Coral Gold Cup Tips & Odds

The history of the Coral Gold Cup 

Few races can match the Coral Gold Cup for history with the some of the greatest horses of all time winning the famous contest.

First run in 1957, the contest will forever be known as the Hennessy Gold Cup which was the name of the race up until recently when it has fallen under the sponsorship of a bookmaker. The contest was initially staged at Cheltenham before being moved to Newbury in 1960 where it has become a staple of the season and remains a highly sought after race to win.

Traditionally it has been seen as a trial race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with nine horses winning both in the same season. Native River was the last to do so back in 2018. It is fair to say that the race has lost some of its lustre over the past decade but the quality of the roll of honour remains very high and we can look forward to another excellent spectacle this season.

Who is the most iconic winner of the Coral Gold Cup?

The Coral Gold Cup is synonymous with legendary weight carrying performances with a number of horses in particular producing performances in the race that will go down in history. Mill House and Burrough Hill Lad both lumped 12st to glory at Newbury while more recently it was Denman who win the race twice off top weight, with his second win in 2009 a performance for the ages from a horse who had suffered heart problems.

Top of the tree though has to be Arkle who is widely considered to be the greatest national hunt horse of all time and that is largely down to his performances in the Hennessy Gold Cup, as it was known. "Himself" came over from Ireland in 1964 and 1965 to carry 12st8lbs to glory in two performances that are scarcely believable, especially when you look at the quality of his opposition in those races.

Are there any trials for the Coral Gold Cup?

The Coral Gold Cup will often be the early season target for a number of second season chasers which means the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival has tended to produce a number of runner at Newbury the following November or December. We could also see animals from the novices handicap chase at Prestbury Park improve towards a tilt at the Coral Gold Cup, while the staying handicap chase races at the October Cheltenham meeting are worth keeping an eye on as trainers look to to get their contenders spot on for the big assignment at Newbury.