Cheltenham Gold Cup Day: stats and trends for every race

No fewer than nine of the past 12 winners ran in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February, with Quilixios and Vauban doing the double in recent years. This season’s renewal was won by Hello Neighbour, who is unbeaten in four starts on the Flat and over hurdles. Willie Mullins has landed four of the past five runnings and runs 11 this time.

Half of the past 18 winners have been trained by a member of the Mullins family (Willie x 7, Thomas x 1 and Tony x 1), while Dan Skelton, who has had four winners of the race during this time, seems to enjoy lining one up for this contest. Only two winners this century have scored off a rating in the 150s, so beware supporting Daddy Long Legs. By contrast, the past two victors have run off 134 and 138. 

It’s only the fifth running of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, so we don’t have many stats or trends to play with. But it is worth recognising that 17 of the 32 races run at the Festival exclusively for mares in recent years have been won by French-breds. This year’s favourite, Dinoblue, was herself bred in France. She looked an unlucky runner-up in this last year and, like the past three winners, is owned by JP McManus. 

Stellar Story became the tenth of the past 11 winners to go off at double-figure odds last year. The SPs have been 50-1, 33-1 (three times), 18-1 (twice), 16-1, 14-1 (twice) and 11-1. It is safe to say that it has been a bookmaker benefit with At Fisher Cross (2013) being the last favourite to oblige. Among the 20 winners of the race, Monkfish and The Nice Guy are the only victors not to have won or been placed in a Graded novice hurdle beforehand, although the former had won his previous two starts and the latter was unbeaten. 

Golden Miller won the Gold Cup five years in succession (1932-1936) when it was regarded as the main trial for the . Cottage Rake (1948-50), Arkle (1964-66) and Best Mate (2002-04) have been triple winners and Galopin Des Champs will join this elite band if he triumphs for a third time. Cottage Rake subsequently lost his form, Arkle was injured in the King George later in the year and was retired, while Best Mate ran on just three more occasions. Al Boum Photo, also trained by Willie Mullins, was the last horse to bid for three Gold Cup wins. He finished third, when 9-4 favourite, in his hat-trick attempt. 

Perhaps appropriately, 31 of the past 36 winners began their careers in point-to-points or hunter chases. Seven of the past 15 winners had finished in the first five in a previous year’s renewal, so don’t rule out Its On The Line making it third time lucky after being runner-up in the past two editions. This year’s favourite, Angels Dawn, did not start in the point-to-point arena, and will be having her first run in the race, although she did win at the Festival two years ago. 

Nine of the past 14 renewals have been plundered by Irish runners, with all bar two of them having their first run in a handicap. None of Willie Mullins’ four winners had previously run over hurdles more than three times but a rule change means all runners must now have had a minimum of five runs. His runners include well touted French recruit Kopeck De Mee, absent since having his fifth run over hurdles ten months ago. David Pipe would naturally love to win the race that honours his father but he is not represented. Since the first running, in 2009, Pipe has had 23 runners and got no closer than third. Big Eared Fran (third in 2009 at 7-2); Ashkazar (seventh in 2010 at 9-2) and Gevrey Chambertin (pulled up at 9-4) all went off favourite, while he has had four other runners beaten at single-figure odds.