The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race that defines the entire National Hunt season.
Everyone wants to win it and every staying chaser is ultimately judged on whether they can conquer the famous three miles and two and a half furlongs around Prestbury Park.
From legends like Arkle and Best Mate to more recent stars such as Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs, the roll of honour is stacks with champions.
The 2026 renewal looks another fascinating contest, with several high-class staying chasers lining up in what promises to be a searching test of stamina, jumping and class.
I think the reason it looks so good this year as there are any of 5 or 6 who could win it and it is hard to rule anything out with confidence.
Quick picks for the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham 4.00 Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase – Key stats and trends
⌛ Age
- 12 of the last 12 winners were aged between 7 and 9
- 4 of the last 6 winners were aged 8
- 1 of the last 12 winners were aged 9
💰 Price
- 5 of the last 12 winners were favourites or joint favourites
- 8 of the last 12 winners were top 3 in the betting
- 3 of the last 4 winners were favourites
🏆 Form
- 8 of the last 12 winners won on their previous run before the Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 8 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous win at Cheltenham
- 10 of the last 12 winners had at least 7 previous chase runs
📊 Rating
- 10 of the last 12 winners were rated 164 or higher
- 5 of the last 12 winners were rated 170 or higher
- 3 of the last 4 winners were rated 172 or higher
⭐ Other pointers
- 14 of the last 18 winners had run at least three times that season before Cheltenham
- 8 of the last 10 winners had already won a Grade 1 chase over fences
- The last four Gold Cup winners had all won a novice chase at the Festival earlier in their careers
Cheltenham Gold Cup preview & tips
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race every owner, trainer and jockey dreams of winning. It’s the ultimate staying chase and the blue riband of the National Hunt season. It is where stamina, jumping and class are pushed to their absolute limits.
This year’s renewal looks another fascinating contest with several high-quality contenders lining up. With Fact To File heading to the Ryanair GAELIC WARRIOR could head the charge for Willie Mullins.
This horse went down just a short head in the King George before bumping into stablemate Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup. He goes particularly well at this track and there is a sense that there is still more improvement to come over this sort of trip.
The Gold Cup often rewards horses who are still progressing rather than those who have already shown their hand and his upward trajectory suggests he could produce a career-best performance on the biggest stage of all.
Each way angle?
For those looking beyond the obvious INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN makes plenty of sense as an each way alternative.
He obviously won the race 12 months ago and while he clearly hasn’t been at his best this season the drying ground could be a positive and the yard seem to be in a better place now than they have been at any other point in the season.
His form wasn’t the best heading into last year but he still produced a huge performance to stop Galopin Des Champs landing the hat-trick. The latter should never be discounted around here and it would be great to see him run well but age is against him.
My picks:
- GAELIC WARRIOR
- Trainer: Willie Mullins
- Form: 2-11121-11U12-2311-132
- Age: 8
- Weight: 11-10
🏇 Bet on GAELIC WARRIOR to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 59/20 with SBK 🏇
- INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN
- Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
- Form: 11434-223911-7541-59F
- Age: 8
- Weight: 11-10
🏇 Bet on INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 17/2 with talkSPORT BET 🏇
Last 12 winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Lord Windermere | Jim Culoty | Davy Russell |
| 2015 | Coneygree | Mark Bradstock | Nice De Boinville |
| 2016 | Don Cossack | Gordon Elliott | Bryan Cooper |
| 2017 | Sizing John | Jessica Harrington | Robbie Power |
| 2018 | Native River | Colin Tizzard | Richard Johnson |
| 2019 | Al Boum Photo | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2020 | Al Boum Photo | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2021 | Minella Indo | Henry De Bromhead | Jack Kennedy |
| 2022 | A Plus Tard | Henry De Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore |
| 2023 | Galopin Des Champs | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2024 | Galopin Des Champs | Willie Mullins | Paul Townend |
| 2025 | Inothewayurthinkin | Gavin Cromwell | Mark Walsh |
Cheltenham Festival 2026 news, tips and free bets:
About the author
Joe Norris
I’m Joe Norris, co-founder and Director of GetYourTipsOut (GYTO), which I launched in 2009 to provide daily sports betting tips, with the main focus on horse racing. Over the years, I’ve earned a reputation for offering reliable and profitable tips, which led to being named “Best Sports Betting Tipster” in 2023. Alongside my work at GYTO, I also contribute predictions to platforms like Oddschecker, allowing me to share my insights with a wide community of sports enthusiasts and bettors.
Find Joe on X: @JoeNorrisGYTO
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