£15,000 reward for return of Gold Cup trophy

A racehorse owner is putting up a £15,000 reward for the return of a Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy, police said today.

The solid gold trophy was one of several cups taken from the home of multimillionaire Raymond Mould in Wormington, Gloucestershire.

He is offering the reward for anyone who can secure the return of all items taken during the burglary at about 6.50am on Wednesday.

A Gloucestershire police spokesman said: "Mr Mould is putting up a personal amount of money, £15,000, for information that leads to a successful arrest and the recovery of the items."

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of horseracing's most famous trophies, with a new one cast every year.

The stolen trophy was won in 1988 by Charter Party, which was trained by the late David Nicholson and ridden by Richard Dunwoody.

Sent off at 10-1, the gelding beat Cavvies Clown by six lengths in the colours of Claire Smith and Mould's late wife Jenny.

Mr Dunwoody said the theft was a "big blow" and added: "The Gold Cup is the pinnacle of our sport. It is arguably the most prestigious race in our sport.

"It doesn't personally affect me but I am disappointed and it must be a huge disappointment to Raymond to have lost these trophies.

"Hopefully they will be able to recover them.

"It's a big blow really. It was one of the highlights of my career winning the Gold Cup, it was a great day."

He said: "I would imagine Raymond had some pretty prestigious trophies. He has owned the winners of some of the biggest races so I would imagine there are some very prestigious trophies there."

A Challenge Cup trophy and a Britannia Handicap Cup trophy were also stolen.

Bronze ornaments in the shape of a hare, a spaniel with a pheasant in its mouth and two horses being ridden by jockeys were also stolen, along with a dark wooden clock with gold sides and a gold mechanism, two silver trophies, a silver fisherman ornament and a cigarette case, police said.

The total value of the haul was put at £150,000.

Gloucestershire Police said they wanted to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area.