You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident youâre betting with more than just gut instinct.
2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview
First run as a jump race in 1924, the Gold Cup is the race every owner, trainer, and jockey dreams of winning. It features a brutal uphill finish (the "Cheltenham Hill") that has broken the hearts of many front-runners just yards from the line. The roll of honour includes legends like Arkle, Best Mate (three-time winner), and Kauto Star, who famously became the first horse to regain the title after losing it. Golden Miller is the most successful horse, having won five consecutive renewals between 1932 & 1936.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a true test of a chaser, key attributes required are the ability to jump fluently (those that are prone to fencing errors tend to get found out), tactical race speed as the Gold Cup is usually run at a quicker pace than most chases run over a similar distance, stamina to see out the race distance and uphill finish and the ability to act on the undulating track that Cheltenham offers.
Elevate your Cheltenham Gold Cup betting game using our thorough examination of historical race trends and trainer stats, then capitalise on the Cheltenham betting offers.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Information:
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Past Winners
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
Why not use the trends shortlist below to help you narrow down the field and then head over to the dedicated Cheltenham tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG expert racing tipsters to find yourself a bet? We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival, and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Cheltenham Gold Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2022, when the race had an over-round of 112%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 125%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the over-round has been 118%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Cheltenham Gold Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Cheltenham Gold Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Long Run (6:29.70) in 2011
- Don Cossack (6:35.00) in 2016
- Sizing John (6:36.10) in 2017
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -11.96. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Over the last 20 renewals, it was Long Run, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Mr Sam Waley-Cohen, who set the fastest winning time in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. That runner won the race in a time of 6:29.70 in 2011. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer W P Mullins and jockey Paul Townend with Galopin Des Champs who set the slowest winning time; the race-winning time was 7:05.14 in the 2024 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
| Cheltenham Gold Cup 19 Mar @ 16:00 - AntePost | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gaelic Warrior | 4.00 | |
| Jango Baie | 8.00 | |
| Final Demand | 17.00 | |
| Fact To File | 17.00 | |
| Kitzbuhel | 17.00 | |
| Lulamba | 26.00 | |
| The Jukebox Man | 26.00 | |
| Inothewayurthinkin | 26.00 | |
| Soldier In Milan | 34.00 | |
| Kaid DAuthie | 34.00 | |
Cheltenham Gold Cup Past Winners
Here are the Cheltenham Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, and the horse's age & weight. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 6:39.02 | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 8yo 11-10 11/4F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2025 6:40.00 | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 7yo 11-10 15/2 | Mark Walsh Gavin Cromwell (IRE) |
| 2024 7:05.14 | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 8yo 11-10 10/11F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 6:45.46 | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 7yo 11-10 7/5F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 6:41.75 | A Plus Tard (FR) 8yo 11-10 3/1F | Rachael Blackmore Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2021 6:45.35 | Minella Indo (IRE) 8yo 11-10 9/1 | Jack Kennedy Henry De Bromhead (IRE) |
| 2020 6:50.38 | Al Boum Photo (FR) 8yo 11-10 100/30F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2019 6:39.06 | Al Boum Photo (FR) 7yo 11-10 12/1 | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2018 7:02.60 | Native River (IRE) 8yo 11-10 5/1 | Richard Johnson Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2017 6:36.10 | Sizing John (GB) 7yo 11-10 7/1 | Robbie Power Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Cheltenham Gold Cup have been based:
- IRE: 11 winners with an additional 16 placings from 89 runners
- GB: 9 winners with an additional 24 placings from 159 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners
2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup Replay
Cheltenham Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Cheltenham Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Al Boum Photo (2019 & 2020), Galopin Des Champs (2023 & 2024) and Gaelic Warrior (2026). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Cheltenham Gold Cup are Paul Nicholls (3 wins), Nicky Henderson (2 wins) and Henry De Bromhead (2 wins). One trainer has not had the best of times in the Cheltenham Gold Cup; Venetia Williams has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording a win.
Here are some of the top Cheltenham Gold Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| W P Mullins | 34-5-12 | -8.61 | -11.28 |
| Paul Nicholls | 32-3-10 | -23.75 | -17.75 |
| Nicky Henderson | 16-2-7 | -7.75 | -6.06 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 13-2-4 | +1.00 | -1.77 |
| Gordon Elliott | 9-1-3 | -5.75 | -2.80 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 8-1-4 | +1.00 | +1.10 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 7-1-2 | +1.00 | -1.30 |
| Mark Bradstock | 4-1-1 | +4.00 | +0.50 |
| Gavin Cromwell | 2-1-2 | +6.50 | +5.10 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 2-1-1 | +6.00 | +3.20 |
Cheltenham Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Cheltenham Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Al Boum Photo (2019 & 2020), Galopin Des Champs (2023 & 2024) and Gaelic Warrior (2026).
Here are some of the top Cheltenham Gold Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Townend | 14-5-7 | +11.39 | +3.32 |
| Nico de Boinville | 8-1-4 | +0.00 | -0.83 |
| Jack Kennedy | 6-1-2 | +4.00 | +1.55 |
| Mark Walsh | 3-1-2 | +5.50 | +4.10 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 5-0-0 | -5.00 | -5.00 |
| Harry Cobden | 4-0-1 | -4.00 | -2.90 |
| Nick Scholfield | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Darragh O'Keeffe | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | +1.50 |
Should We Avoid The Veterans in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
One of the regular trends for the Gold Cup each year is the seemingly poor recent record of horses aged ten and above. Cool Dawnâs 25/1 victory in 1998 was the last time a horse in that age group recorded a win.
