- Cheltenham Gold Cup
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Coordinates: 51°55′13″N 2°3′28″W / 51.92028°N 2.05778°W
Grade 1 race
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The 2008 Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup,
won by Denman.Location Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham, EnglandInaugurated 1924 Race type Chase Sponsor Totesport Website Cheltenham Race information Distance 3m 2½f (5,331 metres) Track Turf, left-handed Qualification Five-years-old and up Weight 11 st 9 lb (5yo);
11 st 10 lb (6yo+)
Allowances
7 lb for maresPurse £475,000 (2010)
1st: £270,798The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs (5,331 metres), and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
It is the most prestigious of all National Hunt events, and it is sometimes referred to as the Blue Riband of jump racing. Its roll of honour features the names of such highly acclaimed chasers as Arkle, Golden Miller, Kauto Star and Mill House. The Gold Cup is at present the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain, and in 2010 it offered a total prize fund of £475,000.
Contents
History
Early years
The first horse race known as the Cheltenham Gold Cup took place in July 1819. It was a flat race, and it was contested over 3 miles on Cleeve Hill, which overlooks the present venue. The inaugural winner, Spectre, won a prize of 100 guineas for his owner.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run as a jumps race on March 12, 1924. A prize of £685 was awarded to the owner of the winning horse. The event originally took place on what is now the "Old Course" at Cheltenham. In its early years it was overshadowed at the Festival by another race, the National Hunt Chase.
The Gold Cup was abandoned in 1931 (because of frost) and 1937 (flooding), but the five intervening years saw the emergence of the most successful horse in the event's history. All five races from 1932 to 1936 were won by Golden Miller, who also won the Grand National in 1934.
During World War II the Gold Cup was cancelled twice, in 1943 and 1944. The first multiple winner of the post-war years was Cottage Rake, who won the three runnings from 1948 to 1950. Cottage Rake was trained in Ireland by Vincent O'Brien, and his successes helped to popularize the Gold Cup, and the Festival itself, with the Irish public.
Modern era
The Gold Cup was switched to the "New Course" in 1959, and this is now the regular track used for the event. In the mid 1960s the race was dominated by Arkle, who won three consecutive runnings from 1964 to 1966. Such was Arkle's perceived superiority before the last of these victories that he was given a starting price of 1/10 (a £10 bet would have won £1). He remains the shortest-priced winner in the race's history.
The first commercial sponsorship of the race was by Piper Champagne, which began supporting the event in 1975. The Tote (now known as Totesport) became the sponsor in 1980.
The most remarkable feat in the Gold Cup by a trainer came in 1983, when Michael Dickinson was responsible for all of the first five horses to finish – Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House. The 1986 winner, Dawn Run, is the only horse to have ever won both this race and the leading hurdle event, the Champion Hurdle. One of the most popular horses to win the Gold Cup was Desert Orchid, a grey who won the event in 1989. The following year's running was won by Norton's Coin, whose starting price of 100/1 represents the race's longest ever winning price.
The entire Cheltenham Festival was cancelled in 2001 because of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. A replacement for the Cheltenham Gold Cup – the Gold Trophy Chase – was contested at Sandown in late April, but the Racing Post stated that this "lacked any strength in depth and was no substitute for the Gold Cup".[1] The next three runnings were all won by Best Mate, who is the most recent of the four horses to have won the race three or more times.
In 2009, Kauto Star became the first horse to regain the Gold Cup. He overcame his stablemate and conqueror in 2008, Denman, who had recovered from a heart condition to take his place in the race.[2] Timeform spokesperson Kieran Packman said of Kauto Star's performance, "it is the best Gold Cup-winning figure since the Arkle era in the mid-1960s".[3] Kauto Star failed to regain the cup in 2010, falling four from home despite being odds-on favourite.[4]
One of the cups, a different one being awarded each year, was reported stolen on 14 July 2010 after a burglary at a home in Wormington, Gloucestershire.[5]
Records
Most successful horse (5 wins):
- Golden Miller – 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936
Leading jockey (4 wins):
- Pat Taaffe – Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- Tom Dreaper – Prince Regent (1946), Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)
Leading owner (7 wins):
- Dorothy Paget – Golden Miller (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936), Roman Hackle (1940), Mont Tremblant (1952)
Winners
- Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".
Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner 1924 Red Splash 5 Dick Rees Fred Withington Humphrey Wyndham 1925 Ballinode 9 Ted Leader Frank Morgan Christopher Bentley 1926 Koko 8 Tim Hamey Alfred Bickley Frank Barbour 1927 Thrown In 11 Mr Hugh Grosvenor Owen Anthony 2nd Lord Stalbridge 1928 Patron Saint 5 Dick Rees Stanley Harrison F. W. Keen 1929 Easter Hero 9 Dick Rees Jack Anthony John Hay Whitney 1930 Easter Hero 10 Tommy Cullinan Jack Anthony John Hay Whitney no race 1931 [1] 1932 Golden Miller 5 Ted Leader Basil Briscoe Dorothy Paget 1933 Golden Miller 6 Billy Stott Basil Briscoe Dorothy Paget 1934 Golden Miller 7 Gerry Wilson Basil Briscoe Dorothy Paget 1935 Golden Miller 8 Gerry Wilson Basil Briscoe Dorothy Paget 1936 Golden Miller 9 Evan Williams Owen Anthony Dorothy Paget no race 1937 [1] 1938 Morse Code 9 Danny Morgan Ivor Anthony Dealtry C. Part 1939 Brendan's Cottage 9 George Owen George Beeby Jean Smith-Bingham 1940 Roman Hackle 7 Evan Williams Owen Anthony Dorothy Paget 1941 Poet Prince 9 Roger Burford Ivor Anthony David Sherbrooke 1942 Medoc II 8 Frenchie Nicholson Reg Hobbs 7th Earl of Sefton no race 1943–44 [2] 1945 Red Rower 11 Davy Jones 2nd Lord Stalbridge 2nd Lord Stalbridge 1946 Prince Regent 11 Tim Hyde Tom Dreaper Jimmy Rank 1947 Fortina 6 Mr Richard Black Hector Christie 3rd Baron Grimthorpe 1948 Cottage Rake 9 Aubrey Brabazon Vincent O'Brien Frank Vickerman 1949 Cottage Rake 10 Aubrey Brabazon Vincent O'Brien Frank Vickerman 1950 Cottage Rake 11 Aubrey Brabazon Vincent O'Brien Frank Vickerman 1951 Silver Fame 12 Martin Molony George Beeby 1st Baron Bicester 1952 Mont Tremblant 6 Dave Dick Fulke Walwyn Dorothy Paget 1953 Knock Hard 9 Tim Molony Vincent O'Brien Moya Keogh 1954 Four Ten 8 Tommy Cusack John Roberts Alan Strange 1955 Gay Donald 9 Tony Grantham Jim Ford Philip Burt 1956 Limber Hill 9 Jimmy Power Bill Dutton James Davey 1957 Linwell 9 Michael Scudamore Charlie Mallon David Brown 1958 Kerstin 8 Stan Hayhurst Verly Bewicke George H. Moore 1959 Roddy Owen 10 Bobby Beasley Danny Morgan 12th Earl of Fingall 1960 Pas Seul 7 Bill Rees Bob Turnell John Rogerson 1961 Saffron Tartan 10 Fred Winter Don Butchers Guy Westmacott 1962 Mandarin 11 Fred Winter Fulke Walwyn Peggy Hennessy 1963 Mill House 6 Willie Robinson Fulke Walwyn Bill Gollings 1964 Arkle 7 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper Duchess of Westminster 1965 Arkle 8 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper Duchess of Westminster 1966 Arkle 9 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper Duchess of Westminster 1967 Woodland Venture 7 Terry Biddlecombe Fred Rimell Harry Collins 1968 Fort Leney 10 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper John Thomson 1969 What a Myth 12 Paul Kelleway Ryan Price Lady Lucy Weir 1970 L'Escargot 7 Tommy Carberry Dan Moore Raymond R. Guest 1971 L'Escargot 8 Tommy Carberry Dan Moore Raymond R. Guest 1972 Glencaraig Lady 8 Frank Berry Francis Flood Patrick Doyle 1973 The Dikler 10 Ron Barry Fulke Walwyn Peggy August 1974 Captain Christy 7 Bobby Beasley Pat Taaffe Jane Samuel 1975 Ten Up 8 Tommy Carberry Jim Dreaper Duchess of Westminster 1976 Royal Frolic 7 John Burke Fred Rimell Sir Edward Hanmer 1977 Davy Lad 7 Dessie Hughes Mick O'Toole Anne-Marie McGowan 1978 Midnight Court 7 John Francome Fred Winter Olive Jackson 1979 Alverton 9 Jonjo O'Neill Peter Easterby Snailwell Stud Co. 1980 Master Smudge [3] 8 Richard Hoare Arthur Barrow Arthur Barrow 1981 Little Owl 7 Mr Jim Wilson Peter Easterby Robin & Jim Wilson 1982 Silver Buck 10 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson Christine Feather 1983 Bregawn 9 Graham Bradley Michael Dickinson James Kennelly 1984 Burrough Hill Lad 8 Phil Tuck Jenny Pitman Stan Riley 1985 Forgive 'n Forget 8 Mark Dwyer Jimmy FitzGerald Tim Kilroe & Sons Ltd 1986 Dawn Run 8 Jonjo O'Neill Paddy Mullins Charmian Hill 1987 The Thinker 9 Ridley Lamb Arthur Stephenson Tom McDonagh 1988 Charter Party 10 Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson Smith / Mould 1989 Desert Orchid 10 Simon Sherwood David Elsworth Richard Burridge 1990 Norton's Coin 9 Graham McCourt Sirrel Griffiths Sirrel Griffiths 1991 Garrison Savannah 8 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman Autofour Engineering 1992 Cool Ground 10 Adrian Maguire Toby Balding Whitcombe Manor Racing 1993 Jodami 8 Mark Dwyer Peter