BET365 GOLD CUP (HORSE RACING)
Another of the great, high-profile steeplechases of the British National Hunt season is the Bet365 Gold Cup.
This popular fixture is a massive test of staying power for those involved in the annual fixture at Sandown Park.
The race has a long history which has produced some memorable classics down the years.
The race is run towards the end of the National Hunt season in late April. Whereas the Betfair Chase kicks off the jumps seasons, the Bet365 Gold Cup draws the curtains on it.
Bet365 Gold Cup History
The race had its first run in 1957 and the original name of the race was the Whitbread Gold Cup. That was because of the brewery Whitbread sponsoring the race.
Interestingly the chairman at the time who initiated the sponsorship had been an amateur jockey and had taken part in the Grand National a couple of times.
Whitbread finished their sponsorship with the race in 2001.
Bet365 take over the reins
Major bookmaker Bet365 took over sponsorship in 2008.
The first-ever winner of the Gold Cup was Much Obliged, a nine-year-old who took the win in the inaugural race in 1957.
In the long history of the race, no horse has managed to win the race on more than two occasions. Perhaps the most famous winner in the history of the race was Arkle, who claimed the win in 1965.
Just once has the race gone outside of Sandown Park to be run. That was when Newcastle hosted in 1973 and the race was a little longer at 3 miles and 6 furlongs.
| Best bookmakers for Bet365 Gold Cup betting in our experience | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
bet365 |  |
bet365 Review | |
|
Betfair |  |
Betfair Review | |
|
Paddy Power |  |
Paddy Power Review | |
|
Ladbrokes | |
Ladbrokes Review | |
|
Coral | |
Coral Review | |
About The race
The race is a Grade 3 fixture and it’s the final action of a given National Hunt season.
The race is open to any horse of at least five years of age and there’s no allowance for mares. The distance of the race is a gruelling 3miles 5 furlongs and along the way, the horses will face an exhausting 24 fences.
The Bet365 Gold Cup is a handicap race on the turf (right-hundred) at Sandown Park. Its annual place in the racing calendar sits at the end of April.
Famous Winners
Arkle’s success in the 1965 edition really drove the interest in the race even higher. The first horse to win the race in back to back years was Larbawn who scored in 1968 and 1969.
There have not been many winners in the long history of the race who have gone on to win it a second time.
Ad Hoc became just the fourth horse in the history of the Gold Cup to win it twice after having been successful in 2001 and 2003.
The other two to pull it off were Diamond Edge and Topsham Bay.
2019 Bet365 Gold Cup
The 2019 Bet365 Gold Cup was won by Talkischeap from a 7/1 SP, ridden by Wayne Hutchison. The jockey looked composed as Talkischeap started to come under some massive pressure from The Young Masters and Step Back, the two past winners of the bet365 Gold Cup.
After clearing the third from home, that was when Talkischeap started to assert himself fully. Hutchinson pushed him on at the point and charged away up the hill to take the victory.
The Young Master who had managed to fight back after a really poor jump at the first took second from Step Back who saw his title-defence fail.
The favourite for the 2019 Bet365 Gold Cup had been West Approach at 5/1. He came home in 6th place, never really getting himself in the contest.
It was, as usual, a gruelling race which took place. Of the fifteen runners that started just nine finished, the rest of the starters all pulled up.
2020 Bet365 Gold Cup
The scheduled date for the 2020 Bet36 Gold Cup was April 25th, 2020. However, the spring event was cancelled because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
All British Racing was shut down in March 2020 because of the pandemic.
