Best Bets For Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup is the centrepiece of today’s final day’s action at the 2023 Festival and it promises to be a classic renewal with a stellar cast of seasoned campaigners mixed with emerging talent.

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Galopin Des Champs 6/4 BoyleSports

The up and coming star of the chasing ranks, Galopin Des Champs, is 6/4 favourite with BoyleSports to win the big one today and he ticks almost every box. We know he is a serious talent, he was a Grade 1 winner over hurdles as a novice and the only blemish in six starts over fences came at the Festival last year when he slipped on landing and fell at the final fence in the Turners Chase with the race at his mercy.

He arrives here off the back of a powerful display in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month when he stormed home from the final fence to beat stablemate Stattler by 8 lengths.

The one slight question mark about Galopin Des Champs is his ability to stay the 3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards of today’s race as he has yet to race beyond 3 miles. All the signs suggest it won’t be a problem, but until he goes and does it there is always going to be a niggling doubt.

Galopin Des Champs is very difficult to oppose and barring accidents he looks pretty much assured to be in the shake up.

The opposition is stacked full of horses that are more than capable of capitalising on any weakness in the performance of the favourite and it promises to be an intriguing affair.

A Plus Tard 4/1 BoyleSports

A Plus Tard was an emphatic winner of this race last year when he stormed up the hill to beat Minella Indo (2021 winner of the Gold Cup) and Protektorat by 15 lengths. His only run since was a shocking effort when he pulled up at Haydock in November, but if he arrives back here in anything like the form he was in 12 months ago he can put it up to the favourite. His stable has already been among the winners this week so there is certainly cause for optimism.

Bravemansgame 7/1 BoyleSports

There has only been one British-trained winner of the Gold Cup in the last seven years, but they have several decent contenders this time, not least The King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame. Trainer Paul Nicholls has won the Gold Cup four times before and thinks he has a live shot at it again with Bravemansgame, which in common with the favourite has yet to prove his stamina over this distance.

Noble Yeats 12/1 BoyleSports

Aintree Grand National winner Noble Yeats is another potential fly in the ointment for the favourite Galopin Des Champs. He is already enjoying a fine season with victories at Wexford and Aintree before a solid third behind Ahoy Senor over the course here in January. The cheek-pieces he wore to victory in the Grand National are back on today for the first time since and a bold showing is expected.

Conflated 14/1 BoyleSports

Gordon Elliott has only managed to land the Gold Cup once so far in his career, Don Cossack 2016, which is a little surprising considering his overall record at Cheltenham. His contender this year is Conflated which was put away after winning at Leopardstown at Christmas with this race in mind. He is a very slick jumper and will be suited by a strong pace. With the wily Davy Russell in the saddle you couldn’t rule out a big run and he’s another with each-way claims.

The recent rain at Cheltenham is a negative for Shark Hanlon’s stablestar Hewick, but he cannot be completely ignored at odds of 25/1 with BoyleSports. The Galway Plate winner improved in leaps and bounds last season and at only eight years of age there is every chance that there may be yet more to come from the bargain-basement purchase this season.

Minella Indo and Stattler are two more horses with solid each-way claims. They were only separated by a neck when they clashed at Tramore on New Year’s Day, but on that occasion Stattler was giving his rival 8 lbs in weight, they race off level weights here.

Conclusion

Galopin Des Champs is the most likely winner and his odds of 6/4 BoyleSports looks a decent price. A rejuvenated A Plus Tard would be a major threat as his performance in the race last year was exceptional, but on balance there doesn’t appear to be any value in backing him at 4/1 considering his poor preparation.