Cheltenham Festival LIVE: 5:30 result, tips and latest odds after exciting Gold Cup race
Cheltenham schedule, racecard and all the action as the Festival concludes on Day 4, Gold Cup Day
Cheltenham Festival concludes on Day 4 after a thrilling opening day to ‘the greatest show on turf’ was followed by more Irish dominance on Day 2 before a British revival sparked by the Skelton brothers yesterday.
The opening two days saw plenty of success for Willie Mullins, who finally hit his historic milestone of a century of victories at the Cheltenham Festival but went winless on St. Patrick’s Thursday. However, he’s trained the favourite of the showpiece race with Galopin Des Champs looking to retain the Gold Cup this afternoon.
Harry Skelton and Paul Townend are vying for the leading jockey title with both sitting on four wins heading into the final day while Rachael Blackmore trails behind on two and could be in contention.
More than 60,000 spectators are expected to flock to Prestbury Park again for the Festival’s conclusion looking to beat the bookmakers, with today’s schedule including the Triumph Hurdle first up at 1.30pm, as well as the County Handicap Hurdle, the Albert Bartless Novices Hurdle, and of course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Follow all of our coverage from the 2024 Cheltenham Festival below plus get the best each-way odds and tips for Day 4 here and a full analysis of the best bets in the Gold Cup here:
Expert tips for Gold Cup day
Racing ambassadors Alex Hammond, Oli Bell and Ed Chamberlin spoke to Sky Bet about their Day 3 picks, legendary former jockey Ruby Walsh shared his tips with Paddy Power and racing expert Tony Calvin makes his final day tips with Betfair.
15:30 - Cheltenham Gold Cup
Alex Hammond: “Gold Cup time and Sky Bet are paying four places rather than three. That makes me even more keen on L’Homme Presse, Venetia Williams’ horse has done well this season, returning from injury. He won at Lingfield, he run a solid race at Ascot in conditions that weren’t playing to his strengths. The team weren’t in great form then, but they’re in better form now so for me L’Homme Presse in the Gold Cup.”
Calvin says: “The Gold Cup at 15:30 looks a great race but it doesn’t make it an attractive betting medium. I’d rather be with Galopin Des Champs than against him at around evens, but that is probably his right price, in truth.
“The absence of Shishkin is a big positive for him, as the Henderson horse and Fastorslow were his most dangerous form rivals, and I sense he will take a lot of whacking.
“Fastorslow at 7.2 on the exchange is probably the bet to be had if there is one.”
Walsh: “I’ve been with Galopin Des Champs for a long time and I like everything about him. He was very good last year and he’s the best horse in here. Fastorslow will most likely chase him home. Corach Rambler or Gerri Colombe will likely be third.
Expert tips for Gold Cup day
Racing ambassadors Alex Hammond, Oli Bell and Ed Chamberlin spoke to Sky Bet about their Day 3 picks, legendary former jockey Ruby Walsh shared his tips with Paddy Power and racing expert Tony Calvin makes his final day tips with Betfair.
14:50 - Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
Oli Bell: “In the Albert Bartlett, Sky Bet are paying five places instead of three and the horse I like is trained by Harry Fry – one on the board hopefully for the Brits. Gidleigh Park is a progressive stayer, got a good form to his name and I think there is plenty left under the bonnet. With the extra places on offer, I’m going with the Brits in the Albert Bartlett with Gidleigh Park – good luck.”
Walsh says: “I’m with Readin Tommy Wrong. He’s the classiest horse in this race but keep an eye on Dancing City, who finished second behind Ballyburn and ahead of Slade Steel at Punchestown last year.”
Expert tips for Gold Cup day
Racing ambassadors Alex Hammond, Oli Bell and Ed Chamberlin spoke to Sky Bet about their Day 3 picks, legendary former jockey Ruby Walsh shared his tips with Paddy Power and racing expert Tony Calvin makes his final day tips with Betfair.
14:10 - County Hurdle
Tony Calvin has a couple of options here: “Absurde has been my lean for the County Hurdle at 14:10 ever since I did my prep for the Preview in Dublin last week - providing he got decent ground on the day.
“But surely, last year’s winner Faivoir has a big chance at these weights, just 2lb higher than winning last season and 4lb well-in here for his Imperial Cup second on Saturday (he obviously should have won, as his jockey admitted afterwards), but the obvious doubt for him is the quick turnaround.”
