Horse Racing
Are The Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends ‘Bombproof’ For Galopin Des Champs?
Andy is a horse racing journalist and betting expert who specializes in trends and stats. With his long association with TrainersQuotes and FromTheStables, Andy has also built up solid s with some of the best stables in the UK. Has written for GeeGeez and bookmakers Matchbook and BetBright in the past too, plus was the former sports betting editor of odds comparison site Easyodds and Juicestorm. Has also appeared on betting podcasts for MatchBook and has featured in the popular Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Guide in the past. Andy's also ghost written for former top jockey Richard Dunwoody and continues to have a monthly column in the Racing Ahead horse racing magazine. Now a regular on Sportscasting giving his views, trends and tips mainly on horse racing - if there's a stat to be explored and it's a sport, Andy is sure to find a betting angle to use. You can also hear Andy's weekly horse racing views and best bets on the popular Final Furlong podcast.
Get to know Andy Newton betterPublished14 Mar 2025
There are many Cheltenham Gold Cup trends that have built up over the years, since the race was first run back in 1924 – but with the two-time winner Galopin Des Champs odds-on to win again – those against him are asking if there any big stats to take the Mullins horse on with?
You can also see all Andy Newton’s HOT STATS for all Friday’s Cheltenham races here, plus 1-2-3 best bets.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends Tell Us Four Of The Last Five Favourites Have Won
Galopin Des Champs is set to be one of the big 2025 Cheltenham Festival bankers of the meeting, as he lines up for his third Cheltenham Gold Cup, and with market leaders doing well in the race – this is the first key trend in his favour.
Yes, four of the last five (80%) Gold Cup favourites with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK have landed the Cheltenham Festival showcase race – including ALL of the last three.
Galopin Des Champs will go off odds-on in the race for a second season year in-a-row and many horse racing fans feel he’s only got to jump round to win a third Gold Cup.
If that’s happens he’ll also cement his name in the horse racing hall-of-fame at the Cheltenham Festival as the first horse since Best Mate (2002-2004) to win the race three years on the spin.
He’ll also the likes of Cottage Rake (1948-1950), Arkle (1964-1966) as other three-time winners, but will still be two off the mighty Golden Miller, who racked up five Gold Cup wins between 1932-1936.
The Gold Cup has also produced eight winning favourites since 2009 (15 runnings), which is a 53% return over this period.
Willie Mullins Or Henry De Bromhead Have Won ALL Of The Last Six Gold Cups
Believe it or not, the first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for trainer Willie Mullins didn’t come till 2019, when Al Boum Photo won.
But since then, the Closutton man has mopped up three more Gold Cups and so his tally heading into 2025 is four.
While the only other trainer to win the race in this period is Henry De Bromhead, who saddled Minella Indo in 2021 and A Plus Tard in 2022.
De Bromhead has Monty’s Star in the race in 2025, who us also owned by Barry Maloney – his 2021 winner Minella Indo.
Remarkably, Mullins now only needs one more Gold Cup win to become the t-winning most handler in the race – with Arkle trainer Tom Dreaper.
In total, Willie Mullins has trained 103 Cheltenham Festival winners.
The Last Eight Cheltenham Gold Cup Winners Were Aged 7 or 8
Right, if you are looking to take on Galopin Des Champs, then one of the Cheltenham Gold Cup trends you might like to hear is that ALL of the last eight winners were aged 7 or 8.
Galopin is aged 9.
While since 2013, the only other 9 year-old to win the race was Don Cossack in 2016.
Cool Dawn Was The Last Gold Cup Winner Aged 10+ In 1998
Carrying on with the Cheltenham Gold Cup trends surrounding the age is that you have to go back to 1998 to find the last winner aged in double figures.
This was the Robert Alner-trained Cool Dawn, who was guided home by jockey Andrew Thornton at 25/1 that year
Meaning the Gold Cup runners in 2025 that will be looking to break this stat are Conflated (11), Royale Pagaille (11), Hewick (10), Ahoy Senor (10), Jungle Boogie (11) and L’Homme Presse (10).
This also means if Galopin Des Champs does win this year and returns in 2026 – he’ll be a 10 year-old and will also then have this Cheltenham Gold Cup trend to overcome.
Paul Townend Looking To Become The Winning-Most Gold Cup Jockey
The recent turn of fortune in the Gold Cup for Willie Mullins has also swept his number one stable jockey Paul Townend through in the race with four wins.
This is because Townend has ridden ALL of the four Mullins previous winners – Al Boum Photo (2) and Galopin Des Champs (2).
This purple patch has catapulted Paul Townend to the t winning-most jockey in the Gold Cup (4 wins) and so another win on Galopin Des Champs will see him become the all-time winner in his own right – wow.
