For those who had hoped to see the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup in a little more clarity after the Christmas period, I’m sorry to say that you’ve been left with even more questions than answers.
The King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Savills Chase at Leopardstown a couple of days later were supposed to bring us some clarity on the situation. But they didn’t.
Both races gave us plenty of excitement, and I think it’s one of the best renewals of the King George I’ve ever seen for drama, but I wanted to learn something, and I didn’t.
In terms of assessing the Gold Cup contenders and where they sit in the betting market, things haven’t changed much at all since before Christmas. But the prices have, and it’s led to us having a very wide open market, something that looks more accustomed to being the odds for a Cheltenham handicap.
The Jukebox Man Lands Dramatic King George on Boxing Day
Race of the festive period has to go to the King George, a thriller with the leading contenders in a line, and it was The Jukebox Man that got his nose in front to take the prize.
Trained by Ben Pauling and owned by Harry Redknapp, he was a popular winner, but in terms of the Gold Cup, looking ahead, he’s still classed as a lively outsider, and nothing more.
Second by a nose, Banbridge, winner of the 2024 King George, while Gaelic Warrior was in third by the same distance. Jango Baie, the big UK hope pre-race, was half a length back in fourth.
Fact To File from Team Mullins was the only runner who you can say put up a below-par performance. He was in 6th, and 10 lengths off the leader.
A great race, where the front four home all showcased their level, and they’re all great? Or a race that was fought out by four, similarly matched, not quite superstar horses? I guess we’ll see in March.
Affordable Fury Surprises to Win Savills Chase
Available in the betting at 33/1 on Boxing Day before the race, Affordable Fury was returned a 7/1 winner of the Savills Chase at Leopardstown, winning for trainer Noel Meade.
After the race, Meade was quick to say how well the horse had been working in recent days, but even with that, this was a surprise result.
Beating home the last two horses to win a Cheltenham Gold Cup is special, but they’ve both got their sights on Spring targets, so did Affordable Fury do something special, or just take advantage of them not being at their very best? Something else we’ll find out in March, I hope.
It’s expected that Affordable Fury will be back for the Irish Gold Cup in February, where he’s likely to see Galopin Des Champs again, and possibly a few other big names.
Willie Mullins was happy with Galopin Des Champs after the race, and I think that indicates as to where he is in terms of fitness, so I’d not be too worried about him improving for this run. Add to that the fact that the Mullins horses have generally struggled across the festive period, if he’s been caught up in some bug, then that will only help in the long run, too.
Inothewayurthinkin was the big talking point of the day, though. He ran a stinker, nothing like what he’s capable of running, but we could see that from the betting. 2/1 favourite on the morning of the race, he was sent off as big as 13/2, and ranked like a 130/2 chance, never in it.
He’s either under the weather, completely unfit, or something else, but there’s definitely a problem with him right now, and it seems that plenty of layers knew that on the day.
Latest Gold Cup Betting Odds
As I said at the start, the Gold Cup looks more like a handicap at the moment, with big prices about all the runners.
We’ve ended the festive period with more questions than we had at the start. There’s plenty of sorting out to do, and many of the UK runners won’t be seen on a track until the race now, to make things tougher.
Inothewayurthinkin still leads the market, despite a terrible run in the Savills. He’s a best price of 6/1, with Galopin Des Champs second favourite, a best price of 7/1 you can get about him.
Two British challengers are next, Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man, both at 8/1, with Gaelic Warrior at 10/1 and Grey Dawning at 12/1.
Rounding off those performing well over Christmas, Affordable Fury is 16/1, and he’s alongside Haiti Couleurs, winner of the Welsh National, who would go well in testing conditions, should they come.
