Cheltenham Gold Cup Tips
Friday is the conclusion of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and the feature race on the day is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the best reward in National Hunt racing.
A field of 11 will line up to try and declare the prize and a location in history. The absence of two-time winner Galopin Des Champs indicates just in 2015's winner Inothewayurthinkin can avoid a brand-new name being sculpted into the story of dives racing.
Racing Post tipster Keith Melrose has two bets for the huge race, and fancies the Gold Cup to be won by a British horse for the very first time given that 2018.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Betting Tips
16:00 Cheltenham - Haiti Couleurs @ 13/2
16:00 Cheltenham - Grey Dawning @ 12/1
16:00 Cheltenham - Haiti Couleurs @ 13/2
The last British winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Native River, had actually run in the National Hunt Chase as a beginner and won the Welsh Grand National the following season. Haiti Couleurs is a natural successor to that horse, a strong galloper and improver who can reach the summit of the sport on Friday.
After winning the Chase at last year's Festival, Haiti Couleurs went to Ireland where he won the Irish Grand National. He then raised the double when winning at Chepstow in December.
Since then, he has actually won the Denman Chase, another race Native River took en path to winning his Gold Cup.
Given we are finding out many lessons from Native River, we require to take the cautions too. He twice did not go quick enough in a Gold Cup and finished in the small money as a result.
It was under a strong trip from Richard Johnson that he prevailed in 2018 and Sean Bowen will certainly be continuing aboard Haiti Couleurs. That would take some of the less doughty stayers into unidentified territory. That undoubtedly includes our second option, so maybe see the staking plan as covering the most bases.
16:00 Cheltenham - Grey Dawning @ 12/1
I believed this was an uncommon case of a horse progressing worth after it was beaten. Grey Dawning last ran in the Cotswold Chase here in January, where he was given a quiet trip and was just slipping into things when belting two out.
Harry Skelton immediately chose that sufficed, and let him come home in his own time. It suggested connections of this horse have actually learned lessons from last season, when he entered the spring without enough in the tank to do himself justice.
Before Cheltenham, Grey Dawning had actually won the Betfair Chase in persuading style, recommending he was ready to step up to Gold Cup requirement. At the time, there was still a large and looming risk from Ireland. As the season has actually used on, a great deal of those horses have actually beaten each other or fallen off track for this race.
With the Irish obstacle not as strong as it may have been, the door is ajar for a British winner. The Jukebox Man and Jango Baie are both apparent contenders after their prominent surfaces in the King George, however the possibilities of Haiti Couleurs and Grey Dawning are being ignored.
Tipster's Recent Winners
Keith Melrose was on Kap Vert when that horse won at Taunton on Monday and has been on the premises at Cheltenham this week, with each-way collections in his favoured handicap goes after on Jagwar, Leave Of Absence and Zurich.
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