The final day of the festival sees jockeys and trainers desperately trying to get their horses to win their final races and end the four-day festival on a high. But which races should you look out for on Gold Cup Day?
Triumph Hurdle
Tiger Roll is arguably the biggest name to have won the Triumph Hurdle when he did so back in 2014. Since then, he has also won the 2018 Grand National, suggesting that whoever wins this race has the potential to go on to bigger and better race victories.
This year’s favourite is Sir Erec, at a price of evens to win the race, and it’s hardly a surprise he has been given the nod as favourite, given his form so far this season.
Since the end of August, Sir Erec has raced on five occasions, winning four and finishing third in the other. He’s seen as one of the bankers for this festival, and with his nearest rival in the odds being Fakir Doudairies at a price of 11/2, it’s easy to see why people are backing Sir Erec.
Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle
When compared to the length of time the Cheltenham Festival has been around, the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle is one of the more recent additions to the event, having first been competed at the 2005 festival. Bobs Worth is the most famous horse to have won this race when he did so back in 2011. He added the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase a year later before claiming the 2013 Gold Cup.
Unlike the Triumph Hurdle, there is no clear favourite to win the face, but the current odds suggest Lisnagar Oscar is the most likely to win, followed closely by Battleoverdoyen, Birchdale and Commander Of Fleet.
All fours horses have produced some good results in the early season races and it is very likely that these four will produce a tightly fought contest at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Gold Cup
The pinnacle of the entire festival, the Gold Cup is the race everyone has their eyes on, and one which can turn good horses into great ones. Previous winners of the Gold Cup include legendary names like Golden Miller, Arkle, Desert Orchid, Best Mate and Kauto Star.
Presenting Percy was the favourite for this year’s Gold Cup for much of the early season, but he is now joint-favourite with Clan Des Obeaux. The former has only raced once so far this season, making it hard to get a read on exactly how prepared he is for the big race. The latter on the other hand has raced three times and looked impressive for the most part.
Last year’s winner Native River shouldn’t be discounted, but given his early season form, it’ll take something special for him to take home his second consecutive Gold Cup.