The blue riband event of the Cheltenham Festival is upon us, with the eyes of trainers, jockeys, and owners all shifting to the Grade 1 chase’s mammoth prize pot
Day Four of the Cheltenham Festival brings with it the esteemed Gold Cup, where some of the sport’s finest strive for glory over 22 fences.
The narrative surrounding this year’s renewal goes no further than the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs, who is the reigning two-time champion and hot favourite to make it a seldom-before-seen three on the bounce.
Standing in his way are a slew of Irish and British challengers, notably the King George winner and good-ground-loving Banbridge, the supplemented Inothewayurthinkin for JP McManus and Rachael Blackmore’s ride, Monty’s Star.
Whoever takes home the coveted Gold Cup and chisels their name into the history books will be rewarded bountifully for their efforts, as the 3m2f competition offers up the most lucrative prize pool of the Festival. A hefty £363,999 will head to the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2025, with the total prize pool for the event standing at a huge £625k, as per the Racing Post.
Second place in the race took home over £130k in 2024, with third raking in a tad over £66k and fourth and fifth earning around £33k and £16k, respectively. Jockeys typically take home around eight to 10 per cent of the prize money won, with a large majority heading to the owner.
The Gold Cup total makes roughly an eighth of the total prize money on offer in the Cotswolds this year, which stands at a record-breaking £4.93million. National Hunt racing’s pinnacle was first run under the Gold Cup name in 1819 – with 100 guineas paid to the winning owner.
In comparison, the first Gold Cup held at the Festival in 1924 saw its winner take home £685 – worth an estimated £35k today. Since 2004, the winner of the blue riband race has pocketed over £200k, with the last two wins of Best Mate’s hat-trick earning connections £203k a piece.
For both of his first two successes, Mullins’ Galopin Des Champs has snatched an approximate £352k prize on each occasion, and he’s primed to bring up the treble. The son of Timos began his campaign a lowly third in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown behind winner Fact To File but bounced back in style at his preferred Leopardstown when reversing form in the Savills Chase.
Last time out, he won his third consecutive Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, and few will oppose him doing the same in Gloucestershire. Nine intended runners complete the field for 2025’s renewal, though all eyes will be on one.
Paul Nicholls, who has been named British champion trainer on 14 occasions, simply can’t look past the gelding, telling Mirror Racing: “He’ll win at Cheltenham this week. I can’t see anything beating him. The way he’s improved this year… And riding him from the front positively seemed to have suited him a little bit. Ultimately, he’d be very hard to beat. I’d be surprised if he was beaten.
“They [the Irish] have got some smart horses to run this year, especially in those Grade 1 races. Do you know what? The best horses always win those Grade 1 races. They should because they’re the best horse. They’ve got an advantage on advantageous terms. Those horses win the best races because they’re the best.”