Who are your current picks for the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026?
For anyone with even a remote interest in horse racing, the Cheltenham Gold cup is surely one of the most unmissable races in the UK racing calendar. Taking place on the fourth day of the prestigious Cheltenham Festival (Friday – Gold Cup Day), it’s seen by most to be the highlight of the festival, despite the fact that there are several other ‘big hitter’ races in the Festival too such as the Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase. If any jockey, trainer, or of course horse , is to be catapulted into the ‘who’s who’ category of UK racing, a Gold Cup win is the sure fire way to achieve that.
Previous, now household name winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup include the likes of Golden Miller (five years running!) in the 1930s, Arkle (three consecutive wins in the 60s), Norton’s Coin (at 100-1 in 1990) , Best Mate in the early 2000s’ and in recent years Galopin Des Champs (twice – in 2023, 2024) and Inothewayurthinkin (2025). The latter two horses are well in contention to win the 2026 race also, with Galopin Des Champs and Inothewayurthinkin both around 6-1 at time of writing with bookmakers. These will be some of the obvious betting picks for punters waging on the race, and what a story it would be if one of these two were to win again.
Others similarly priced contenders include Jango Baie, The Jukebox Man, and Gaelic Warrior. All have strong appeal with the betting public and this goes to show that the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup is likely to be a potentially very competitive affair.
Of course, some may take the fact that there is currently no clear favourite to win to mean that there’s some logic in those looking to bet punting for an outsider. As the aforementioned Nortons Coin win suggests, it’s hard to totally rule out any horse, though realistically as there have been no other 100-1+ winners, maybe it’s best to rule out the extremes and instead opt for a big priced horse that has at least something to it, in terms of why it might be in with a chance.
Former Grand National Winner, I Am Maximus could be an interesting choice at 15-1 and certainly has a quality racing CV. Maybe an each way bet could be a good choice if you feel he might be thereabouts. Affordable Fury too, at 20-1 may well be worth a punt. He’s shown he can mix it with strong opposition and stays well, and sometimes that’s enough to put a horse in contention.
Ultimately whatever you opt for come the race on 20th March 2026, best of luck in your assessment on the race and it’s outcome. Picking a winner in any Cheltenham Festival race, let alone the Gold Cup is never easy going, and amounts to a mix of skill, good fortune and a sprinkling of the indefinable. Enjoy the race!