly so given that big favourites have not exactly fared well at the meeting… as supporters of Constitution Hill, Majborough and Jonbon, amongst others, can attest.
In theory, there’s nothing untoward in the atmospheric conditions or on the ground that should prevent the best from showing their class. But on days one and two of the meeting, most of the favoured fancies came a-cropper.
When you consider that most bookmakers paying three places at 1/5 odds for the Gold Cup, there’s surely plenty of scope for backing a couple of outsiders each way at much longer prices… should either place, profit will be made.
But who are these plucky underdogs? Let’s take a look in our Cheltenham Gold Cup betting tips.
Inothewayurthinkin (7/1)
If the form of the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February repeats itself here, Inothewayurthinkin will finish seven lengths behind Galopin Des Champs… a margin that could well be good enough to finish inside the three places paid.
The New Course will likely to be a touch softer on Friday, which certainly won’t inconvenience him, having twice won good races on soft ground. That includes the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree back in April, over a trip in excess of three miles, while another pair of victories as a fledgling hurdler came on heavy going.
There’s no doubt Inothewayurthinkin will stay the distance on any ground – that’s long been a feather in the cap of trainer Gavin Cromwell, so if things do take a turn for the boggy then he could become the main danger to Galopin Des Champs’ assumed dominance.
Corbett’s Cross (14/1)
Some of the recurring historical trends and patterns of the Cheltenham Gold Cup discount many in this field as a viable contender to be first past the post – unless, of course, they treat us to an underdog win for the ages.
Each of the last 12 Gold Cup winners had prevailed in a Grade 1 chase before, while eleven of those were rated 164 or higher by those in the know – only Galopin, 5/1 second favourite Banbridge and Ahoy Senor, pulled up in both of his last two starts, satisfy that criteria.
A healthy portion of the past dozen Gold Cup champions had also won over three miles or more, and so, at the very least, we should be looking for a dark horse – no pun intended – that has won a decent standard race over this trip before… and ideally at Cheltenham.
Which brings us nicely to Corbett’s Cross, who has one Cheltenham Festival victory to his name after landing last year’s National Hunt Novices’ Chase, and who might have had another but for spectacularly running off the course – and smashing through the railings – when travelling nicely in the 2023 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
Emmett Mullins’ eight-year-old hasn’t had the best of things in his most recent outings, but he was sent out on good ground – that doesn’t really seem to suit this J.P. McManus steed, and besides which he will likely get softer going come 4pm on Friday.
Corbett’s Cross has previously beaten the likes of former Aintree Bowl winner Shishkin, Grade 2 scorer Grey Dawning and Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame, so his elite chasing credentials cannot be called in question.
Whether he has enough in the tank to beat Galopin Des Champs is another matter entirely, but an each way bet on Corbett’s Cross at 14/1 pays more if he places than a same stakes, win-only single on the favourite.
All Prices quoted are with William Hill and correct at time of writing
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