Rowan Ward
On Friday, March 17 the Cheltenham Festival will reach its high point with the £625,000 Cheltenham Gold Cup! The race covers three miles and two and a half furlongs, over 22 fences. With a thirteen-horse field, it is one of the best horse racing betting opportunities of the season!
A pair of stablemates in the Henry de Bromhead yard have finished 1-2 in the race the last two years, and both return this year. In 2021 Minella Indo beat A Plus Tard, while A Plus Tard turned the tables on Minella Indo in 2022. Noble Yeats, who won the iconic Grand National in 2022, has had a strong season and steps into Grade 1 company for this race.
Will one of these familiar faces earn another crown, or will a new face emerge? Keep reading to find out, and to see the best places to bet the Cheltenham Gold Cup online.
Where to Bet the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Before you start considering the horses in the race, you need to find out the best place to bet the Cheltenham Gold Cup online. There are many options, but our experts are here to help. They know the online betting space and can point you to the best online sportsbooks for betting horse racing.
Every one of our recommended sites has the basics of a great betting experience: market-leading odds, trusted deposits and cash-outs, and smooth user interfaces. Each one offers different bonuses as well, so taking a few minutes now to find out which site’s sign-up bonuses and rebates suit your stakes and wagers the best can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars later!
Cheltenham Gold Cup Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup including draw numbers, trainers, and jockeys:
- Ahoy Senor (Lucinda Russell / Derek Fox)
- A Plus Tard (Henry de Bromhead / Rachael Blackmore)
- Bravemansgame (Paul Nicholls / Harry Cobden)
- Conflated (Gordon Elliott / Davy Russell)
- Eldorado Allen (Joe Tizzard / Brendan Powell)
- Galopin des Champs (Willie Mullins / Paul Townend)
- Hewick (John Joseph Hanlon / Jordan Gainford)
- Minella Indo (Henry de Bromhead / Mark Walsh)
- Noble Yeats (Emmet Mullins / Sean Bowen)
- Protektorat (Dan Skelton / Harry Skelton)
- Royale Pagaille (Venetia Williams / Charlie Deutsch)
- Sounds Russian (Ruth Jefferson / Sean Quinlan)
- Stattler (Willie Mullins / Patrick Mullins)
From now until the time of the big race, make sure to track the odds at your online sportsbook of choice. Unlike at racetracks, when you are forced to take the post-time odds, online sportsbooks offer fixed-odds wagering on major races. This means you can lock in the best price the moment you bet, and you can be confident that you are getting market-leading odds based on when you wagered.
These are the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds at the top of the market at the top online sportsbooks:
 |  |  |
|
| Galopin des Champs | +165 | +165 | +165 |
| Bravemansgame | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| A Plus Tard | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Noble Yeats | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Stattler | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Conflated | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Sounds Russian | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Ahoy Senor | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
Free Cheltenham Gold Cup Picks
Now that you have your online betting account, you are ready to start handicapping the race! Read on to get to know the leading contenders in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Favorites
Bravemansgame is the best bet in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Though some bettors shy away from him because of his lack of Cheltenham Festival experience, he has a lot of other things going for him. He has won six out of his last seven races, including both since having wind surgery. He looked like a rising star in the King George VI (G1) in December and can continue that trajectory.
Galopin des Champs is the likely favorite and he could very well run to the money. The leader of Willie Mullins’ Gold Cup brigade this year, he comes in off of a strong victory in the Irish Gold Cup (G1). He has won seven of his last eight races, and though the one foible came when he fell at the last at Cheltenham last year, he was running well enough before that to close the deal.
Take a position against last year’s winner A Plus Tard. Though his form the last two years at Cheltenham has been good, it is a serious concern that he pulled up last out, as he had never previously finished worse than third. This especially holds because he is the top weight: seven to 19 pounds more than his foes, including giving eight pounds to Galopin des Champs.
Longer Shots in the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Ahoy Senor offers good value in the betting pools this year. Though he is not the most consistent in the Gold Cup field, he tends to find his better form at Cheltenham, including a win in the Cotswold (G2) last out and a second in a Grade 1 novice race during the Festival last year. He carries 14 pounds less than A Plus Tard as well, making him well-weighted.
Two others to consider for pieces underneath are Minella Indo and Stattler. Minella Indo won two years ago and was second last year, and tends to find his best form when he comes back to Cheltenham. He carries 12 pounds under top weight, adding to the appeal. Stattler is even better weighted, 17 pounds under top weight. He has been consistent, second in both starts this year and winner of three last campaign, including a novice win at Cheltenham last year.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Free Picks
You have met the contenders and created your online betting account. Now, it’s time to play! These are the best bets for Friday’s 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup:
- $20 to win – #3 Bravemansgame
- $10 each-way – #1 Ahoy Senor
- $1 exacta key – #3 Bravemansgame with #1 Ahoy Senor, #6 Galopin des Champs
- $0.50 trifecta key – #3 Bravemansgame with #1 Ahoy Senor, #6 Galopin des Champs, #8 Minella Indo
- $0.20 superfecta key – #3 Bravemansgame with #1 Ahoy Senor, #6 Galopin des Champs, #8 Minella Indo, #13 Stattler
