Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips

Friday marks the fourth and final day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and that of course means the feature race is the Gold Cup.

Scheduled to go off at 16:00, a field of nine will battle over 3m 2f 70y at Prestbury Park in the hope of adding their name to a list of all-time greats.

Get a host of free bets with the BoyleSports sign up offer:

Galopin Des Champs has won the last two renewals and will be hoping to complete the hat-trick for trainer Willie Mullins, who would become the joint all-time winner of this race alongside Tom Dreaper on five should he taste victory again.

Jockey Paul Townend, booked in for the ride again, is also aiming to go outright in Cheltenham Gold Cup wins, as he currently sits alongside Pat Taaffe on four victories.

It promises to be another fascinating renewal of the Gold Cup, but the question everyone is asking ahead of the race is, can anybody stop Galopin Des Champs?

Tips

Galopin Des Champs to win @ 1/2 with Boylesports

The Real Whacker to win and each-way @ 40/1 with Boylesports

Galopin to make history

There have been some notable shocks for favourite backers at this year’s Festival, with Constitution Hill’s fall in the Champion Hurdle and Jonbon’s failure to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase two of the biggest.

Nicky Henderson had to watch on as those two chances of victory slipped out of his grasp and Mullins, the all-time leading trainer at the Cheltenham Festival, knows he can’t take anything for granted in the Gold Cup.

Mullins had to wait until 2019 for his first Gold Cup with Al Boum Photo, who then successfully defended his crown the following year, and the Irishman has accounted for four of the last six winners in this race.

The familiar trainer/jockey combination of Mullins and Townend will be looking to strike again with Galopin Des Champs and as long as the reigning champion stays out of trouble, it is hard to see any of his rivals getting the better of him.

After being edged out in the Punchestown Gold Cup in May last year, the nine-year-old then didn’t appreciate the drop in trip for the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase in November, finishing third.

While that performance may have started to raise some questions, Galopin Des Champs has since recorded back-to-back wins having been returned to his favoured 3m distance.

Mullins’ charge landed the Savills Chase by seven and a half-lengths at Leopardstown in December before returning to the track to take the Irish Gold Cup Chase last month.

His Gold Cup rivals won’t want Galopin Des Champs to have everything his own way so expect a potentially aggressive pace early doors, but it is hard to see the reigning champion not picking up a 14th win in 22 starts for Mullins.

The Real Whacker worth a punt

Given the unpredictable nature of this race and some of the high-profile fallers we have already seen at Prestbury Park this year, there could be value further down the betting and The Real Whacker stands out at 40/1.

Winner of the Brown Advisory at the 2023 Festival, Patrick Neville’s charge didn’t appreciate the heavy ground in last year’s Gold Cup and was pulled up.

Better ground conditions for this year’s renewal should suit the nine-year-old, who got back to winning ways at Wetherby in November in the Charlie Hall over 3m.

The Real Whacker was then a respectable fourth in the King George last time out and, if he is allowed to get into a good rhythm, he could be one to watch here.

Get a €60 in free bets with the BoyleSports sign up offer: