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2026 Irish Gold Cup Preview
The highlight of the Dublin Racing Festival at the Leopardstown racecourse is the Irish Gold Cup, a Grade 1 featuring some of the best Irish chasers. The race is run over three miles, in which these powerhouses will have to contend with seventeen fences on their way to being crowned champion.
The race is usually a good trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Galopin Des Champs won this race and then went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in both 2023 & 2024, adding his name to the list of those who have won both, including Sizing John (2017), Jodami (1993) & Imperial Call (1996).
Irish Gold Cup Information:
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Leopardstown tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Irish Gold Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2007 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2016 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 123%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Irish Gold Cup, the over-round has been 115%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ115 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Irish 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 Irish Gold Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run Irish Gold Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Bellshill (6:06.70) in 2019
- Galopin Des Champs (6:14.10) in 2023
- Galopin Des Champs (6:20.30) in 2025
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 Irish Gold Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of -7.69. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Irish Gold Cup.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 6:06.70 was set by Bellshill in 2019, trained by W P Mullins and ridden by R Walsh, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2010 when Joncol won in a time of 6:41.50 for trainer Paul Nolan, who booked Alain Cawley in the saddle.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Irish Gold Cup Past Winners
Here are the Irish Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Irish Gold Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 6:20.30 | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 9yo 11-10 1/2F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2024 6:28.10 | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 8yo 11-10 1/3F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2023 6:14.10 | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 7yo 11-10 30/100F | Paul Townend W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2022 6:20.40 | Conflated (IRE) 8yo 11-10 18/1 | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2021 6:34.90 | Kemboy (FR) 9yo 11-12 11/4 | Danny Mullins W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 6:26.60 | Delta Work (FR) 7yo 11-10 5/2 | Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2019 6:06.70 | Bellshill (IRE) 9yo 11-10 2/1 | R Walsh W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2018 6:24.90 | Edwulf (GB) 9yo 11-10 33/1 | Mr Derek O'Connor Joseph Patrick O'Brien (IRE) |
| 2017 6:23.30 | Sizing John (GB) 7yo 11-10 100/30 | Robbie Power Mrs John Harrington (IRE) |
| 2016 6:38.00 | Carlingford Lough (IRE) 10yo 11-10 20/1 | Mark Walsh John E Kiely (IRE) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Irish Gold Cup have been based:
- IRE: 18 winners with an additional 22 placings from 127 runners
- GB: 2 winners with an additional 3 placings from 14 runners
2025 Irish Gold Cup Replay
Irish Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Irish Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is W P Mullins, who has won the race eight times, with those eight winners coming from Kempes (2011), Quel Esprit (2012), Sir Des Champs (2013), Bellshill (2019), Kemboy (2021) and Galopin Des Champs (2023, 2024 & 2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Irish Gold Cup are Gordon Elliott (2 wins), Michael Hourigan (2 wins) and John E Kiely (2 wins).
Here are some of the top Irish 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 | 38-8-17 | -16.49 | -7.42 |
| Gordon Elliott | 15-2-5 | +7.50 | +7.46 |
| Michael Hourigan | 4-2-2 | +1.15 | -0.03 |
| John E Kiely | 3-2-2 | +23.00 | +13.40 |
| Mrs John Harrington | 4-1-1 | +0.33 | -0.92 |
| Paul Nicholls | 4-1-3 | -2.38 | -0.65 |
| Paul Nolan | 3-1-2 | +0.25 | +1.07 |
| Joseph Patrick O'Brien | 1-1-1 | +33.00 | +19.80 |
| Philip Fenton | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| Noel Meade | 7-0-1 | -7.00 | -5.38 |
Irish Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the Irish Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Paul Townend, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Galopin Des Champs (2023, 2024 & 2025).
