Having a Flutter on the Cheltenham Gold Cup

HISTORY
The first recognised Cheltenham Festival took place at Prestbury Park in 1902. The precursor to the Gold Cup, a four-mile steeplechase, for amateur riders was run in 1904. The inaugural Cheltenham Gold Cup was run in 1924, won by Red Splash. The winning prize money was £700.The last twenty-five runnings have seen eight 9-year-olds, seven 8-year-olds, five 10-year-olds and five 7-year-olds successful. Only seven of the last twenty-five favourites have won: Kauto Star 2007, Best Mate 2003 / 2004, Master Oats 1995, Desert Orchid 1989, Dawn Run in 1986, and Bregawn in 1983. Four Irish-trained horses have won in the same period: War of Attrition 2006, Kicking King 2005, Imperial Call 1996 and Dawn Run (the 1984 Champion Hurdle winner) in 1986.

THE CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP TODAY
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase run over a 3-mile, 2½ furlong course with 22 fences. The 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup is scheduled for Friday 14th March, with prize money of £450k. There are two trainers who could, theoretically, equal or even better Michael Dickinson's feat of sending out the first five, as he did in 1983. Amongst the forty-two entries, both Paul Nicholls and David Pipe have six entries each. There are some notable absentees from the entries. Irish trainer, Michael Hourigan has entered his promising Mossbank, but not Beef Or Salmon, who has run in the last five Gold Cups. The 2005 winner, Kicking King, exceeded the measured expectations of his trainer, Tom Taaffe, and all but won on his recent comeback run at Gowran Park, having been off the course for some 750 days.

CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP BETTING

N.B. Prices quoted are as at 26th January 2008.

Ante-Post Betting
The ante-post market has effectively been "killed" by the strength of Kauto Star and Denman, both from the yard of former jockey, Paul Nicholls. The current ante-post prices on offer are:
5/4 Kauto Star, 2/1 Denman, 10 Exotic Dancer, 16 Kicking King, 25/1 Mossbank, Star De Mohaison, 33 Aces Four, In Compliance, Snowy Morning, The Listener, 50 Celestial Gold, Halcon Genelardais, Madison Du Berlais, Neptune Collonges, Our Vic, Racing Demon, Tamarinbleu, Turko, 66 L'Antartique, Ollie Magern, Rule Supreme, State Of Play, Turpin Green, 100 BAR. Each-way one-quarter the odds a place 1, 2, 3.

Other Bets Available

Kauto Star to Win 2008 & 2009 Gold Cups
6/1 with betdirect

Denman to Win 2008, 2009 & 2010 Gold Cups
25/1 with betdirect

Kauto Star and Denman to finish 1st and 2nd
Priced at around 6/4 on several online betting sites.

Betting without Kauto Star and Denman
Your selection to win or be third behind the above two. Obviously, prices will be much shorter than in the outright market. Current prices with Betfair (subject to 5% commission):
4/1 Exotic Dancer, 11/2 Kicking King, 9/1 Star de Mohaison, 15/1 Mossbank, 10/1 Snowy Morning, 12/1 Aces Four, 20/1 BAR.

Betting without Kauto Star, Denman & Exotic Dancer
Best Prices: 9/2 Kicking King, 11/2 Neptune Collonges, Star de Mohaison, 7/1 Knowhere, Snowy Morning, The Listener, 9/1 Mossbank, 10/1 Our Vic, 12/1 Another Promise, Halcon Genelardais, Tamarinbleu, 14/1 Aces Four, 16/1 Lantartique, Ollie Magern, Racing Demon, 20/1 Celestial Gold, Mister Top Notch, Rule Supreme, Turko, 25/1 Monkerhostin, 33/1 BAR.

Match Bets
One horse versus another, regardless of the race result. The match between Kauto Star and Denman is likely to generate most interest. With betdirect, 4/6 Kauto Star, 6/5 Denman.

Conclusion
In a handicap race, such as the Grand National, the better horses concede weight to their lesser rivals, to allow them to compete on equal terms. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 race, NOT a handicap, with all the runners carrying 11st 10lb (with the exception of mares, who receive a 5lb allowance). This means that, theoretically, the best horse should win. As a result, the prices of the fancied runners tend to be shorter than in handicaps. However, there are a number of online markets available that exclude the market leaders, so it should be possible to have an interest in the race, without investing vast sums.