Ultimate Guide to the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024: Runners, tips and betting strategies

Welcome to our ultimate guide to the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2024, which takes place on Friday 15 March. We have everything that you need to know about this popular sporting event, starting with its origins, to insight about this year's race and even some betting tips. Let's start off with a little history lesson on the Gold Cup.

---

Paul Nicholls Superboost

Bravemansgame finished runner-up in last year's Cheltenham Gold Cup and he's never failed to finish in the top five over fences. You can back him now to finish in the top five in today's Gold Cup at 15:30 at the super-boosted price of 1/12.00.

---

History of the Cheltenham Gold Cup race

The first race that was known as the Cheltenham Gold Cup took place on Cleave Hill in 1819. A crucial difference to the event that we know and love today, was that back in those days it was a flat race.

It was in 1924 when the Cheltenham Gold Cup was first staged as a steeplechase event. Ran over three miles and three furlongs for five year olds and upwards, the first Gold Cup was won by Red Splash and ridden by Dick Rees.

Originally overshadowed by the National Hunt Chase, the Gold Cup's profile was boosted by the exploits of Golden Miller, who won the race in five consecutive years from 1932 through to 1936, along with the Grand National in 1934. Cottage Rake was another success story at the Gold Cup, winning the race in three straight years between 1948 and 1950.

The Gold Cup moved to the 'New Course' in 1959, where it is still run today. In the mid-sixties it was dominated by Arkle, who won three Gold Cups in a row between 1964 and 1966. In the latter of those three triumphs, Arkle was the 1/101.10 favourite, which remains the shortest priced winner in Cheltenham Gold Cup betting history.

Desert Orchid was a famous winner in 1989. The following year, in 1990. the Gold Cup was won by Norton's Coin, at a starting price of 100/1101.00, which is the biggest price winner in the history of the race.

Best Mate became the fourth horse to have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times or more, with a trio of victories in the race between 2002 and 2004. Then there were the famous battles between the 2007 winner Kauto Star and his 2008 conquerer Denman, which caught the nation's sporting attention for several years.

In 2018, the original Gold Cup trophy was discovered and has been awarded to the winner, every year from 2019 onwards. In 2022, the winning rider was Rachael Blackmore on A Plus Tard, who became the first female jockey to ever win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Here are some Cheltenham Gold Cup records, created over the course of the event's 100 year history.

• Most Successful Horse - Golden Miller (five wins in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1936)
• Most Successful Jockey - Pat Taafe (four wins in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968)
• Most Successful Trainer - Tom Dreaper (five wins in 1946, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968)
• Most Successful Owner - Dorothy Paget (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940 and 1952)
• Shortest Priced Winner - Arkle at 1/101.10 in 1966
• Biggest Priced Winner - Norton's Coin at 100/1101.00 in 1990

Finally, here are the winners of the Gold Cup from the past 20 years.

Year	Winner	Odds	Jockey	Trainer
2004	Best Mate	8/111.73	Jim Culloty	Henrietta Knight
2005	Kicking King	4/15.00	Barry Geraghty	Tom Taaffee
2006	War of Attrition	15/28.50	Conor O'Dwyer	Mouse Morris
2007	Kauto Star	5/42.25	Ruby Walsh	Paul Nicholls
2008	Denman	9/43.25	Sam Thomas	Paul Nicholls
2009	Kauto Star	7/42.75	Ruby Walsh	Paul Nicholls
2010	Imperial Commander	7/18.00	Paddy Brennan	Nigel Twiston-Davies
2011	Long Run	7/24.50	Sam Waley-Cohen	Nicky Henderson
2012	Synchronised	8/19.00	Tony McCoy	Jonjo O'Neill
2013	Bobs Worth	11/43.75	Barry Geraghty	Nicky Henderson
2014	Lord Windermere	20/121.00	Davy Russell	Jim Culloty
2015	Coneygree	7/18.00	Nico de Boinville	Mark Bradstock
2016	Don Cossack	9/43.25	Bryan Cooper	Gordon Elliott
2017	Sizing John	7/18.00	Robbie Power	Jessica Harrington
2018	Native River	5/16.00	Richard Johnson	Colin Tizzard
2019	Al Boum Photo	12/113.00	Paul Townend	Willie Mullins
2020	Al Boum Photo	100/304.30	Paul Townend	Willie Mullins
2021	Minella Indo	9/110.00	Jack Kennedy	Henry De Bromhead
2022	A Plus Tard	3/14.00	Rachael Blackmore	Henry De Bromhead
2023	Galopin Des Champs	7/52.40	Paul Townend	Willie Mullins

---

Watch Icons Of The Gold Cup...

---

Everything You Need to Know About the Gold Cup 2024

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival will take place between Tuesday 12 March and Friday 15 March.

