‘Crown is there for the taking’ - Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips

It’s day four of the Cheltenham Festival on Friday and the race we’ve all been waiting for is set to take place. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the greatest horse race in the world and will take place at 16:00. You won’t want to miss it, as it’s shaping up to be an enthralling renewal.

Run over an extended 3m2f on Cheltenham’s New course, stamina is the name of the game but you also need tactical speed in order to keep up in the early stages and lots of class. Nine of the last 10 winners were aged between seven and nine, suggesting veterans have a tough task.

A total of 11 runners have been declared and the crown is there for the taking, as we don’t have an obvious short-price favourite. Our expert has picked out a couple of strong fancies and Willie Mullins’ sole representative could be the one to come out on top.

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Serious British contenders amongst the field

Irish horses have dominated in the Gold Cup in recent years and we’re usually hard-pushed to find one British-trained runner at single-figure prices. This year looks very different however and the home team has three of the first four in the betting.

Mullins’ Gaelic Warrior heads the market and he was last seen finishing second in the Irish Gold Cup. The Jukebox Man won the King George on just his fourth start over fences at Christmas so it’s highly unlikely that we’ve seen the best of him just yet. Jango Baie won the Arkle here last season and he needs to be considered off the back of his narrow defeat in the King George. Haiti Couleurs returned to form by winning the Welsh National off a big weight and warmed up for this with victory in the Denman Chase.

Last year’s winner Inothewayurthinkin has been absolutely dreadful in three starts this season and although he has it in him to win, it’s very hard to be confident. Betfair Chase winner Grey Dawning looks like a solid each-way shout, but veterans Envoi Allen and L’Homme Presse could struggle.

Gaelic Warrior to battle to victory

It’s no surprise that Mullins has been landing plenty of winners throughout the week and having won the Gold Cup four times since 2019, he’ll be keen to get his name on the trophy once again. He’s represented by GAELIC WARRIOR and there’s plenty in the eight-year-old’s favour.

The son of Maxios kicked the campaign off with a game success over stablemate Fact To File in the John Durkan and he wasn’t suited by the sprint finish in the King George after that but wasn’t beaten far in third. Second in the Irish Gold Cup after that, only a rejuvenated Fact To File was too good.

He beat Grey Dawning in the Aintree Bowl last spring and the trip here is likely to suit. Having bolted up in an Arkle before, previous Festival form is always a bonus.

Don’t discount Grey Dawning

Dan Skelton ’s horses have been running well this week and Madara was an impressive winner on Tuesday. It has been an amazing season for the yard and a Gold Cup winner would be the icing on the cake. GREY DAWNING is an improved horse this season and appears to have a massive chance.

He looked like a star in the making when winning the now defunct 2m4f Grade 1 novice chase here a couple of seasons ago but needed a year to develop. Winning the Betfair Chase impressively in November, that was a Gold Cup standard performance and he should be in the mix.