Cheltenham Festival: Everything you need to know about the 2024 Gold Cup

Friday’s feature race is one of the biggest races in the horse racing calendar.

First run in 1914, this year it is the 100th anniversary of the first Cheltenham Gold Cup. 

The trip is three miles and two furlongs and the horses have 22 fences to jump. It is the ultimate test of a national hunt horse.

This race has been won by some of the absolute greats of the sport including Golden Miller, Arkle, Best Mate and Kauto Star. 

When is it? 

The race has a scheduled start time of 3.30pm on March 15, 2024. 

How can I watch?

The race will be broadcast live on ITV and Racing TV, you will also be able to stream it through the SBK app.

The Runners

Galopin Des Champs @ 2.40
Fastorslow @ 6.4
Shishkin @ 8.2
Gerri Colombe @ 9.0
L’Homme Presse @ 11.0
Bravemansgame @ 12.5
Hewick @ 12.5
Gentlemansgame @ 13.5
Corach Rambler @ 16.0
30.0 - BAR

Who should you back?

Galopin Des Champs is the clear favourite and with good reason. The seven-year-old is the reigning champion and looks all the better for another season over fences. He is at the head of the vast Willie Mullins raiding party that is coming over for the festival. His last two performances have been nothing short of remarkable, particularly in the Savills Chase over Christmas where he beat Gerri Colombe by 23 lengths. 

Fastorslow can take comfort from the fact that he has beaten Galopin Des Champs this season, but that was over the shorter trip of two miles and three furlongs. Galopin did get his own back last time out in the Irish Gold Cup coming out on top by four and half lengths. Fastorslow’s staying power would be a concern, he has never won a race longer than three miles so he could struggle up the hill in the closing stages.

 Shishkin is the leading British hope and is probably the only horse that can compete with the favourite in terms of talent. However age is not on the ten-year-old’s side. Since the millennium no horse aged 10 or older has won, despite four of them going into the race as favourites. He also ran on heavy ground in his Denman Chase win at Newbury, since 2000 no horse that has run on heavy ground in the season has gone on to win the Gold Cup.

It would be a shock if Gerri Colombe triumphed. He was heartbreakingly beaten by the Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory last season before being swept aside in the Savills Chase by Galopin Des Champs over Christmas. Nine of the last ten winners have all had strong Festival form before their victory. Gerri Colombe has only appeared at the festival once and he finished second. 

The form of the market makes grim reading for other horses, since 2000, there have only been two winners at a bigger price than 10/1. L’Homme Presse is another talented horse but is only just coming back from injury and has shown little in his two races this season to show he has a real hope of challenging the front runners in this one. If Hewick was to get his head in front there likely wouldn’t be a dry eye in Prestbury Park. Bought for just £800 and trained by Shark Hanlon, he won the King George at Christmas beating Allaho, Bravemansgame and Shishkin (who fell in the closing stages). If he went on to win Hewick would be the first horse since 2011 to complete the King George and Gold Cup double.

Verdict:

The case for Galopin Des Champs is an all too compelling one. He is the right age, has run over the right ground this season and has previous festival form in bucket loads. It is looking likely that he will be another back-to-back champion following in the footsteps of Al Boum Photo, Best Mate and Arkle.