Cheltenham 2025 – Gold Cup preview

The pinnacle of the jumps world is definitely the Gold Cup, it is the race that every horse trainer and owner wants to win but it's a very tough task. Willie Mullins had not won a Gold Cup for a long time, but in recent years he has had the majority of the winners.

This race is all down to one horse, and that is Galopin Des Champs who is going for the hat-trick in this race, and it's something we all want to see.

One of the best ever?

As I've just mentioned, this race is all about Galopin Des Champs, the two-time Gold Cup winner from the last two years and, in my opinion, one of the best-staying chasers we've seen. I'm sure many of the older lot on this forum will argue he's not up to the same level as some of the previous big shots we've had winning the Gold Cup in the past, like Denman, etc, but to the newer generation, this horse is fantastic to watch and is head and shoulders clear of the rest.

Unfortunately, due to Galopin being ahead of the chasers, we don't see many horses turning up, as they will try to pick up races they can win, which Galopin won't turn up for or be in. Fact To File was the horse who wanted to challenge Galopin this year, and he got put in his place. as a result, we saw him win the Ryanair yesterday.

The way that Fact To File won the Ryanair shows the level of horse we are dealing with in Galopin as Fact To File demolished a field of 160 rated horses like they were just handicappers.

Is there anything in this race that could beat Galopin? I highly doubt it, but this week has been a whacky week and most of the hot favourites have been brushed aside for one reason or another, so it's probably not best to get involved at the price he's at.

Cause an upset?

I don't think there are many in the race who could cause an upset and snatch the Gold Cup title from Galopin Des Champs other than Banbridge. He is the only horse in the race who can pose a new threat to the favourite, and that's because he has not raced against him before and he is totally unexposed as a staying chaser.

Joseph O'Brien has had a few winners this week, and others are running well in defeat, so we know Banbridge will be in top form. He won the King George in December at Kempton when defeating Il Est Francais in a race which was blown wide open because of the French raider who set a frantic gallop, which only Banbridge could deal with as he stayed on strongly to deny Noel George's horse the win.

The form of that race doesn't look particularly strong as the French horse was brushed aside with ease yesterday in the Ryanair, but I don't think that was the true showing of that horse.

Banbridge has always had bags of ability, but he is laboured due to his need for good racing ground. The ground should remain pretty quick for the Gold Cup, so he should have no excuses other than not being able to stay the Gold Cup trip.

Will he stay the trip? I can't say with confidence that he will, but I think he might, then it comes down to ability, which is also a possibility, but my heart tells me he might have to settle for the second spot.

Nothing else really sticks out as a potential banana skin for Galopin Des Champs, but maybe one of the JP McManus horses can run into a place.

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