Here are some of the top Irish 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 | 12-3-4 | -7.87 | -6.89 |
| Mark Walsh | 7-1-3 | +14.00 | +8.03 |
| Jack Kennedy | 7-1-3 | -3.50 | -0.34 |
| Danny Mullins | 4-1-1 | -0.25 | -1.28 |
| Alain Cawley | 2-1-2 | +1.25 | +1.07 |
| Mr Derek O'Connor | 1-1-1 | +33.00 | +19.80 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 4-0-2 | -4.00 | -1.66 |
| Sean Flanagan | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| Keith Donoghue | 3-0-1 | -3.00 | +0.00 |
2026 Irish Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 3, 6, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 1, 1
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number 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 (81%) - Ran in Ireland (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (81%) - In a field of 4 - 12 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Ran in 1 - 17 races (Jockey)
- 20 / 20 (83%) - Off a break of 24 - 63 days
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Not in a LST/Cl2-4 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Ran over 2m2f - 3m1f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - No bigger than 9/1 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Furthest Won 2m4f - 3m2½f
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Held an OR of 145+ (Class)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - In a field of 5 - 14 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - No bigger than 86/5 (Career Win)
- 19 / 20 (60%) - No bigger than 9/1 (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (79%) - Placed within last 3 starts
- 19 / 20 (87%) - No older than a 10yo
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Leopardstown racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Irish 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 Irish Gold Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Irish Gold Cup Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +44.63, is when runners carried 164lbs when last winning.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners ran in England when last winning, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-24.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Irish Gold Cup is Leopardstown; there have been a total of 15 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Thurles; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Thurles last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 140 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 Irish Gold Cup:
- Kings Theatre (3 Wins)
- Timos (3 Wins)
- Cajetano (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Irish Gold Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Presenting (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Flemensfirth (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Old Vic (0 Wins from 5 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Edwulf in 2018, winning for Joseph Patrick O'Brien at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Mr Derek O'Connor. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 8 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Irish Gold Cup, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Route to the Irish Gold Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Irish Gold Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Galopin Des Champs Leopardstown - 1st of 9 (5/6) | Savills Chase |
| 2024 - Galopin Des Champs Leopardstown - 1st of 8 (6/4) | Savills Chase |
| 2023 - Galopin Des Champs Punchestown - 1st of 6 (2/9) | John Durkan Memorial Chase |
| 2022 - Conflated Navan - 1st of 10 (9/4) | Foxrock Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Kemboy Leopardstown - 2nd of 14 (9/1) | Savills Chase |
| 2020 - Delta Work Leopardstown - 1st of 8 (11/2) | Savills Chase |
| 2019 - Bellshill Leopardstown - 4th of 11 (8/1) | Savills Chase |
| 2018 - Edwulf Leopardstown - PU of 12 (66/1) | Savills Chase |
| 2017 - Sizing John Thurles - 1st of 6 (3/1) | Horse and Jockey Hotel Chase |
| 2016 - Carlingford Lough Leopardstown - 6th of 6 (9/1) | Savills Chase |
Races Covered during the Dublin Racing Festival
Remember to head over to the Leopardstown predictions page to see which runner the racing tipsters are supporting in the Irish Gold Cup, and don't forget we also cover the following races at the Dublin Racing Festival.
| Races - Day 1 (Saturday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle | Final Demand (IRE) 6yo - 11/8 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Irish Arkle Novice Chase | Majborough (FR) 5yo - 8/11 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| Irish Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 9yo - 1/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Spring Juvenile Hurdle | Hello Neighbour (IRE) 4yo - 85/40 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| Races - Day 2 (Sunday) | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin Chase | Solness (FR) 7yo - 6/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Danny Mullins |
| Dublin Racing Festival Handicap Chase | Backtonormal (IRE) 7yo - 11/4 | Gavin Cromwell Conor Stone-Walsh |
| Dublin Racing Festival Handicap Hurdle | McLaurey (IRE) 6yo - 3/1 | Emmet Mullins Mark Walsh |
| Irish Champion Hurdle | State Man (FR) 8yo - 5/4 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Ladbrokes Novice Chase | Ballyburn (IRE) 7yo - 8/13 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
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 Irish 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 Leopardstown Racecourse
Here are some other notable races at the Leopardstown racecourse throughout the racing season that you may be interested in.
Races in September (Irish Champions Festival)
- Champions Juvenile Stakes
- Irish Champion Stakes
- Matron Stakes
- Petingo Handicap
- Solonaway Stakes
- Sovereign Path Handicap