Beaumont John Yeadon 1994 The Fellow 9 Adam Kondrat François Doumen Marquesa de Moratalla 1995 Master Oats 9 Norman Williamson Kim Bailey Paul Matthews 1996 Imperial Call 7 Conor O'Dwyer Fergie Sutherland Lisselan Farms Ltd 1997 Mr Mulligan 9 Tony McCoy Noel Chance M. & G. Worcester 1998 Cool Dawn 10 Andrew Thornton Robert Alner Dido Harding 1999 See More Business 9 Mick Fitzgerald Paul Nicholls Barber / Keighley 2000 Looks Like Trouble 8 Richard Johnson Noel Chance Tim Collins no race 2001 [4] 2002 Best Mate 7 Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight Jim Lewis 2003 Best Mate 8 Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight Jim Lewis 2004 Best Mate 9 Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight Jim Lewis 2005 Kicking King 7 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe Conor Clarkson 2006 War Of Attrition 7 Conor O'Dwyer Mouse Morris Gigginstown House Stud 2007 Kauto Star 7 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls Clive D. Smith 2008 Denman 8 Sam Thomas Paul Nicholls Barber / Findlay 2009 Kauto Star 9 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls Clive D. Smith 2010 Imperial Commander 9 Paddy Brennan Nigel Twiston-Davies Our Friends in the North 2011 Long Run 6 Mr Sam Waley-Cohen Nicky Henderson Robert Waley-Cohen 1 The race was abandoned in 1931 because of frost, and in 1937 because of flooding.
2 It was cancelled in 1943 and 1944 because of World War II.
3 Tied Cottage finished first in 1980, but he was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.
4 The 2001 running was cancelled due to a foot-and-mouth crisis.Further reading
- Declan Colley, 2010, When Bobby Met Christy - The Story of Bobby Beasley and a Wayward Horse, Collins Press
References
- ^ "Tote Gold Trophy Chase (2001)". racingpost.com. April 27, 2001. http://www.racingpost.com/horses/result_home.sd?race_id=299710&r_date=2001-04-27. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ "Historic Gold Cup win for Kauto". bbc.co.uk. March 13, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/7815679.stm. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ Wood, Greg (March 15, 2009). "Kauto still not as good as Dessie, despite second Cup". London: guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/mar/15/horseracing-cheltenham-kauto-star-gold-cup-desert-orchid. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ BBC Sport report http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/8456899.stm
- ^ "Cheltenham Gold Cup Stolen From House". Sky News. 14 July 2010. http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Cheltenham-Gold-Cup-Horseracing-Trophy-Stolen-From-Address-In-Wormington-Gloucestershire/Article/201007215665142?f=rss. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
- cheltenham.co.uk – Media information pack (2010).
- horseracinghistory.co.uk – Cheltenham Gold Cup.
- pedigreequery.com – Cheltenham Gold Cup – Cheltenham.
- tbheritage.com – Cheltenham Gold Cup.
- The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. 1993. p. 234. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.
See also
Tuesday Supreme Novices' Hurdle · Arkle Challenge Trophy · Stewart Family Spinal Research Handicap Chase · Champion Hurdle · Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase · David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle · Centenary Novices' Handicap ChaseWednesday National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup · Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle · RSA Chase · Queen Mother Champion Chase · Coral Cup · Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle · Champion BumperThursday Jewson Novices' Chase · Pertemps Final · Ryanair Chase · World Hurdle · Byrne Group Plate · Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge CupFriday Triumph Hurdle · Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle · Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle · Cheltenham Gold Cup · Christie's Foxhunter Chase · Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle · Johnny Henderson Grand Annual ChaseDiscontinued Cathcart Challenge CupCategories:- National Hunt races in Great Britain
- Cheltenham Racecourse
- National Hunt chases
- Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Sport in Cheltenham
- Recurring sporting events established in 1924
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