Scheduled for this upcoming Saturday, the Coral Gold Cup marks the season’s initial significant test for jumps enthusiasts.
Covering just under three-and-a-quarter miles, the race is open to horses aged four and above and is formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup.
Notable winners include Mandarin in 1957 and the iconic Arkle, securing consecutive victories in 1964 and 1965.
Over the past fifteen years, this race has catapulted several top chasers, with Gold Cup champions Denman (2007 & 2009), Bobs Worth (2012), and Native River (2016), along with Grand National victor Many Clouds (2014), gracing its winners’ list.
The race serves as a crucial indicator for future high-quality chases in the ongoing season and beyond, evident from its illustrious roll of honour.
Originally established as the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup in 1957 at Cheltenham, it found its way to Newbury in 1960.
The association with Hennessy persisted until the 60th running in 2016, marking British racing’s lengthiest commercial sponsorship at that time.
Ladbrokes took over sponsorship in 2017, renaming it the Ladbrokes Trophy until 2021. Coral stepped in as the title sponsor in 2022, solidifying its current identity.
A remarkable connection exists between this race and the Cheltenham Gold Cup itself, with nine horses claiming victories in both prestigious events.
Coral Gold Cup Odds 2024
| Horse | Age | Weight | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadway Boy | 6 | 11-8 | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Sam Twiston-Davies | 13/2 |
| Senior Chief | 7 | 11-11 | Henry De Bromhead | Darragh O’Keeffe | 13/2 |
| Colonel Harry | 7 | 11-8 | Jamie Snowden | Gavin Sheehan | 15/2 |
| Victtorino | 6 | 11-3 | Venetia Williams | Charlie Deutsch | 8/1 |
| Kandoo Kid | 8 | 11-5 | Paul Nicholls | Harry Cobden | 17/2 |
| Galia Des Liteaux | 8 | 11-4 | Dan Skelton | Harry Skelton | 10/1 |
| Midnight River | 9 | 11-11 | Dan Skelton | James Bowen | 10/1 |
| Henry’s Friend | 7 | 10-13 | Ben Pauling | Ben Jones | 12/1 |
| Horantzau d’Airy | 7 | 11-9 | W P Mullins | Danny Mullins | 12/1 |
| General En Chef | 8 | 11-8 | Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm | Benjamin Gelhay | 16/1 |
| Grandero Bello | 8 | 11-7 | Eddie & Patrick Harty | Ricky Doyle | 20/1 |
| Remastered | 11 | 11-5 | David Pipe | Jack Tudor | 28/1 |
| Iron Bridge | 8 | 10-10 | Jonjo & A J O’Neill | Jonjo O’Neill Jr | 33/1 |
| Sam Brown | 12 | 12-0 | Anthony Honeyball | Freddie Gingell | 33/1 |
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Coral Cup Declared Entries
Colonel Harry is set to line up among 14 runners for Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup (3.00) at Newbury, as Jamie Snowden aims to claim back-to-back victories in the prestigious £250,000 race.
Snowden triumphed last year with Datsalrightgino and now brings Grade 2 winner Colonel Harry to the contest, who is currently around 17/2 in the odds after an impressive second-place finish in a Listed race at Carlisle earlier this month.
Nigel Twiston-Davies will also be a strong contender with Broadway Boy, a six-year-old who has won six of his 14 starts.
Broadway Boy is the current race favourite and was last seen finishing third to Senior Chief at Cheltenham, who also features in Saturday’s field.
Trained by Henry de Bromhead, Senior Chief has four wins from eight starts and will be one of three Irish runners in the race.
The other Irish challengers include Willie Mullins’ Horantzau d’Airy and Grandero Bello, trained by Eddie and Patrick Harty.
Venetia Williams, who has been in excellent form recently, sends out Victtorino, a dual winner last season including a success in the Howden Silver Cup at Ascot.
Meanwhile, Dan Skelton, who secured the race last year with Le Milos, has two chances this time around with Midnight River and Galia Des Liteaux.