These statistics seem to suggest that older horses are unlikely to be winning in 2026, but is that the case?
Ten-year-old On His Own was beaten just a short-head by Lord Windermere in 2010, and Denman (twice), Kauto Star and Mon Mome were all placed in the Gold Cup when ten or older.
Cue Card was ten years old when contesting the 2016 renewal and looked all set to be involved in the finish before taking a bad fall at the third last fence.
The latest to pick up a place was Corach Rambler, who was finishing strongly to finish third in the 2024 renewal of the Gold Cup.
The reality of the actual numbers for horses aged ten or over since 1999 is as follows:
- 91 have competed
- 0 have won
- 9 have been placed
- 30 failed to complete
- 49 completed but outside places
- 32 were priced at 50/1 or above
- 11 at 5/1 or shorter: PU, 4, 13, 11, F, 2, PU, 3, PU, F, F
2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 2, 1, F, 1, 3, 1, 5, 7, 1, 4, 2, 8, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, (1, 2)
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (56%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (59%) - Had 1 - 10 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (60%) - Highest Won is G1
- 20 / 20 (61%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Break of 33 - 372 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Won within last 4 starts
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Achieved an RPR of 157+ (Class)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Off a break of 33 - 104 days
- 20 / 20 (76%) - No more than +2yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Had 1 - 11 placings (Class)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Carried 159 - 166lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (79%) - No older than a 9yo
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Carried 158 - 166lbs (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Fewer than 1 race (30 Days)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - Achieved an RPR of 143+ (LTO)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over ÂŁ6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Cheltenham Gold Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Cheltenham Gold Cup Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +11.89, is when runners were 1st in the betting market.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 0 career wins in the class, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-100.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 9 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Newbury; there have been a total of 5 winners of this race who ran at Newbury last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 252 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 1 runner.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup:
- Bucks Boum (2 Wins)
- Timos (2 Wins)
- Village Star (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Saint Des Saints (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Dom Alco (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Milan (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Lord Windermere in 2014, winning for J H Culloty at odds of 20/1 under the guidance of Davy Russell. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 10 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2026 - Gaelic Warrior Leopardstown - 2nd of 12 (4/1) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2025 - Inothewayurthinkin Leopardstown - 4th of 10 (16/1) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2024 - Galopin Des Champs Leopardstown - 1st of 4 (1/3) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2023 - Galopin Des Champs Leopardstown - 1st of 7 (3/10) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2022 - A Plus Tard Leopardstown - 2nd of 8 (8/11) | Savills Chase |
| 2021 - Minella Indo Leopardstown - 4th of 5 (13/8) | Irish Gold Cup |
| 2020 - Al Boum Photo Tramore - 1st of 4 (4/7) | Tramore New Year's Day Chase |
| 2019 - Al Boum Photo Tramore - 1st of 7 (2/1) | Tramore New Year's Day Chase |
| 2018 - Native River Newbury - 1st of 3 (8/11) | Denman Chase |
| 2017 - Sizing John Leopardstown - 1st of 7 (10/3) | Irish Gold Cup |
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day, when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. The feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Old Park Star (IRE) 6yo - 15/8 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Kargese (FR) 6yo - 7/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Saratoga (IRE) 4yo - 10/1 | Padraig Roche Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Johnnywho (IRE) 9yo - 18/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Richie McLernon |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 7yo - 7/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Madara (FR) 7yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Holloway Queen (IRE) 6yo - 12/1 | Nicky Henderson James Bowen |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it, and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Turners Novices Hurdle | King Rasko Grey (FR) 6yo - 11/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Kitzbuhel (FR) 6yo - 11/1 | W P Mullins Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham BetMGM Cup | Jingko Blue (FR) 7yo - 9/2 | Nicky Henderson James Bowen |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Final Orders (GB) 10yo - 7/1 | Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Il Etait Temps (FR) 8yo - 5/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Martator (FR) 9yo - 66/1 | Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | The Mourne Rambler (IRE) 5yo - 15/2 | Noel Meade Colin Keane |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three, where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | White Noise (IRE) 6yo - 40/1 | Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls Tom Bellamy |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Meetmebythesea (IRE) 6yo - 9/1 | Ben Pauling Ben Jones |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 6yo - 5/6 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Home By The Lee (IRE) 11yo - 33/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J J Slevin |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Heart Wood (FR) 8yo - 9/2 | Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Supremely West (IRE) 8yo - 100/30 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Ask Brewster (IRE) 7yo - 22/1 | Mrs C Williams Mr S Cotter |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and the feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Apolon De Charnie (FR) 4yo - 50/1 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Wilful (IRE) 7yo - 14/1 | Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 9yo - 11/8 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Johnnys Jury (IRE) 6yo - 20/1 | Jamie Snowden Gavin Sheehan |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 8yo - 11/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Barton Snow (IRE) 9yo - 9/2 | J J O'Shea Mr Henry Crow |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 7yo - 10/1 | Henry De Bromhead Patrick M O'Brien |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
Other Principal Races at the Cheltenham Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Cheltenham racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in January
Races in January (Festival Trials Day)
- Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase
- Classic Novices' Hurdle
- Cleeve Hurdle
- Cotswold Chase
- International Hurdle
- JCB Triumph Juvenile Hurdle Trial
- Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase
Races in April
Races in October (Showcase Meeting)
Races in November (November Meeting)
- Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase
- Hyde Novices' Hurdle
- Shloer Chase
- Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices' Chase
- JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle
- Paddy Power Gold Cup
- Greatwood Hurdle
- November Meeting Handicap Chase
