Sponsorship changes, a comparison it may never win, yet the Paddy Power Gold Cup continues to be a cornerstone event on the horse racing calendar and at the Cheltenham racecourse.
Formerly the BetVictor Gold Cup after Paddy Power pulled its sponsorship in 2015, before returning, the Paddy Power Gold Cup stands atop the features of The November Meeting held at Cheltenham. A foretaste of the bigger and more acclaimed Gold Cup run in March, at The Festival, the Paddy Power Gold Cup is the perfect opportunity for young riders to put the world and the rest of the pack on notice, as veterans look to hit their stride as the jump race season kicks off. For those of us looking for some flutter and action, the betting halls of Cheltenham may not be open due to the health pandemic, but finding the best offers for online horse betting has never been easier. Now, back to that Paddy Power Gold Cup.
A Grade 3 race, with a distance of 2m4f and heavy going, the Paddy Power Gold Cup lets 18 riders push through the chase for a 160,000 GBP prize money that is the biggest purse of the event and quite the jackpot for a Grade 3 outing. Around, since 1965, the Paddy Power Gold Cup precedes The November Meeting event, which only started in the year 2000. It is run on the second day of the event, known as Paddy Power Day, and is the star attraction of the tournament. Over the years, favourites have not really fared all that well, with horses outside the top three odds winning a majority of the races since 2002. But if you think this means the big names do not stamp their authority, then you thought wrong, as the top trainers flock in and almost always have their hands on the prize. Naunton trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, and his son and rider Sam Twiston-Davies, have both won twice in the last ten years, doing it in 2010 as a father-son trainer-rider duo, with Little Josh. National Hunt trainer Paul Nicholls OBE, has also done it twice recently in 2012 and 2014, while David Pipe is still looking to emulate the kind of success his father Martin had.
At last year’s race, Happy Diva, jockeyed by Richard Patrick and trained by Kerry Lee, took the race at odds 14/1. While the official participants’ list is yet to be declared, punters can still expect a decent return on the offers and should not be against making bold picks, as this is not really a kind race to favourites. Looking past any return winners should not out of place, as history does not really favour them and is not even a common occurrence. A good look at the trainers is a good gauge of how well a horse will do, however, and of course a fair bit of luck.
