2026 Gold Cup

[Carnage at Taunton]

It's the same as previous years with Lossiemouth and State Man in the CH. As it stands, there is zero chance that PT gets off GDC to ride Gaelic Warrior. Ergo, as it stands, GW goes to the Ryanair. Ricci will be 100% in favour if he gets PT to ride.

Big shame if that’s the case imo
Gold cup should have the the top 3m type staying chasers imo and GW is one of them.
I hope Ricci gets another that might get him the big one rather than another Ryanair.

 

[archie]

Willie tends to listen to his senior jockey and it's done him ok so far.

If Gaelic Warrior beats GDC at the DRF, things may change but, as it stands.....

 

[Guinness Village]

It's the same as previous years with Lossiemouth and State Man in the CH. As it stands, there is zero chance that PT gets off GDC to ride Gaelic Warrior. Ergo, as it stands, GW goes to the Ryanair. Ricci will be 100% in favour if he gets PT to ride.

Interesting. I suppose it would be Patrick on GW if he went gold cup

 

[Guinness Village]

I can feel some nrnb doubles popping up on Thursday

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

Willie tends to listen to his senior jockey and it's done him ok so far.

If Gaelic Warrior beats GDC at the DRF, things may change but, as it stands.....

Yep, seems that way
Shame for the sport imo.

If GW beats GDC, they would be really popular if he went Ryanair!!

 

[riccirich]

Willie tends to listen to his senior jockey and it's done him ok so far.

If Gaelic Warrior beats GDC at the DRF, things may change but, as it stands.....

Yeah, as i said though this could be a bit different from the lossie/state man situation.

They went into the ryanair single handed last year with fact to file, no ride for townend and they were confident fact to file would be very hard to beat, which turned out to be the case. If the race shaped up the same this year and they expected him to repeat last years performance, he'd go off even shorter.

I'm not sure in that scenario they'd run gaelic warrior too, for the sole reason of making Paul townend happy. When even if galopin won at the drf, he'd very likely be nowhere near as strong a fave for the gold cup as fact to file in the ryanair. I think mullins and ricci would also be fine with Patrick getting a good chance to win an open gold cup. Given what Patrick winning the national meant to willie, the chance of him winning a gold cup could be more appealing than another dart at a ryanair he already feels he has sewn up. Just to suit Paul townend.

 

[Black Dog]

Willie may also want to give Patrick a good chance of adding a Gold Cup to his Grand National. As stated above,I've just noticed.

 

[Odddog]

If GDC couldn’t win the 2025 Gold Cup, why can he win the 2026 renewal? Last Season he (apparently) had the ideal prep yet was found wanting at the business end in March.

 

[Guinness Village]

What a gold cup this May turn out to be

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

If GDC couldn’t win the 2025 Gold Cup, why can he win the 2026 renewal? Last Season he (apparently) had the ideal prep yet was found wanting at the business end in March.

Yep, he’s vulnerable, another dart with a proven stayer with the class,makes perfect sense to me

 

[somer1]

If GDC couldn’t win the 2025 Gold Cup, why can he win the 2026 renewal? Last Season he (apparently) had the ideal prep yet was found wanting at the business end in March.

Wasnt the same thing said about Kauto Star, Im sure he won it twice in 3 years

 

[Odddog]

Yep, he’s vulnerable, another dart with a proven stayer with the class,makes perfect sense to me

I must admit I've fallen out of love a bit with the Cheltenham Gold Cup. I find it too attritional and see it as being beyond the line between class and stamina. When I saw Galopin Des Champs on chase debut at Leopardstown (28th December 2021) I just thought "wow, what a hugely impressive, athletic horse" and yet his career since then has been about curbing that enthusiasm, that panache, that energy and turning him into an animal that can hold a pace for the Gold Cup distance. It was the same with Flemenstar a few years ago - a brilliant, imperious novice chaser and yet they tried to make hima Gold Cup horse and ruined him.

When horses like Synchronised and Inothewayurthinkin win Gold Cups it is, for me, a triumph of dour over exciting, of stamina over exuberance. I know I'm rambling a bit (had a few glasses of wine) but some Gold Cup winners don't get my juices flowing. Kauto and Denman both did, as did Coneygree ("a novice, the first for forty years, wins the Gold Cup"). I also don't like the fact that the top staying chasers don't run very often. Haiti Couleurs has been a revelation in this respect and I have so much respect for how they have gone about things with him - just fantastic.

I loved the King George this year, 4 horses flying over the last fence at top speed and all with a chance of winning. We very, very rarely see that in the Gold Cup (I think Kauto v Denman v Long Run was the last time) and somehow, for me, the race has lost its romance.

 

[Wayward Lad]

Wasnt the same thing said about Kauto Star, Im sure he won it twice in 3 years

Not when he was 10 years old…….GDC will be 10 come March

Last win for Kauto was when he was 9

Although he was 8/11 fav to win the GC when he was 10

 

[Wayward Lad]

I must admit I've fallen out of love a bit with the Cheltenham Gold Cup. I find it too attritional and see it as being beyond the line between class and stamina. When I saw Galopin Des Champs on chase debut at Leopardstown (28th December 2021) I just thought "wow, what a hugely impressive, athletic horse" and yet his career since then has been about curbing that enthusiasm, that panache, that energy and turning him into an animal that can hold a pace for the Gold Cup distance. It was the same with Flemenstar a few years ago - a brilliant, imperious novice chaser and yet they tried to make hima Gold Cup horse and ruined him.