As is the tradition, the showpiece event of the Gold Cup is scheduled for the final day of the Festival, on the Friday. It is known as 'Gold Cup Day', with the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup race starting at 15:30 on Friday 15 March. It will be the fourth of seven races on the day, with the Friday schedule looking like this.

• 13:30 - Triumph Hurdle
• 14:10 - County Hurdle
• 14:50 - Novices' Chase
• 15:30 - Gold Cup
• 16:10 - Foxhunter Steeple Chase
• 16:50 - Mares' Chase
• 17:30 - Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

This particular Gold Cup promises to be a special one. It is the centenary of the event and the Gold Cup 100 celebrations will be in full swing, remembering the history of the grand event and raising money for charity.

There are 22 fences to be jumped during the 3 miles 2½ furlongs race. Open to horses five years and older, it is known as the Blue Riband of jump-racing. In 2023 the prize fund was £625,000, with some £351,688 going to the winner Galopin Des Champs.

Cheltenham Gold Cup tickets are still available from The Jockey Club. Around 72,000 people are expecting to attend on Gold Cup Day.

---

What is the Cheltenham Festival?

The Gold Cup is the highlight of the Cheltenham Festival, which has grown to become one of the biggest events on the British sporting calendar.

Starting as a two-day event, it operated over three days for many years until 2005, when the Cheltenham Festival expanded to be staged over four days.

In total there are 28 races. This includes a number of Grade 1 races including the Champion Bumper, Triumph Hurdle, Ryanair Chase, Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, Arkle Challenge Trophy, Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, Champion Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and of course, the Gold Cup.

It is hugely popular with spectators, with 250,000 racing fans set to attend over the four day festival. Around 220,000 pints of Guinness will be drunk and it is estimated that over £1billion will be staked in bets on the event.

For the full lowdown on the 2024 Festival read Mike Norman's essential guide.

---

Cheltenham Gold Cup Runners and Riders Insight

Let's take a look at the confirmed runners and riders that are set to compete at the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Age	Betfair Gold Cup Odds
Galopin Des Champs	Willie Mullins	N/A	8	11/102.11
Fastorslow	Martin Brassil	N/A	8	9/25.50
Shishkin	Nicky Henderson	N/A	10	6/17.00
Gerri Colombe	Gordon Elliott	N/A	8	10/111.00
L'Homme Presse	Venetia Williams	N/A	9	14/115.00
Bravemansgame	Paul Nicholls	N/A	9	12/113.00
Hewick	John Joseph Hanolon	N/A	9	12/113.00
Genlemansgame	Mouse Morris	N/A	8	16/117.00
Corach Rambler	Lucinda Russell	N/A	10	20/121.00
Monkfish	Willie Mullins	N/A	10	20/121.00
The Real Whacker	Patrick Neville	N/A	8	25/126.00
Ahoy Senor	Lucinda Russell	N/A	9	33/134.00
Nassalam	Gary Moore	N/A	7	40/141.00
Jungle Boogie	Henry De Bromhead	N/A	10	50/151.00
Conflated	Gordon Elliott	N/A	10	66/167.00
Protektorat	Dan Skelton	N/A	9	80/181.00

---

Gold Cup Betting Guide and Tips

Here are some Cheltenham Gold Cup betting tips that can help you to profit from the Festival's big race.

Enjoy Some Acca Action

Galopin Des Champs is a big favourite to win the Gold Cup at 11/102.11. Having won the race last year by some distance. You may fancy him to win again, but you don't like the short price. The solution could be to add Galopin Des Champs into a Cheltenham Festival acca, along with some other hot favourites. State Man is just 1/31.33 in the Champion Hurdle, while Lossiemouth is also a short price on Tuesday at 1/21.50 in the Mares Hurdle. El Fabiolo is 4/91.44 in the Champion Chase, or 6/42.50 in the Ryanair Chase. Then on the Friday, Sir Gino is a hot favourite at 4/61.67 in the Triumph Hurdle.

An alternative strategy is to select Galopin Des Champs as a banker in a system bet, along with some bigger priced selections from Cheltenham.

Bet Without the Favourite

Those with memories of Galopin Des Champs winning by a large margin last year, may simply wish that he wasn't in this year's Gold Cup and that it could be more of an open race. That is a possibility with Betfair's Gold Cup without Galopin Des Champs market. The favourite has been taken out of the running and you are simply betting on the remaining horses in the race, with their odds adjusted accordingly. So the second favourite Fastorslow trades at 2/13.00 without Galopin Des Champs, with the third favourite Shishkin at 9/43.25 in this market. Effectively you are betting on a horse to either win the Gold Cup, or to finish second behind Galopin Des Champs. With such a strong favourite, it is certainly an option to consider.