Walsh adds: “Zenta is Willie Mullins’ best chance but I’m with Leau Du Sud. Dan Skelton told me he really fancies him, as he did with Unexpected Party who bolted up on Wednesday, so I’ll side with him!”
Expert tips for Gold Cup day
Racing ambassadors Alex Hammond, Oli Bell and Ed Chamberlin spoke to Sky Bet about their Day 3 picks, legendary former jockey Ruby Walsh shared his tips with Paddy Power and racing expert Tony Calvin makes his final day tips with Betfair.
13:30 - Triumph Hurdle
Alex Hammond: “The first race on the final day of the festival is the Triumph Hurdle and Sky Bet are offering money back as cash if you lose. No Sir Gino here and that’s been the big story throughout the week, the Nicky Henderson horses that aren’t running. But we’ve got Sir Gino by proxy here in Salvator Mundi who’s the horse who’s finished closest to Sir Gino in his career. He’s owned by the same people as Sir Gino and is now with Willie Mullins and I hope he can run a big race in the Triumph.”
Ruby Walsh adds: “Willie Mullins has plenty of runners including Majborough, Storm Heart, Kargese and Bunting. There isn’t much between them all so I’ll take Bunting at a bigger each-way price.”
Can Galopin Des Champs go back-to-back?
Galopin Des Champs shocked many last year with a brilliant ride in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. A stacked field didn’t shorten his odds and the Willie Mullins’ trained horse set off as the 7-5 favourite.
Yet the race didn’t warrant such confidence. A tough ride for Paul Townend meant he had work to do on the final straight but Bravemansgame, the second favourite, gave up ground and trundled to the line meaning his was passed and Galopin Des Champs romped home by seven lengths.
Today’s race looks set to be another difficult one. Bravemansgame is still a threat but the biggest challenge is expected from Fastorslow who has traded wins with Galopin Des Champs in recent times.
Very few horses win the Gold Cup in consecutive years, can Galopin Des Champs become the latest one to do so?
When is the Gold Cup? Start time and runners for 2024 Cheltenham Festival showpiece
The Gold Cup will headline Friday’s racing at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, as Galopin Des Champs returns chasing a second successive triumph in the showpiece event.
Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, Galopin’s Gold Cup glory would cap another dream week for the Irish duo, who were leading the trainer and jockey standings respectively after the Festival’s first two days having dominated Cheltenham over the past half a dozen years.
The 2024 edition of the Gold Cup marks the centenary of the race, first won by Red Splash in 1924.
When is the Gold Cup? Start time and runners for Cheltenham Festival showpiece
The 2024 Gold Cup marks the centenary for the historic horse race
Hewick out of Gold Cup
Hewick, the King George VI Chase winner, has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. Trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon walked the course on Thursday and decided the ground was too soft to suit his horse.
Hewick, who was bought for just £800, may line-up at next month’s Grand National in Aintree.
Cheltenham Racegoer who pulled sickie caught out by boss after being spotted on live TV report
A Cheltenham Racegoer who called in sick to work so he could attend the popular event was caught out by his boss after he was spotted on live TV.
The man was spotted on a live segment of This Morning on Thursday (14 March), when presenters Josie Gibson and Sam Thompson visited the race ground.
Later in the show, Ben Shephard read out a message the show had received from a man called Harry, who claimed to spot his colleague in the background of the live Cheltenham report and said his boss was now aware.
Presenter Cat Deeley laughed as she declared “he is in trouble”.
Prestbury Cup standings
Things are quite close in the Prestbury Cup after a storming day for Great Britain yesterday. They still trail by four meaning they must win six of the seven races today to claim the bragging rights.
Zara Tindall speaks about her time at Cheltenham
Zara Tindall, who has been at the Cheltenham Festival with her husband Mike this week, spoke about her time at the racecourse.
She said: “It’s been good this week, it’s been busy. It’s great to have racing this week and be involved. There has been some incredible racing - it’s exciting.
“Today has been an amazing day. More winners from the English trainers, so that’s great. That was incredible for Sir Alex Ferguson (to have two winners) today. The support he’s given the sport over the years, it’s great to get payback with a couple of winners. He’s an incredible advocate for the sport.”
Asked if Queen Camilla and the Princess Royal have enjoyed their time at Cheltenham this week, she said: “Yeah, I think everyone loves their racing and they love the horses, that’s why everyone gets involved. We’ve been involved with horses for a long time, so we always love being at Cheltenham.
“Getting them all along is great fun and some time to hang out together. I’ve put no money on whatsoever. I’m too busy for that.”
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