The Cheltenham Gold Cup takes place on Friday, 19th March 2027 and looks set to be a cracker of a renewal.
The final field will not be known until the declarations shortly before the race, but the main contenders are already clear. Here is how the 2027 Cheltenham Festival showpiece is shaping up as of November 2026, with the latest prices on our Cheltenham Gold Cup odds page and selections on our Cheltenham Gold Cup tips page.
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2027 Contenders
Gaelic Warrior is the one they all have to beat. Willie Mullins’ charge beat Jango Baie in a clash of the joint-favourites in March under Paul Townend and is a strong favourite to retain his crown.
Jango Baie is the chief British hope for Nicky Henderson after filling the runner-up spot last season, and he would bring an unbeaten Cheltenham record into the race were it not for that defeat by the champion.
Final Demand, Kitzbuhel and Lulamba are next in the market. Kitzbuhel beat stablemate Final Demand in the Brown Advisory last season, while Lulamba could yet be aimed at the Ryanair over a shorter trip.
Fact To File heads the Ryanair betting but is prominent here too should connections step him up to three and a quarter miles, and 2025 winner Inothewayurthinkin, third last season, is a much bigger price to regain the crown.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Winners Since 2012
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Synchronised | AP McCoy | Jonjo O’Neill | 8/1 |
| 2013 | Bobs Worth | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson | 11/4F |
| 2014 | Lord Windermere | Davy Russell | Jim Culloty | 20/1 |
| 2015 | Coneygree | Nico de Boinville | Mark Bradstock | 7/1 |
| 2016 | Don Cossack | Bryan Cooper | Gordon Elliott | 9/4F |
| 2017 | Sizing John | Robbie Power | Jessica Harrington | 7/1 |
| 2018 | Native River | Richard Johnson | Colin Tizzard | 5/1 |
| 2019 | Al Boum Photo | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 12/1 |
| 2020 | Al Boum Photo | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 100/30F |
| 2021 | Minella Indo | Jack Kennedy | Henry De Bromhead | 9/1 |
| 2022 | A Plus Tard | Rachael Blackmore | Henry De Bromhead | 3/1F |
| 2023 | Galopin Des Champs | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 7/5F |
| 2024 | Galopin Des Champs | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 10/11F |
| 2025 | Inothewayurthinkin | Mark Walsh | Gavin Cromwell | 15/2 |
| 2026 | Gaelic Warrior | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | 11/4 JF |
What Can We Learn from the Cheltenham Gold Cup Past Trends?
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a tough puzzle to solve but trends can help you to narrow down the line-up and even identify the potential winner, we’ve listed some crucial stats and trends that it could pay to keep in mind when analysing the race:
- No winner this century aged ten or over.
- Only four winners this century failed to finish first or second last time out.
- 21 of the winners this century (84%) had won or placed at a previous Festival
- 22 winners this century had 12 or fewer chase starts – Kauto Star (2009 – 21st chase start) and A Plus Tard (2022 – 14th chase start) the exceptions.
7yo, 8yo and 9yo horses have dominated in the Gold Cup in recent years, landing all but one renewal since the turn of the century, 6yo Long Run (2011) the exception. Horses 10yo or older have a particularly poor record and you have to go back to Cool Dawn (1998) to find the last winner aged in double figures.
Recent form is important, with only 4/22 winners (18%) arriving having finished out of the first two on their last start, albeit Minella Indo did buck that trend in 2021 – he was also making his fifth start of the season (13/15 had run no more than three times that campaign).
Festival form seems very important, with over 80% of winners since the turn of the century having won or placed at a previous Festival. Al Boum Photo was still in contention in third prior to falling two out on his only previous Festival appearance prior to his 2019 Gold Cup victory.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Time Around The World
- Melbourne – 2:30am (Saturday 20th March)
- London – 3:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Munich – 4:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- New York – 11:30am (Friday 19th March)
- Singapore – 11:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Dubai – 7:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Cape Town – 5:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Tokyo – 12:30am (Saturday 20th March)
- Buenos Aires – 12:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Rio De Janeiro – 12:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- Moscow – 6:30pm (Friday 19th March)
- New Delhi – 9:00pm (Friday 19th March)
- Jakarta – 10:30pm (Friday 19th March)
FAQ’s
How many horses are in the 2027 Gold Cup?
The final field will not be known until the declarations shortly before the race. The leading contenders as of November 2026 are listed above.
Are there any GREY horses in the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Grey Dawning was a notable grey horse in the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Which horse has won the most Cheltenham Gold Cups?
Golden Miller is the most successful horse in the history of the Gold Cup having taken FIVE straight renewals in the mid 30s (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936).
How many mares have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
FOUR mares have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most recent of those being Dawn Run (1986) who also holds the claim of being the only horse to complete the Champion Hurdle – Cheltenham Gold Cup double.
Has any horse won the Gold Cup and Grand National?
L’Escargot and Golden Miller are the only two horses to have won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National.
How much is the Gold Cup prize money?
Prize money for the Cheltenham Gold Cup totals £625,000, making it the second most valuable race in the National Hunt calendar, after the Grand National. The 2026 winner, Gaelic Warrior, picked up over £350,000 in prize money.
Is the Cheltenham Gold Cup real gold?
YES. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is made of solid gold and worth upwards of £10,000, a new trophy is given to winning connections each year.