The BetVictor Gold Cup marks the real start of the jump racing season as far as many punters are concerned. Run over 2m4f and 110 yards on the Old Course at Cheltenham, the handicap chase carries Grade 3 status.
BetVictor Gold Cup Winners In The Last 10 Years
BetVictor Gold Cup Handicap Chase History and Trends
Fortria, Gay Trip, Half Free, Bradbury Star and Cyfor Malta have all been dual winners of a race that began life in 1960 as the Mackeson Gold Cup and has metamorphisised through sponsors Murphy’s, Thomas Pink and Paddy Power into it’s current incarnation.
It’s run on the Old Course at Cheltenham and is usually won by an up-and-coming chaser.
- No chaser aged older than nine has won it since 1975. There have only been four winners aged older than seven since the turn of the century.
- Before Taquin De Seuil’s victory in 2016, only one winner in the previous nine years had carried more than 11st.
- Splash Of Ginge was a 25/1 chance when successful last year but he’s only the second winner in the last 20 years to start at bigger odds than 16/1 – this is generally not a race for unfancied outsiders.
- Nigel Twiston-Davies has trained three of the last 10 winners. Paul Nicholls had the winner in 2012 and 2014. Martin Pipe trained the winner on seven occasions and son Martin won it with Great Endeavour in 2011. The latter’s Starchitect was only beaten a neck last year.
- It’s not proved a discernible advantage for runners to have had a previous outing that season.
Any significant rain would make Geordie Des Champs an interesting proposition. Quicker going may have been to blame for a poor round of jumping when fancied at Ascot two weeks ago, though the drop in distance is not necessarily a plus. However, the 40/1 with Boylesports looks far too big.
Ballyandy (20/1 with BetVictor) was only third on his reappearance at Wetherby and hasn’t won since his chasing debut at Perth last year. Rated only 137 over fences, however, he’s potentially well treated and still has scope for improvement. His stable’s record in this is second to none so the seven-year-old also goes on the short-list but last year’s winner Splash of Ginge may be too long in the tooth to stage an encore.
Only a head separated Mister Whitaker and Rather Be over course and distance in March but the runner-up is now 9lb better off so should surely turn the tables, though best odds of 9/2 make limited appeal in such a competitive handicap.
Benatar looked a smart prospect last season and definitely needed the run at Newton Abbot five weeks ago so better is expected at Cheltenham, where he ran well in Grade 1 company in the spring – the general 12/1 will be appealing to some.
KALONDRA is a general 7/1 and looks just the type for the BetVictor Gold Cup. Neil Mulholland’s runner is a strong traveller and was just getting into contention when falling on his reappearance in decent company at Galway. He twice ran well on the New Course at Cheltenham last season and expect Noel Fehily to play him late this weekend.
BetVictor Gold Cup Current Best Odds
Rather Be 9/2, Mister Whitaker 6/1, Kalondra 7/1, Baron Alco 11/1, King’s Socks and Benatar 12/1, Movewiththetimes 14/1, Frodon and West Approach 16/1, Ballyandy, Happy Diva and Romain De Senam 20/1, Javert 22/1, Guitar Pete and Shantou Village 25/1, Eamon An Cnoic, Geordie Des Champs, Splash of Ginge, Black Scorpion and Willie Boy 33/1, Whoshotwho 50/1
(Odds Correct at 1.45pm November 15)
