Cheltenham Day 4 Tips: Gold Cup Day Selections for All Seven Races

Cheltenham Festival 2026 reaches its grand finale on Friday as the meeting builds towards the most famous race of the week, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Gold Cup Day brings another packed seven-race programme to Prestbury Park, with the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup the undisputed centrepiece of the afternoon alongside fiercely competitive handicaps and the always-popular lucky last, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle.

Billy Grimshaw has gone through the full Friday card and here are his Cheltenham Festival Day 4 tips for every race on the final day at Cheltenham.

If you're searching for more selections across the week, you can also check out our complete Cheltenham Festival tips guide where we analyse the best betting opportunities across all four days of the meeting.

13:20 Triumph Hurdle

SELMA DE VARY made a highly encouraging start for her new stable when finishing second on debut for the yard behind the then hot Triumph Hurdle favourite Narcisco Has at Leopardstown. That run is particularly notable now given that Narcisco Has has since suffered a setback and will miss Cheltenham 2026, leaving the race looking far more open than it once did.

Things did not go entirely smoothly for Selma De Vary in the early stages that day. She made a few mistakes and looked a little raw at times, but once the penny began to drop she finished her race with plenty of purpose and hinted that there is significant improvement still to come. It was the kind of performance that immediately put her on the radar for the Triumph Hurdle.

Punters who noted the run but held off backing her may now regret that decision, as she has shortened dramatically in the betting since. Wearing the famous Ricci colours, she will be looking to emulate Lossiemouth, who famously landed this race for the same ownership team just a few years ago.

14:00 County Hurdle

The County Hurdle has been dominated in recent years by two of the sport’s most powerful yards, with Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins responsible for eight of the last ten winners. It is therefore no surprise to see both stables again well represented as they bid to add another victory to their impressive records in this fiercely competitive handicap.

Absurde is an obvious contender to consider. Although he is not getting any younger, he showed he still retains plenty of ability when finishing placed in the 2025 renewal after winning the race in 2024 despite carrying a big weight. Even with another hefty burden near the top of the handicap, he cannot be ruled out in a race where experience often counts for plenty.

However, SINNATRA looks a particularly interesting runner for the Skelton yard. His recent Warwick win came with plenty in hand, with Harry Skelton appearing keen not to let the horse run away with the race and risk spoiling his handicap mark. That suggested there could be more improvement to come and this could have been the long-term target.

14:40 Mares' Chase

Dinoblue returns as the defending champion and rightly sets the benchmark for the race after her success last year. However, she may be worth taking on at the prices given the presence of several younger and less exposed rivals who still have scope to improve.

One of those is ONLY BY NIGHT, whose campaign has been shaped with this contest firmly in mind. Connections had briefly considered the Champion Chase earlier in the season if testing ground had materialised, but that alternative now looks unlikely with the conditions at Cheltenham expected to be much quicker.

Only By Night already has solid Festival form to her name after running a big race in the 2025 Arkle, where she was still travelling strongly and right in the mix approaching the final fence. That performance showed she can handle the intensity of Cheltenham and, with this race clearly the long-term objective, she looks capable of giving the powerful Mullins team plenty to think about and could easily spring a surprise in the Mares' Chase.

15:20 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

DOCTOR STEINBERG was propelled into clear favouritism after an impressive victory at the Dublin Racing Festival, a performance that immediately marked him out as a leading contender for this contest. However, the reaction in the weeks since has been mixed, with some observers questioning the strength of that Leopardstown form and suggesting the race may not have taken much winning.

Others have raised doubts about whether he will fully see out the three miles, pointing to his tendency to race a little too keenly in the early stages. Those concerns have allowed a few rivals to edge closer in the betting, including Thedeviluno, who enhanced his own claims with a determined win at Doncaster last time out.

Despite that, the market shift may have created some value around Doctor Steinberg. His Leopardstown win was achieved with plenty in hand and the overall profile still looks very strong. With the best piece of form in the book, a progressive profile and the backing of Willie Mullins, he stands out as a compelling selection for the 2026 Albert Bartlett.

16:00 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Although there has been a late surge of money for last season’s Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin, who it is fair to say has shown very little enthusiasm in his runs this season, I am sticking with my long-standing selection for the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup, JANGO BAIE.

Last season’s Arkle winner produced one of the most remarkable victories of the Festival when looking beaten a long way from home and trading at huge odds in running before staying on powerfully to snatch the race close to the line. Even then he shaped like a horse who would eventually prove better over further rather than remaining a two-mile specialist.

He did not manage to land the King George earlier in the campaign, but there was still plenty of encouragement to take from that run. He was in the thick of it with top-class rivals such as The Jukebox Man and Gaelic Warrior, both of whom reoppose here, and Kempton is a track that would not necessarily play to his strengths.

Back at Cheltenham, with its relentless finish up the hill, this should be a much more suitable test. When others are beginning to tire late on, Jango Baie looks the type who will still be finding plenty.

16:40 Hunters' Chase

WRAPPEDUPINMAY has developed into a fascinating contender for the 2026 Hunters’ Chase after an unusual but highly effective career reboot. Once trained by Paul Nicholls, he looked a horse of real promise early on, winning impressively on debut before his progress stalled due to breathing issues that eventually required wind surgery. In early 2025 he was sold and sent to leading Irish point-to-point trainer Sam Curling, a man renowned for revitalising horses on the amateur circuit, has handled him masterfully and reaped the rewards.

That move has completely transformed his fortunes. Curling, renowned for revitalising horses on the amateur circuit, has handled him patiently and the results have been striking. After returning with a solid second, Wrappedupinmay quickly progressed, qualifying for this race before producing a dominant display at Carrigarostig where he powered clear to win by 11 lengths under top amateur Derek O’Connor, who if booked for this ride would see the price collapse.  Curling won this race last season with Wonderwall and that runner returns as circa 7/2 favourite for the 2026 renewal. He rates the chief threat, but may be vulnerable to his stablemate. 

With a pedigree packed with stamina and a profile that suggests he will relish Cheltenham’s demanding test, Wrappedupinmay looks a major player in the Festival Hunters’ Chase.

17:20 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

Our star freelance writer @RoadCheltenham has been with THE PASSING WIFE for some time for this race, the traditional lucky last every Cheltenham Festival. Gavin Cromwell's charge has a huge chance, and here is what Alex had to say:

My strongest handicap fancy of the week is THE PASSING WIFE and he’s likely to run in the Martin Pipe – the final race of the meeting. It’ll be a long wait for punters but it may prove prudent to get him in the book given he ticks plenty of boxes for this race.

This son of Passing Glance brings a wealth of experience to the table, with a total of 11 runs under rules yet he’s ran just five times over hurdles. Given an Irish rating of 139, all eyes will be on the BHA handicapper for his own assessment ahead of Cheltenham.

His form behind Thedeviluno and Skylight Hustle reads extremely well and he has been running over an inferior trip for much of the campaign. He stepped up in trip the last day and bolted up, beating the well touted Doctor Du Mesnil on the bridle.

If he gets a British mark of 145 or under, you’d imagine this race will be the target and he is likely to have Eoin Staples in the saddle. If he runs, I’d be very hopeful The Passing Wife will be bang there at the finish and fingers crossed he can come out on top.