Cheltenham Festival: Gold Cup Betting Tips

The fourth and final day of the Cheltenham Festival is the stage for the best jumps race of them all as the Gold Cup is the feature.

Run over the stamina-sapping New course over three miles and two-and-a-half furlongs, it is the supreme test of a staying chaser.

The race has been dominated by Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead recently and hasn’t been won by a British trainer since Colin Tizzard landed it in 2018 with Native River.

A field of 12 have been declared for Friday’s big race and our expert has picked out a pair to follow.

Selection: Galopin Des Champs @ 11/10

Outsider to note: L’Homme Presse @ 21/1

Get with Galopin to make it back-to-back wins

There is no doubt about the outstanding performers this week so far. They have been Willie Mullins and Paul Townend and their best horse lines up in the Gold Cup, bidding to go back-to-back.

GALOPIN DES CHAMPS was the outstanding staying chaser last season when he swept all before him and produced a wildly impressive display to land this race by seven lengths from Bravemansgame.

He struggled to back that performance up when beaten on his next two outings behind the reopposing Fastorslow, but one of those defeats came at the end of a long season and the other at the start of a new one. He also probably found the 2m31/2f trip too sharp on the second occasion.

Galopin Des Champs has shown his class on his last two outings, bouncing right back to his best to thrash the reopposing Gerri Colombe by 23 lengths in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. If he turns up in that sort of form in this event, he simply won’t be beaten.

He wasn’t as impressive when landing the Irish Gold Cup back at Leopardstown at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival, but he comfortably showed Fastorslow the way home by four and a half lengths, avenging his defeats at the hands of that rival.

This is another big test for Galopin Des Champs in a Gold Cup that is probably stronger than last year’s, but he can be expected to pass with flying colours.

Let L’Homme Presse show the way to each-way profits

The Gold Cup is a race that never proves easy to win and plenty can go wrong, so it’s worth having an each-way bet on something else just in case it does and L’HOMME PRESSE is the one to support.

He was the outstanding staying novice of his generation a couple of years ago, when he won all of the big ones including the Brown Advisory at this course, and he appears to have returned from a long absence at the top of his form this season.

L’Homme Presse was having his first outing since the 2022 King George at Kempton when he returned to the course at Lingfield in January, but you wouldn’t have known it. He came through strongly to beat Protektorat by two and a quarter lengths and the front two were clear.

The selection went on to the Ascot Chase last time, but got taken off his feet over 2m5f by the speedy Pic D’Orhy and had no chance from a long way out. Nevertheless, he was still going forwards at the finish and came home just five and a half lengths behind the winner.

That was a decent effort all things considered and L’Homme Presse will be suited by returning to a longer 3m21/2f trip here. He also likes Cheltenham, so the track will also play to his strengths and there is every chance he can run into a place. He might even win if Galopin Des Champs disappoints.