Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview
A Grade One chase run over three miles two and a half furlongs, the Cheltenham Gold Cup features the best UK and Irish-trained chasers, the race has also been won by French raiders in the past.
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 capitalize 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 2025
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 2006 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, 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 £100 for every £118 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 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 over the last 20 renewals:
- Long Run (6:29.70) in 2011
- War Of Attrition (6:31.70) in 2006
- Don Cossack (6:35.00) in 2016
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup next time out then you would have backed a total of 5 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -10.16. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Galopin Des Champs from W P Mullins under the guidance of Paul Townend, won in a time of 7:05.14, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Long Run, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Mr Sam Waley-Cohen set the quickest time of 6:29.70 in the 2011 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
| Selection | Probability | Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inothewayurthinkin | 20% | 5.00 |
| 2 | Fact To File | 14.3% | 7.00 |
| 3 | Galopin Des Champs | 11.1% | 9.00 |
| 4 | Gaelic Warrior | 4.8% | 21.00 |
| 5 | Fastorslow | 4.8% | 21.00 |
| 6 | Nick Rockett | 3.8% | 26.00 |
| 7 | Grey Dawning | 3.8% | 26.00 |
| 8 | Montys Star | 2.9% | 34.00 |
| 9 | Caldwell Potter | 2.9% | 34.00 |
| 10 | Gerri Colombe | 2.9% | 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 which won along with the age & weight of the horse. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 2016 6:35.00 | Don Cossack (GER) 9yo 11-10 9/4F | B J Cooper Gordon Elliott (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 17 placings from 89 runners
- GB: 9 winners with an additional 23 placings from 170 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 6 runners
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 four times with those four winners coming from Al Boum Photo (2019 & 2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 & 2024). 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). There is one trainer who 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 any wins.
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 | 34-4-12 | -12.36 | -13.43 |
| Paul Nicholls | 34-3-10 | -25.75 | -19.75 |
| Nicky Henderson | 15-2-6 | -6.75 | -5.83 |
| Henry De Bromhead | 12-2-4 | +2.00 | -0.77 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 9-1-4 | +0.00 | +0.10 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 8-1-2 | +0.00 | -2.30 |
| Gordon Elliott | 8-1-3 | -4.75 | -1.80 |
| M F Morris | 5-1-2 | +3.50 | +4.25 |
| Mark Bradstock | 4-1-1 | +4.00 | +0.50 |
| 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 four times with those four winners coming from Al Boum Photo (2019 & 2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 & 2024).
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 | 13-4-6 | +8.64 | +1.67 |
| Nico de Boinville | 7-1-3 | +1.00 | -0.60 |
| Rachael Blackmore | 6-1-2 | -2.00 | -2.37 |
| Jack Kennedy | 5-1-2 | +5.00 | +2.55 |
| Mark Walsh | 2-1-1 | +6.50 | +3.50 |
| Mr P W Mullins | 7-0-0 | -7.00 | -7.00 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 6-0-0 | -6.00 | -6.00 |
| 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 |
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 Dawn’s 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 strong 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:
- 89 have competed
- 0 have won
- 9 have been placed
- 30 failed to complete
- 47 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
2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 11, 1, 2, 1, F, 1, 3, 1, 5, 7, 1, 4, 2, 8, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2
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 (54%) - Within the first 7 of the market
- 20 / 20 (57%) - Had 1 - 10 wins (Class)
- 20 / 20 (58%) - Highest Won is G1
- 20 / 20 (61%) - No bigger than 20/1
- 20 / 20 (69%) - Break of 33 - 372 days (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Achieved an RPR of 157+ (Class)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Off a break of 33 - 104 days
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Won within last 4 starts
- 20 / 20 (75%) - No more than +2yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Had 1 - 11 placings (Class)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - Carried 159 - 166lbs (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (78%) - No older than a 9yo
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Held an OR of 153+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (80%) - Highest Placed is G1
- 20 / 20 (80%) - 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 £6,000 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
✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +6.89 is when runners ran in Ireland last time out.
❌ 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 0-110.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is Leopardstown, there has been a total number 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 has been a total number of 5 winners of this race who ran at Newbury last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 264 runners whilst the 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)
- Presenting (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 9 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find you a bet on the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Route to the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Many trainers will target races to use as prep races before coming to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, these are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 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) | Savills New Years Day Chase |
| 2019 - Al Boum Photo Tramore - 1st of 7 (2/1) | Savills New Years 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 |
| 2016 - Don Cossack Thurles - 1st of 4 (1/7) | Horse and Jockey Hotel Chase |
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 | Kopek Des Bordes (FR) 5yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Jango Baie (FR) 6yo - 5/1 | Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Myretown (IRE) 8yo - 13/2 | Lucinda Russell Patrick Wadge |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 6yo - 4/6 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | Golden Ace (GB) 7yo - 25/1 | Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Puturhandstogether (IRE) 4yo - 17/2 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien Mark Walsh |
| 17:20 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8yo - 7/2 | Rebecca Curtis Ben Jones |
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 | The New Lion (GB) 6yo - 3/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Lecky Watson (IRE) 7yo - 20/1 | W P Mullins Sean O'Keeffe |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Coral Cup | Jimmy Du Seuil (FR) 6yo - 16/1 | W P Mullins Danny Mullins |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Stumptown (IRE) 8yo - 5/2 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Marine Nationale (IRE) 8yo - 5/1 | Barry Connell Sean Flanagan |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Jazzy Matty (FR) 6yo - 15/2 | Cian Collins Danny Gilligan |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | Bambino Fever (IRE) 5yo - 4/1 | W P Mullins Miss J Townend |
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 best up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:20 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | Air Of Entitlement (IRE) 6yo - 16/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 14:00 Cheltenham Novices Limited Handicap Chase | Caldwell Potter (FR) 7yo - 7/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Doddiethegreat (IRE) 9yo - 25/1 | Nicky Henderson Brian Hughes |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Fact To File (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Bob Olinger (IRE) 10yo - 8/1 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Jagwar (FR) 6yo - 3/1 | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Daily Present (IRE) 8yo - 12/1 | Paul Nolan Mr B T Stone |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and 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 | Poniros (GB) 4yo - 100/1 | W P Mullins Jonjo O'Neill Jr |
| 14:00 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Kargese (FR) 5yo - 3/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:40 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Dinoblue (FR) 8yo - 6/4 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 15:20 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 6yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:00 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 7yo - 15/2 | Gavin Cromwell Mark Walsh |
| 16:40 Cheltenham Festival Hunters Chase | Wonderwall (IRE) 9yo - 28/1 | S Curling Mr R James |
| 17:20 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Wodhooh (FR) 5yo - 9/2 | Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
James Banting
Tipster Competition Assistant
Andy Powell
Content Editor
