Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025

The 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup featured just nine runners, the smallest field since Don Cossack justified favouritism against eight rivals in 2016. The betting market also suggested that it was a less competitive renewal than in recent years, with the hat-trick-seeking Galopin Des Champs sent off at 8/13 favourite, King George VI Chase winner Banbridge at 13/2, Inothewayurthinkin at 15/2, Monty’s Star at 8/1 and 14/1 bar that quartet.

Owned by J. P. McManus, trained by Gavin Cromwell, in Navan, Co. Meath, and ridden by Mark Walsh, Inothewayurthinkin had 7¼ lengths to find with the favourite on their running in the Irish Gold Cup at Punchestown in early February. However, despite being officially rated 17lb inferior to Galopin Des Champs, the improving seven-year-old tackled his main market rival approaching the final fence, jumped into a clear lead and drew away on the run-in to win, readily, by six lengths. Inothewayurthinkin had been supplemented for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, at the cost of £25,000, on the Saturday before the race, but collected £364,313.57 in prize money for connections.

Galopins Des Champs was hampered and carried right when 28/1 outsider Ahoy Senor fell at the fifteenth fence, but recovered sufficiently to lead at the second-last fence, only to be swamped for pace by the winner in the closing stages. The front pair pulled a dozen lengths clear of the third horse home, Gentlemansgame, who finished just ahead of Monty’s Star, who was lucky to finish at all, having nearly parted company with jockey Rachael Blackmore at the fence at the top of the hill on the first circuit.