Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026 Tips - Pre-season guide and selections
The 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup is shaping up to be an exciting event with Inothewayurthinkin and Galopin Des Champs as top contenders. Inothewayurthinkin, despite a rough season in Ireland, managed a surprising victory last year. Meanwhile, Galopin Des Champs aims for Gold Cup redemption following a strong finish at the Punchestown Festival. Unlikely runners dominate the conversation, leaving Stellar Story as a noteworthy underdog at 100/1, particularly if conditions favor soft ground. As the event nears, Stellar Story could be positioning for a standout performance in the prestigious race.
- Pre-season guide and tips for the 2026 Gold Cup
- Last year's top two, Inothewayurthinkin and Galopin Des Champs top the betting
- Stellar Story is our ante-post selection at 100/1
The jewel in the crown of National Hunt racing is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes place at 4:00pm on day four of the Cheltenham Festival.
Here's our ante-post guide to the 2026 Gold Cup. In this guide, we'll help you understand the shape of the early Gold Cup field - looking at the latest odds, covering the key and most likely runners, before picking out our best ante-post betting tip based on the early odds.
2026 Gold Cup Odds
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Inothewayurthinin | 3/1 |
| Galopin Des Champs | 6/1 |
| Fact To File | 10/1 |
| Gaelic Warrior | 16/1 |
| Fastorslow | 20/1 |
| Haiti Couleurs | 20/1 |
| Bar | 25/1 |
π The Defending Champion π
The stage seemed set for Galopin Des Champs to join the illustrious group of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winners. However, Inothewayurthinkin had other ideas.
Despite a winless campaign in Ireland, Gavin Cromwell's former Kim Muir winner was well-backed against the odds-on favourite. Mark Walsh's mount outjumped the market leader throughout, swept past Galopin Des Champs on the approach to the final flight, and surged six lengths clear on the run to the line to seal a stunning victory.
Cromwell will send his first Gold Cup winner down the exact same path this term, starting with a run in the John Durkan. At the age of just seven, there's surely more to come from this talented chaser, and he'll surely sit near the head of the market come the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
β The Legend β
Willie Mullins half-blamed the fast ground at Cheltenham for Galopin Des Champs poor jumping display. Despite a handful of errors, Paul Townend's mount still managed to finish a clear second, with the third some 12 lengths behind.
Mullins' nine-year-old bounced back from that loss with an emphatic 22-length success at the Punchestown Festival, albeit with Inothewayurthinkin absent from that field. Willie has said that Galopin Des Champs will likely miss his usual reappearance in the John Durkan, but should be ready for both the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup around his beloved Leopardstown, before his shot at Gold Cup redemption.
β Unlikely Runners β
Aside from last year's top two, it's hard to find genuine runners in the 2026 Gold Cup - let alone potential challengers.
Fact To File is Ryanair bound, Majborough is being aimed at the Champion Chase, and Gaelic Warrior benefited from missing the Cheltenham Festival last season. Fastorslow missed last season through injury and, like Galopin Des Champs, will be ten by the time next year's Festival rolls around.
Grey Dawning skipped the Gold Cup in favour of Aintree, while Nick Rockett's season will be geared around the defence of his Grand National crown. Lecky Watson looks more likely to join his stablemate in that handicap, rather than a tilt at Gold Cup glory, and Gerri Colombe won't be seen until at least the start of the New Year.
π Other Runners π
Haiti Couleurs ran out an impressive winner of both the National Hunt Chase and the Irish Grand National last term, and could end up being Britain's leading challenger in the 2026 Gold Cup. Nicky Henderson is keen to try Arkle winner, Jango Baie over longer distances this term, and he could feature if able to prove his stamina earlier in the season.
Gentlemansgame and Monty's Star could return after securing top four finishes in this year's renewal - although neither looked like challenging. King George winner, Banbridge suffered a 42-length defeat. despite the ground coming up in his favourite. He hasn't got the stamina reserves for this test.
Jimmy Mangan is confident that Spillane's Tower is a top three-mile chaser, but has so far been able to get his star right for the Cheltenham Festival. Ben Pauling has already said that he sees The Jukebox Man as more of a Ryanair contender than a Gold Cup horse, and Handstands will have to prove himself in either the Betfair Chase or the Cotswold Chase before he can be in the Gold Cup discussion.
π΅ Verdict π΅
Only nine horses lined up in the 2025 Gold Cup and I doubt we'll get much more than that this year. Inothewayurthinkin and Galopin Des Champs are the standouts again, and the latter is half tempting at 6/1. However, I've decided to take a swipe at one sitting on a triple-figure price.
On paper, STELLAR STORY (100/1) would seem like a fairly obvious Gold Cup challenger. Gordon Elliott's star won the Albert Bartlett in 2023, and finished a four-length second behind Lecky Watson in this year's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.
Elliott's eight-year-old struggled on his two quick-ground starts last term, and didn't seem entirely comfortable on good-to-soft at the Festival. Danny Gilligan's mount made several telling errors in the Brown Advisory, but improved the further he went and stayed on past Ballyburn, Gorgeous Tom and Better Days Ahead to finish in the places.
Stellar Story wants genuinely soft ground. A look through his resume will tell you that Elliott's stayer thrives on a softer surface. Conditions won't suit him in the BetVictor Champion Chase today, and I doubt we'll see him appear in any of the Grade One races at Leopardstown this season. The Betfair Chase would have been ideal, but Elliott hasn't entered any of his horses at Haydock.
Gordon might have to plot an unfamiliar path to the Gold Cup. A run in the Troytown Handicap Chase is possible off his mark of 154. The Thyestes would be an option in January. Stellar Story could even be aimed at the Cotswold Chase, the Denman Chase, or the Peter Marsh - if Elliott wants to explore British options.
Obviously, he'll need to perform well in the first half of the season to earn a crack at the Gold Cup. He might be more of a National type, but Stellar Story is a dour stayer with plenty of course form in the book. He's a horse who would relish the challenge of Britain's most prestigious jumps race.
Verdict
Stellar Story is our ante-post tip for the 2026 Gold Cup.
Stellar Story
Gold Cup 2026 Early Tips
@100/1 - 5 Units
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