Who are favourites for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2025?
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most iconic festivals in UK racing and is almost upon us again in 2025. With races such as the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase and the Ryanair Steeple Chase, it’s clear why it’s so well loved. Of course, the Gold Cup is by far the most popular race at Cheltenham, and this year’s edition is set to further reaffirm this.
Looking through the expected field shows some top-class trainers, horses and jockeys ready to battle it out. But who are the favourites for this year’s Gold Cup?
Galopin Des Champs
As shown at Oddschecker (https://www.oddschecker.com/cheltenham-festival/gold-cup-runners), Galopin Des Champs is many people’s hot favourite for this iconic race in 2025.
This is no surprise when you think that he won the event in both 2023 and 2024. Another victory in 2025 would be his third Gold Cup on the bounce and provides plenty of motivation for jockey Paul Townend to bring him home first.
To really get a feel for why he’s so many people’s favourite, you have to take into account his recent form. A first place at the back end of December 2024 in the Class 1 Savills Chase was impressive enough, but this was followed by a third Irish Gold Cup on the spin at Leopardstown in early February 2025. It leaves Galopin Des Champs in top form and looking like the one to beat.
Fact To File
If anyone is going to spoil the party for Galopin Des Champs, another Willie Mullins horse in the shape of Fact To File looks most likely. He won well as a novice at Cheltenham 2024 and this will stand him in good stead at this year’s event.
Another positive sign for his chances is having top jockey Mark Walsh on board. He knows what it takes to win at the festival and has done so multiple times before (including a 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle win on Sire Du Berlais). He’s also ridden Fact To File to numerous wins previously – including a victory over Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Chase. However, Fact To File’s last two races have seen him lose out to Galopin Des Champs and this is a concerning sign.
Banbridge
Banbridge is up there in the betting for the Gold Cup and is trained by Joseph Patrick O’Brien. There’s no doubt that he has the talent to stake his claim come race day, and he showed this with a fine win in the King George at Kempton recently.
He needs to continue with this form for the Gold Cup and put behind him the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork in early December, when he unseated his rider. One thing that does go in this horse’s favour is how well he reacted to stepping up in distance last time out. This suggests unexposed form at this trip, but it remains to be seen how well he handles the stamina-sapping Gold Cup run-in.
Corbetts Cross
Although a sixth at Kempton in December doesn’t bode well, this horse did win at Cheltenham in 2024! Some horses come alive at certain events and it wouldn’t surprise you to see Corbetts Cross loving being back at Cheltenham Racecourse. He needs to really up his game to take on Galopin Des Champs, but coming first in the Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase shows that he knows how to win.
Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025: Galopin Des Champs looks favourite
While it’s impossible to be certain about anything in racing, it’s clear that Galopin Des Champs is the Gold Cup favourite in 2025. He’s streets ahead in the betting and this hints that plenty of punters fancy him to make it a third race win on the trot. It’s no foregone conclusion though, with Fact To File, Banbridge and Corbetts Cross being his main rivals.