In total, Paul Townend has ridden 34 Cheltenham Festival winners (and counting).
Townend is currently t with Pat Taaffe, who rode Arkle to three wins in the 1960’s and also rode Fort Leney to victory.
Key 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends and Stats
See below ALL of our Cheltenham Gold Cup trends to apply to the final runners ahead of the 2025 renewal.
Gold Cup Trends – The Plusses
- 12 of the last 19 had run 9 or less times over fences
- 24 of the last 25 were Grade 1 winners
- 20 of the last 25 raced in the Savills Chase or King George that season
- 21 of the last 24 placed 1st or 2nd in their last race
- 20 of the last 25 were 2nd or 3rd season chasers
- Every winner since 2000 – just one season hurdling
- 20 of the last 24 had won or placed at the Festival in the past
- 20 of the last 24 came from the top 3 in the market
- 18 of the last 24 won last time out
- 12 of the last 22 favourites (55%)
- 14 of the last 20 yet to win over 3m 1/2f+
- 22 of the last 25 raced no more than 12 times over fences
- 15 of the last 17 ran 3 or less times that season
- 17 of the last 28 bred in Ireland
- ALL of the last 25 aged 9 or younger
- 24 of the last 25 aged between 7-9 years-old
- Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend have won 4 of the last 6 runnings
- Trainers Willie Mullins and Henry De Bromhead have won the last 6 between them
- 22 of the last 25 were in their first three seasons over fences
- Horses placed in a previous Supreme Novices’ Hurdle have fair records
- 5 of the last 14 winners raced in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase the previous season
Gold Cup Trends – The Negatives
- Only one winning 6 year-old since 1964
- Non-Grade One winners don’t have a good record
- No winner older than 10 years-old since 1969 (0 from 77)
- Only one past winner for Gordon Elliott (Don Cossack)
- Horses rated 166 or less are only 6 from last 52
- Horses that had run on ‘heavy’ ground that season have a bad record
- Horses wearing headgear have a poor recent record
- Horses that were beaten in their first Gold Cup haven’t done well
- Only 2 winners since 2000 had been beaten in the race before
- No winner since 2000 raced in that season’s Cotswold Chase
- Only 3 winners since 2000 9/1 or bigger
- Only 2 of the last 17 winners had raced more than 3 times that season
88% Of The Last 24 Gold Cup Winners Placed 1st Or Second Last Time Out
Another big Cheltenham Gold Cup trend over the years has seen a massive 21 of the last 24 winners come into the race having finished 1st or 2nd last time out.
Yes, a lot of the 2025 runners will fit the bill here – but, recently supplemented Inothewayurthinkin does fall down (4th last time).
As does last year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase runner-up Monty’s Star, who was fifth in the Irish Gold Cup recently.
But having won his last two races, Galopin Des Champs is okay on this stat.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup Trends Show That 80% Of The Last 25 Winners Ran In The Savills Chase Or King George VI Chase That Season
Finally, in of Gold Cup trial races to note – look no further than the Savills Chase and King George VI Chase as 20 of the last 25 Gold Cup winners contests one of these races.
This year, Galopin Des Champs won the 2025 Savills Chase at Leopardstown and Banbridge took the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton.
You can see each race below – but, don’t forget, this stat is for horses that just RAN in one of those two races – not just the winner.
Gold Cup Runners 2025 and Their Last Races
- Ahoy Senor – PU Fleur De Lys Chase
- Banbridge – 1st King George
- Corbetts Cross – 2nd Ascot Chase
- Galopin Des Champs – 1st Irish Gold Cup
- Gentlemansgame – 3rd Cotswold Chase
- Inothewayurthinkin – 4th Irish Gold Cup
- Monty’s Star – 5th Irish Gold Cup
- Royale Pagaille – 6th GN Trial
- The Real Whacker – 4th King George
Savills Chase 2024 Result
King George VI Chase 2024 Result
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025 Race Details
📅Date: Friday 14th March 2025
⌚Time: 4:00pm
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
🔄Trip: 3m 1/2f
💷Winning Purse: £363,999
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV
See the full Gold Cup prize money breakdown here.
Recent Cheltenham Gold Cup Winners
- 2024 – Galopin Des Champs (10/11 fav)
- 2023 – Galopin Des Champs (7/5 fav)
- 2022 – A Plus Tard (3/1 fav)
- 2021 – Minella Indo (9/1)
- 2020 – Al Boum Photo (100/30 fav)
- 2019 – Al Boum Photo (12/1)
- 2018 – Native River (5/1)
- 2017 – Sizing John (7/1)
- 2016 – Don Cossack (9/4 fav)
- 2015 – Coneygree (7/1)