Gold Cup 2026 tips: Odds, offers and preview for showpiece Cheltenham race

Mar 13, 2026 - 10:30

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race that defines the entire National Hunt season.

Everyone wants to win it and every staying chaser is ultimately judged on whether they can conquer the famous three miles and two and a half furlongs around Prestbury Park.

From legends like Arkle and Best Mate to more recent stars such as Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs, the roll of honour is stacks with champions.

The 2026 renewal looks another fascinating contest, with several high-class staying chasers lining up in what promises to be a searching test of stamina, jumping and class.

I think the reason it looks so good this year as there are any of 5 or 6 who could win it and it is hard to rule anything out with confidence.

Quick picks for the Cheltenham Gold Cup

GAELIC WARRIOR – 59/20 with SBK
INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN – 17/2 with talkSPORT BET

Cheltenham 4.00 Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase – Key stats and trends

Age

12 of the last 12 winners were aged between 7 and 9
4 of the last 6 winners were aged 8
1 of the last 12 winners were aged 9

Price

5 of the last 12 winners were favourites or joint favourites
8 of the last 12 winners were top 3 in the betting
3 of the last 4 winners were favourites

Form

8 of the last 12 winners won on their previous run before the Cheltenham Gold Cup
8 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous win at Cheltenham
10 of the last 12 winners had at least 7 previous chase runs

Rating

10 of the last 12 winners were rated 164 or higher
5 of the last 12 winners were rated 170 or higher
3 of the last 4 winners were rated 172 or higher

Other pointers

14 of the last 18 winners had run at least three times that season before Cheltenham
8 of the last 10 winners had already won a Grade 1 chase over fences
The last four Gold Cup winners had all won a novice chase at the Festival earlier in their careers

Cheltenham Gold Cup preview & tips

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the race every owner, trainer and jockey dreams of winning. It’s the ultimate staying chase and the blue riband of the National Hunt season. It is where stamina, jumping and class are pushed to their absolute limits.

This year’s renewal looks another fascinating contest with several high-quality contenders lining up. With Fact To File heading to the Ryanair GAELIC WARRIOR could head the charge for Willie Mullins.

This horse went down just a short head in the King George before bumping into stablemate Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup. He goes particularly well at this track and there is a sense that there is still more improvement to come over this sort of trip.

The Gold Cup often rewards horses who are still progressing rather than those who have already shown their hand and his upward trajectory suggests he could produce a career-best performance on the biggest stage of all.

Each way angle?

For those looking beyond the obvious INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN makes plenty of sense as an each way alternative.

He obviously won the race 12 months ago and while he clearly hasn’t been at his best this season the drying ground could be a positive and the yard seem to be in a better place now than they have been at any other point in the season.

His form wasn’t the best heading into last year but he still produced a huge performance to stop Galopin Des Champs landing the hat-trick. The latter should never be discounted around here and it would be great to see him run well but age is against him.

My picks:

GAELIC WARRIOR

Trainer: Willie Mullins
Form: 2-11121-11U12-2311-132
Age: 8
Weight: 11-10

Bet on GAELIC WARRIOR to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 59/20 with SBK

INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN

Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
Form: 11434-223911-7541-59F
Age: 8
Weight: 11-10

Bet on INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 17/2 with talkSPORT BET

Last 12 winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Year	Horse	Trainer	Jockey
2014	Lord Windermere	Jim Culoty	Davy Russell
2015	Coneygree	Mark Bradstock	Nice De Boinville
2016	Don Cossack	Gordon Elliott	Bryan Cooper
2017	Sizing John	Jessica Harrington	Robbie Power
2018	Native River	Colin Tizzard	Richard Johnson
2019	Al Boum Photo	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2020	Al Boum Photo	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2021	Minella Indo	Henry De Bromhead	Jack Kennedy
2022	A Plus Tard	Henry De Bromhead	Rachael Blackmore
2023	Galopin Des Champs	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2024	Galopin Des Champs	Willie Mullins	Paul Townend
2025	Inothewayurthinkin	Gavin Cromwell	Mark Walsh

Cheltenham Festival 2026 news, tips and free bets:

About the author

Joe Norris

I’m Joe Norris, co-founder and Director of GetYourTipsOut (GYTO), which I launched in 2009 to provide daily sports betting tips, with the main focus on horse racing. Over the years, I’ve earned a reputation for offering reliable and profitable tips, which led to being named “Best Sports Betting Tipster” in 2023. Alongside my work at GYTO, I also contribute predictions to platforms like Oddschecker, allowing me to share my insights with a wide community of sports enthusiasts and bettors.

Find Joe on X: @JoeNorrisGYTO

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chase their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.