Study the Trends

Many punters will be studying the form book to help them choose their Gold Cup bet, but it can also pay to study the trends of the race over recent years. No ten-year old has won it since 1998 and the last nine-year old Gold Cup winner came in 2016. Three of the last four winners have started as favourite. Over the last five years, the winner has been trained by Willie Mullins on three occasions and Henry De Bromhead twice. It is therefore been six years since a winner has emerged from a British trainer, with Colin Tizzard the last to do so in 2018 with Native River. Al Boum Photo was the last winner to defend their Gold Cup crown the following year, in 2020. Before that, you have to go back to Best Mate with his three wins between 2002 and 2004, for an example of a successive winner.

---

Cheltenham Gold Cup Favourites and Possible Dark Horses

Now let's take a look at the main contenders to win the 2024 Gold Cup in closer detail, along with the outsiders that may have some success.

Galopin Des Champs - 11/102.11

Galopin Des Champs won the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup at odds of 7/52.40, easily beating second-placed Bravemansgame by seven lengths. Defeats in the Punchestown Gold Cup in April and the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase in November, saw his price to win the 2024 Gold Cup increase, but it has dipped again after successes at the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup.

Fastorslow - 9/25.50

Won both the Punchestown Gold Cup and John Durkan Memorial Chase ahead of Galopin Des Champs in 2023. Eight-year-olds have won six of the last ten Gold Cups and though Fastorslow has yet to win at Cheltenham, he has been runner-up at the Coral Cup and Ultima Handicap Chase.

Shishkin - 6/17.00

Shishkin is looking to become the first ten-year-old to win the Gold Cup since Cool Dawn back in 1998, having been beaten at the last two Cheltenham Festivals. If that seems a poor omen, in his favour is his recent Grade 2 victory at the Denman Chase in February.

Gerri Colombe - 10/111.00

Gerri Colombe is a four-time Grade 1 winner, though never at Cheltenham. Two of those wins came over 3m 1f and 3m at the Mildmay Novices' Chase and the Champion Chase at Down Royal. The distance should therefore not be an issue, but was well-beaten by Galopin Des Champs at the Savills Chase.

L'Homme Presse - 14/115.00

The odds of L'Homme Presse to win the Gold Cup were cut when he won the Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield in January. It was his first race after a 391-day absence. He has twice won races at the Cheltenham track, including the Novices' Chase at the 2022 Festival.

The Dark Horse

Corach Rambler seems overpriced at 20/121.00. He has won all three of his races at the Cheltenham track, which includes a Festival victory against Fastorslow in the Ultima Handicap Chase last year. The aim may be to peak at Aintree, but Corach Rambler looks like the value contender and is one to consider for the Gold Cup.

---

Expert Opinions and Predictions For the Gold Cup

Who knows the Gold Cup contenders better than their trainers? Here's the trainers' verdict on the chances of their respective horses.

Galopin Des Champs - Willie Mullins

"He's come out of his race in Leopardstown very well and I'm very happy. It's going to be a tip-top Gold Cup I think. We're in great form. I'd wanted him ridden off the pace the two years before as I felt he was too keen and I didn't want him getting drawn into a battle, but this year I don't mind. He's bigger and stronger, well certainly stronger but he's more mature now and definitely up for it."

Fastorslow - Martin Brassil

"Galopin Des Champs is a top-class horse and a Gold Cup winner so he's always going to be a hard horse to crack. Going back over three miles on softer ground will be a plus for him and we haven't raced against him in those conditions so we'll find out. Our horse is after beating him twice so it looks like he's the main challenger. I'm not saying he'll beat him every time he meets him, but I'm sure they have plenty of respect for our horse anyway, as I have for theirs."

Shishkin - Nicky Henderson

"I don't think three and a quarter miles will frighten him and hopefully we've got the starting bug out of his head. We're in control of him now, which is the great thing and he's behaving our way, not his. We have to crack on and give the Gold Cup a go. He has a chance and I don't see any point in not running. I went to Ireland last weekend and I've been impressed with Galopin Des Champs, but after that I think there's an opening, and it's the Gold Cup. You've got to give it a go."

Gerri Colombe - Gordon Elliott

"He has seemed fine since the Savills, there's not a bother on him. The winner was brilliant and we'd never have beaten him in that sort of form, but I'm not entirely convinced we saw the real Gerri Colombe at Leopardstown. He didn't run badly, but in another few strides Capodanno would have caught him for second, and I think he's better than that."

L'Homme Presse - Venetia Williams

"My job is to look after him and get him there in the best shape. It's looking like a seriously competitive Gold Cup. Shishkin has a massive back record and current record as well, and of course Galopin Des Champs is a phenomenal horse. Plus, half of the rest of the field is Irish and it's a seriously competitive race, but it's what happens on the day."

Conclusion

We hope that you enjoyed our ultimate guide to the 2024 Gold Cup. Make sure that you also check out our ultimate guide to the Cheltenham Festival and that you get your bets placed before the big race, with Betfair's Gold Cup betting markets available here.

---

Now read Betfair trader says lay Galopin Des Champs

---