Cheltenham Gold Cup Predictions, Betting Tips & Odds (Cheltenham 2025 - DAY 4)
- Written by David Bet
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most prestigious prize in steeplechasing and the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival. Run over 3 miles and 2½ furlongs on Cheltenham Racecourse’s new course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is open to racehorses aged five and above. As we predicted, Galopin Des Champs won the back to back Cheltenham Gold Cups in 2024 for trainer Willie Mullins and Jockey Paul Townend at odds of 10/11. This article contains our 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup betting preview, with picks, predictions, best odds, trends and no deposit free bets.
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CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP BETTING PREVIEW
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the highlight of the four days of the Festival, with the best chasers in the UK and Ireland taking on each other in the most anticipated race of the year. It's a Grade 1 chase covering three miles and about two and half furlongs, for horses aged five years and upwards. The Gold Cup runners have twenty-two jumps to face before a gruelling climb up the Cheltenham hill.
A strong pace usually means this becomes a war of attrition up the hill, and stamina rather than speed is the essential requirement. Defending champion Galopin Des Champs is sure to be back to defend his title and will be tough to beat.
And now we take a closer look at this year's Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and try to determine which horse is likely to prevail in the big race!
Who will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025?
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS has won back to back editions of the Gold Cup and will return at Prestbury Park aiming to add more silverware. A hat-trick of Gold Cup wins would put Galopin Des Champs in the same pantheon as Arkle and Best Mate. Willie Mullins' stable star is almost unbeaten as he Would wave won all ten of his chase starts going left-handed if he hadn’t fallen at the final fence in the Turners Novices’ Chase in 2022. This season he defeated Gerry Colombe by a whopping 23 lenghts at Leopardstown over Christmas and scored in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival by four lengths over Fastorslow.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, BANBRIDGE tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival when landing the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle in 2022. He recently recorded a superb win in the King George VI Chase where he showed his stamina although he has been campaigned over distances shorter than the Gold Cup trip for the entirety of his 11-race chasing career. Last year’s soft ground in the Ryanair Chase contributed to a 75-length defeat, so we ground is perhaps key to his chances in the Gold Cup, as his best form comes on quicker surfaces.
Gavin Cromwell has chosen to supplement INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN into the 2025 Gold Cup. Cromwell's star won the Kim Muir at last year's Cheltenham Festival and won a Grade One at Aintree subsequently. JP McManus's charge finished seven lengths fourth in the Irish Gold Cuphas but he has improved with each of his three runs this term, albeit finishing behind Galopin Des Champs on each occasion.
CORBETTS CROSS, winner of last season’s National Hunt Chase, is clearly reaching his prime. His first visit to the Cheltenham Festival ended in dramatic fashion, still in contention in the Albert Bartlett when running out at the last. This season he has failed to win in 3 outings but has finished a good second in the Ascot Chase over a trip short of his best last month.
MONTY'S STAR finished runner-up to Fact To File in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last year, and is sure to be suited by the emphasis on stamina. He shaped quite well when fifth to Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup last time but the longer trip of the Gold Cup should play to his strengths.
Dark Horses?
JUNGLE BOOGIE has won five of his seven career starts but failed to stay in last year’s Gold Cup despite running a cracker in his previous start. He was held up out the back on his Cheltenham debut, but still seemed to be travelling within himself approaching the third-last, but Blackmore's mount pecked badly on landing that flight. Henry De Bromhead's raider easily won on his only start of this season at Ascot in December.
AHOY SENOR is now three years since his only grade one victory over fences, which came at Aintree. Lucinda Russell's runner was travelling well when falling five fences from home in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He also shaped well on his return in the Old Roan Chase this season, but he has since twice run poorly in the Betfair Chase and at Windsor - being pulled up on each occasion.
The Mouse Morris-trained GENTLEMANSGAME is worth consideration for a Top 3 finish. His third-place finish in the Savills Chase showed he can handle the big stage.
The Paul Nicholls-trained THE REAL WACKER, who won last year’s Brown Advisory Chase, has been entered into Friday’s feature race but he hasn’t quite been at Gold Cup standard in three runs this season.
ROYAL PAGAILLE has seen his form decline this term despite retaining his title in the latest Betfair Chase, when he had the strong-travelling Grey Dawning behind him. He then missed the King George with an eleventh-hour setback and has since twice run below-par at Haydock.
Latest Odds
The section below contains the most backed entries at the moment:
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CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP TRENDS
- 8 of last 16 winners were favourites/joint favourites
- 22 of the last 24 winners were priced 9/1 or less
- 20 of the last 24 winners had won or placed at the Cheltenham Festival before
- 11 of the last 14 winners have won last time out (18 of the 24 winners overall)
- 23 of the 24 winners were previous Grade 1 winners
- 15 of the last 17 winners ran 3 or less times that season
- 13 of the last 14 winners were officially rated 164 or higher
- 23 of the 24 winners were aged between 7-9
CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP PREDICTIONS
Find here our recommended bets on the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025. Feel free to copy our Cheltenham Festival expert picks and get the highest odds available on the market by clicking the 'Bet' button! Plus, we suggest you to visit our Enhanced Odds section to claim boosted prices.
Ruby Walsh's Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
"It will be very hard for anything to beat Galopin Des Champs. For something at a little bit of value or for an interest, Corbetts Cross is a strong stayer and will be running on at the finish."
2025 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP FREE BETS
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2025 CHELTENHAM DAY 4 TIPS AND PREDICTIONS
Are you looking for all the 2025 Cheltenham predictions? Visit our Cheltenham betting tips section here!
2025 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP FAQs
What time is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the 5th and feature race run on Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival. That falls on Friday March 14, 2025 and the official starting time is 4:00pm.
How many obstacles are jumped in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
There are 22 obstacles to jump for the Cheltenham Gold Cup runners
What is the distance of the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is run on a distance of 3 miles 2 and a half furlongs
What is the prize money for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The total prize money on offer for the Cheltenham Gold Cup at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival will be £625,000.
Who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year?
Last year's renewal was won by Galopin Des Champs at SP of 10/11F, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend.
What weights are carried for the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
11st 8lb (5yo). 11st 10lb (6yo+), with a 7lb allowance for mares.
Who is the leading jockey in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Thanks to Al Boum Photo in 2020 and 2021, and Galopin Des Champs in the last two editions, Paul Townend is the only current jockey to win the race more than once in recent history. Nico De Boinville went very close to record his second success - after Coneygree in 2015 - with Santini in 2020.
Who is the leading trainer in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
No modern trainer has saddled more winners than Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins with four. The Irishman has triumphed in 4 of the last six editions with Al Boum Photo (2019 and 2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 and 2024). Henry De Bromhead has saddled the first two home in two of the last four renewals (Minella Indo in 2021 and A Plus Tard in 2022). Moreover, Nicky Henderson has saddled two winners and four placed horses.
