16:00
Cheltenham
Odds correct as of 10:32am 02nd Mar
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing and it takes a special horse to win it. It’s even harder to win it multiple times and Galopin Des Champs is looking to win a third at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. Whilst he does look hard to oppose, there is some value to be found if you want to take him on. Here we take a look at the standout candidates and assess their chances. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content and our ante-post Cheltenham selections are available now.
We tipped him at 9/1 when we put up our ante-post selections and he’s now half that price in places. Joseph O’Brien’s stable star won the King George last time out and he should have every chance, as long as his fuel tank doesn’t empty out on the run-in.
Also trained by Willie Mullins, he looked like the next big thing when winning the Brown Advisory here last year. Things haven’t quite gone to plan for the majority of the season but he did beat Galopin Des Champs on seasonal debut. Perhaps the Ryanair is his best option but he wouldn’t be without a chance.
This horse’s profile suggests the Gold Cup will be a suitable test and he represents the same connections as Minella Indo, a previous winner of the race. He was second behind Fact To File at the Festival last year and could be seen to best effect here. Henry de Bromhead’s gelding is a major each-way player.
Patrick Mullins named Corbetts Cross as the horse he fears the most and one thing’s for sure; stamina won’t be a problem. Emmet Mullins’ eight-year-old won the National Hunt Chase here over 3m6f in good style last year, which means both course and distance will be fine.
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