When horses like Synchronised and Inothewayurthinkin win Gold Cups it is, for me, a triumph of dour over exciting, of stamina over exuberance. I know I'm rambling a bit (had a few glasses of wine) but some Gold Cup winners don't get my juices flowing. Kauto and Denman both did, as did Coneygree ("a novice, the first for forty years, wins the Gold Cup"). I also don't like the fact that the top staying chasers don't run very often. Haiti Couleurs has been a revelation in this respect and I have so much respect for how they have gone about things with him - just fantastic.

I loved the King George this year, 4 horses flying over the last fence at top speed and all with a chance of winning. We very, very rarely see that in the Gold Cup (I think Kauto v Denman v Long Run was the last time) and somehow, for me, the race has lost its romance.

I can clearly remember that GDC chase debut at Leopardstown and the enthusiastic and impressive round of jumping……it was “wow” expectations delivered and some!……especially as I had a large stake/price ante post slip for the BANC and thought I just had to wait for March and collect as nothing was going to beat this horse over three miles

 

[Kauto’s star]

Imo they will know that GW has a serious chance in the GC.
GDC is vulnerable now, and whilst still a big player they imo should run both.

Spot on. Why would they need to run GW in the Ryanair if they have it sewn up with FTF. GDC is nowhere near a banker in the GC.

 

[Ellisgittings]

I think the whole point is that Paul would very likely love to ride Gaelic and Galopin. But he wouldn't get off Galopin in a Gold Cup for anything, so might be leaning them towards running Gaelic in a Ryanair

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

I think the whole point is that Paul would very likely love to ride Gaelic and Galopin. But he wouldn't get off Galopin in a Gold Cup for anything, so might be leaning them towards running Gaelic in a Ryanair

Yep, sounds like it.
To me the whole point of it is to have the top horses in the top races allowing the top races to have more quality.
Jockey can get told what’s happening as far as I’m concerned.
Not that it’s anything to do with me
Pisses me off to be honest.

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

I must admit I've fallen out of love a bit with the Cheltenham Gold Cup. I find it too attritional and see it as being beyond the line between class and stamina. When I saw Galopin Des Champs on chase debut at Leopardstown (28th December 2021) I just thought "wow, what a hugely impressive, athletic horse" and yet his career since then has been about curbing that enthusiasm, that panache, that energy and turning him into an animal that can hold a pace for the Gold Cup distance. It was the same with Flemenstar a few years ago - a brilliant, imperious novice chaser and yet they tried to make hima Gold Cup horse and ruined him.

When horses like Synchronised and Inothewayurthinkin win Gold Cups it is, for me, a triumph of dour over exciting, of stamina over exuberance. I know I'm rambling a bit (had a few glasses of wine) but some Gold Cup winners don't get my juices flowing. Kauto and Denman both did, as did Coneygree ("a novice, the first for forty years, wins the Gold Cup"). I also don't like the fact that the top staying chasers don't run very often. Haiti Couleurs has been a revelation in this respect and I have so much respect for how they have gone about things with him - just fantastic.

I loved the King George this year, 4 horses flying over the last fence at top speed and all with a chance of winning. We very, very rarely see that in the Gold Cup (I think Kauto v Denman v Long Run was the last time) and somehow, for me, the race has lost its romance.

I guess the Ryanair don’t help in that regard.
If we have those four from the KG along with the Savills runners plus some that never ran over Xmas, it’s just possible your love could return!!
Hopefully the Ryanair doesn’t attract some of them and we get a classic gold cup.

 

[Lobos]

If GDC couldn’t win the 2025 Gold Cup, why can he win the 2026 renewal? Last Season he (apparently) had the ideal prep yet was found wanting at the business end in March.

He just didn't fire on the day for whatever reason. Ran very flat by his standards. Don't think it was anything to do with age catching up with him.

 

[Durham Edition]

Yeah, as i said though this could be a bit different from the lossie/state man situation.

They went into the ryanair single handed last year with fact to file, no ride for townend and they were confident fact to file would be very hard to beat, which turned out to be the case. If the race shaped up the same this year and they expected him to repeat last years performance, he'd go off even shorter.

I'm not sure in that scenario they'd run gaelic warrior too, for the sole reason of making Paul townend happy. When even if galopin won at the drf, he'd very likely be nowhere near as strong a fave for the gold cup as fact to file in the ryanair. I think mullins and ricci would also be fine with Patrick getting a good chance to win an open gold cup. Given what Patrick winning the national meant to willie, the chance of him winning a gold cup could be more appealing than another dart at a ryanair he already feels he has sewn up. Just to suit Paul townend.

Good shout, I remember PT trying his best to convince JOB that Banbridge didn't want the extra 2 furlongs in the Gold Cup.