Updated: 29.07.2025
This article deals with wagering on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It holds the highest esteem in all of horse racing for being the best jump racing contest, and well in advance of the actual event, we could already begin to partake of wagering on the Gold Cup for 2019. The article takes a look at the history of the Gold Cup and discusses its current manifestation from the bettor's perspective. At the same time, we can note that the Gold Cup has a rich past. The first Cheltenham Gold Cup that we know actually ran in 1924, although the contest in question actually first existed as an event run over flat ground in 1819.
The final business of the Cheltenham Festival and the very climax of the festival itself occurs in the excitement and thrill of horse racing that reaches its zenith in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The course is stretched to its very utmost, pushed to its absolute limit in the ultimate test of endurance and jumping ability for both horse and rider. The Gold Cup is run over a distance of three miles and two and a half furlongs, with the steeplechasers and their sturdy mounts finding the soft turf of the Epsom Downs a welcome relief from the hard ground they had experienced in the morning gallops. Maintaining its status as the main event in National Hunt racing in March, the Gold Cup draws more attention and more wagering than almost any other single race in the sport. Yet as we eagerly await the 2006 installment, it's not just the compelling cast of horses that has us betwixt and between. It's also what they stand to gain.
Few happenings in any sport can equal the National Hunt racing phenomenon that is the Cheltenham Festival. Roughly one-third of the Grade 1 races that get run during the jumps season take place at the Cheltenham Festival. Jumps racing is a 12-month sport, with a season that runs from April to April. The core part of the season runs from October to April, with two major shows in that core season: the March meeting called the Cheltenham Festival and, in April, shows leading up to the Grand National (which made its debut in 1839 and is the most famous steeplechase in the world). What's so exciting about these two parts of the event is that, for two consecutive weekends, jumps racing is the focus of attention in front of not only capacity crowds but also significant television audiences.
A race where horses are given weights according to what they have done previously is a handicap race. The Grand National is a handicap race. Like all such events, it is a very democratic sort of thing. You don't have to be in the sort of top horsey elite to run a good race and win. This is obvious when you look at the record of winners and their prices. The horses that participate in the Cheltenham Gold Cup race are all saddled with the same amount of weight. So in essence, if it is true that the best horse wins, then what we see on parade at the end is the best horse of the day. The equine contender that stands the best chance of emerging victorious from the contest must possess endurance and be a capable jumper. During the race, an unanticipated special guest showed up. After they have cleared the last fence, they are required to make an uphill sprint to the finish line. After jumping the next to last jump, horses can change places, and they can even change places after the last jump. Thus, the next to last jump and the last jump both can determine the outcome of the race—just as the last half of a flat race can determine the outcome. If the horses are to have any hope of becoming a part of the story of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, they must cover every inch of the journey.
The Cheltenham Festival consists of four complete days of activity, with seven races each day. Each day, the first race starts at 1.30 pm and the last race at 5.30 pm. When asked concerning the timing of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the answer comes back: 3.30 pm on the fourth and last day in March. An unanticipated episode plentifully lightened the atmosphere. The Gold Cup for 2019 will occur at the Cheltenham Racecourse, which resides in Gloucestershire. The site of the event is basically a five-minute drive to the town center and a 30-minute stroll. The date and time of the Gold Cup appear to have a very consistent historical presence that matches the history of the race.
The Gold Cup at Cheltenham is run at 3.30 p.m. on the final day of the meeting in March. However, the Cheltenham Festival itself has not just the last day's Gold Cup, but seven races on all four days of the Festival. The first race on any given day of the Festival is always at 1.30 p.m. The last race on any given day, in this case, happens to be at 5.30 p.m. on Friday. The racecourse itself is a short drive from the town center of Cheltenham. You could walk it in about 30 minutes.
Betting volume at the Cheltenham Festival is massive. It is not overstatement to say that betting at Cheltenham is bet at a very high rate, with, seemingly, 10 of the top 20 races turning over the most money during the season, with these races being at Cheltenham. The event that attracts the most attention—and the most bets—during the Festival is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Bookmakers, of course, want to capitalize on this. They want to attract and retain customers. They cover the event extensively, in real time, and in the days leading up to the Festival, they issue an, also, seemingly endless amount of press releases. They want you to know they have betting opportunities and betting offers, and that you would do very well to take advantage of these opportunities. Some of these opportunities, these offers, are for the Gold Cup itself.
Wagering on the Cheltenham Gold Cup started soon after the 2018 event concluded. Backing horses so far in advance of the yearly repeat is inherently fraught with potential pitfalls. If a horse you back even a week beforehand fails to run, there is no way to avoid the pain of watching the money go down the tube come post time. To assuage these types of uncertainties and make betting on the event more attractive, bookmakers offer what is called a non runner/no bet option. And so here is how it works: You can back a horse to win in the Gold Cup for ante post betting terms. If that horse fails to start in the event when the day of the race comes, you then get your stake back.
Certain bookmakers offer better odds for selected horses in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but this doesn't apply to all the horses in the race and mostly covers the favorite or one of the leading contenders. A horse that might normally be at 2/1 in the betting could well be at 5/2 with one of these bookmakers. But, as with most such offers, stakes are limited, and the better odds are available to new customers only.
The Gold Cup is not a handicap. This means that for betting purposes, each way bets are settled at one fifth the odds for the first three places. If a horse in the Gold Cup is going at 20/1, then the place odds are 4/1 and three horses count. Some bookmakers who operate in the Gold Cup space offer additional place incentives. Extra places being one of those better offers. Each way bets are valid for a horse running in the Gold Cup who counts in the first four places.
One more popular promotion from the Cheltenham bookmakers is this: If the horse you back finishes more times than not at the Gold Cup. That is, if it runs a close second but is beaten across the line by the Gold Cup favorite, then it's refunds all around. Or, at least, it's refunds up to a nice $25 in cash per bet refunded for bettors who like to gamble on the Gold Cup. Your pieces are insurance if the multiple times close-to-winning horse you back on the Gold Cup doesn't win during Gold Cup weekend.
The above-mentioned incentives are excellent reasons to place a bet on each and every race at the Cheltenham Festival, including the main event of the Gold Cup. During the week of the Festival, several promotions will concern the horses participating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. These offers enhance the experience of betting on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The promotions will be advertised by the Press and other media, and they will be an essential part of betting on the Gold Cup. The choices offered will comprise the horses and jockeys of the Gold Cup.
Due to the race's elevated esteem, every online sportsbook posts odds for the 2019 Gold Cup. Thus, when it's time for you to wager on the race, you must first pick which book to use. All the big books have splendid sign-up bonuses for fresh customers, meaning you either need to open a new account or use an existing account to bet on the Gold Cup. Allow for some recommendations to guide you in choosing a book to bet with if and when you do.
All bookmakers take each way betting on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. An each way bet has two components. First, you bet on the horse to win the race. Second, you bet on the same horse to place or finish in the frame. Each way bets are paid out according to the standards of the industry.
Betting on the event is extensive, though the exact figure of bets placed is unavailable. What we do know is that this is the only National Hunt race that produces more betting turnover than the Gold Cup, and what we can surmise is that the event must be up there among the very most wagered upon of all races.
Most successful horse: Golden Miller (5 wins from 1932 to 1936).
Leading jockey: Pat Taaffe (4 wins from 1964 to 1968).
Leading trainer: Tom Dreaper (5 wins from 1946 to 1968).
Leading owner: Dorothy Paget (7 wins from 1932 to 1952).
Since the year 2000, the sole multiple winners have been Best Mate (three times) and Kauto Star (twice). The jockeys who have more than one win, during this timeframe, are Jim Culloty, Ruby Walsh, and Barry Geraghty. The only trainers to have scored more than one win, in the last 17 years, are Henrietta Knight, Paul Nicholls, and Nicky Henderson. Since 2000, eight outright favorites in the betting for the Gold Cup have won the race. The average price of the winner, in the last ten years, is about 6/1, in a range of 5/4 to 20/1.
Here is the result of the race in 2018 with the horses’ starting prices in Cheltenham Gold Cup betting:
Richard Johnson was the winning jockey, and Colin Tizzard was the winning trainer. There were fifteen horses in the race, nine of which completed the course. The top two horses are now among the favorites for the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Here are the odds for the Gold Cup in December 2018, which are, of course, subject to change.
| Presenting Percy 9/2 |
| Native River 5/1 |
| Might Bite 9/1 |
| Road to Respect 12/1 |
| Sizing John 16/1 |
| Bristol De Mai 16/1 |
| Footpad 20/1 |
| Bellshill 20/1 |
| Thistlecrack 20/1 |
| Shattered Love 25/1 |
| Others 28/1+ |
TIP: Might Bite at 9/1
EACH WAY: Thistlecrack at 20/1 (fifth odds, three places).
The 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup represents a significant moment in betting, and it could shatter some records in that respect. Arguably, the best horses and riders that the sport has to offer compete in and jump in this chase. Many trainers and jockeys have a storied history in this prestigious race, but far from all of the notable names in British jump racing have made an appearance or a dent in this race over the last 90 years or so.