Galia Des Liteaux recently finished second in a Listed race at Carlisle, while Midnight River was third in a Grade 3 at Wetherby earlier this month.
France will be represented by General En Chef, trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, while Ben Pauling’s Henry’s Friend, a Grade 2 winner, brings solid credentials to the mix.
Paul Nicholls adds to the competition with Kandoo Kid, while other notable runners include Iron Bridge, Sam Brown, and Remastered.
The Coral Gold Cup promises to be a thrilling showdown with a diverse and competitive field ready to battle it out at Newbury.
Winning Trends
A race as prestigious as the Coral Gold Cup attracts a lot of betting attention. It’s easy to look at the horse on the best form and assume they are a show-in for the win.
The reality is however, that any horse can have a terrific race and surprises do happen.
We’ve looked back over the last 20 years and tried to put together at least five trends that could help you narrow down your choices for this year’s race.
Age trend:
The most common age for winners is 7 or 8 years old and all five of the last winners have been this age.
In the last tens years only Sizing Tennessee (10 years old) in 2018 and Native River (six years old) in 2016 have been out of this range.
Starting price:
The median starting price for winners is 7.5/1. This suggests that while favourites sometimes win, there’s also room for longer odds horses to succeed.
To be fair, last year’s winner went off on odds of 16/1 and Cloudy Glen threw the stats out when he won in 2021 on odds of 33/1.
Otherwise, the bookies do tend to get it right most of the time with six of the last 10 winners coming in at under 10/1, and that includes three favourites.
Weight carried:
The mode (most frequent) weight carried by winners is 11 st 0 lb. Look for runners under this weight as it’s a long and difficult race so the less a horse is carrying, the better its chances.
Race conditions:
The most common race condition for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury is “Good”.
Look at the form of each runner over this type of ground, allowing for those who also do well when it’s a little on the softer side.
It is nearly after all, so no going will perfectly springy underfoot.
Trainer success:
British trainers do better in this race than Irish trainers so for all his success, Wille Mullins has only one this race once and that was in 2017 with Total Recall.
For a safer bet, stick to the British trainers, though with Mullins you never know.
These trends could be useful in predicting potential winners, but it’s important to note that horse racing outcomes can be unpredictable and past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
Tips for the Race in 2024
The problem with trends is that when you actually apply them you’re not left with very many options.
Case in point is this year’s race where only two horses fit the bill and they are Henry’s Friend from Ben Pauling and Iron Bridge from Jonjo O’Neill.
I’m not sure if either of them can win as Henry’s Friend lacks a bit of experience and Iron Bridge isn’t on terrific form.
Outside of them the following look interesting.
Victtorino is highly recommended. Trained by Venetia Williams, he won two valuable Ascot handicap chases last season and shows potential for significant improvement.
Horantzau D’Airy is trained by Willie Mullins and is well fancied at 12/1 each-way (4 places). His recent performances in the Kerry and Munster Nationals suggest he could excel in this race.
Galia Des Liteaux, also the favourite for the Coral Welsh National, has emerged as a strong contender based on historical trends.
Trained by the Skelton team, Galia Des Liteaux finished eighth in the Grand National in April, demonstrating stamina for long-distance races.
Previous Coral Gold Cup Winners
Here are the Coral Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals.
Each row details the year of the race, the horse that won, along with the age & weight of the horse.
The trainer of the horse, as well as the jockey, is displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.
The race takes around six and a half minutes to complete.
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | SP | Winning Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Datsalrightgino | 7 | 10-07 | 16/1 | Gavin Sheehan | Jamie Snowden (GB) |
| 2022 | Le Milos (GB) | 7 | 11-0 | 9/2F | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton (GB) |
| 2021 | Cloudy Glen (IRE) | 8 | 10-8 | 33/1 | Charlie Deutsch | Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2020 | Cloth Cap (IRE) | 8 | 10-0 | 9/1 | Tom Scudamore | Jonjo O’Neill (GB) |
| 2019 | De Rasher Counter (GB) | 7 | 10-10 | 12/1 | Ben Jones (5lbs) | Emma Lavelle (GB) |
| 2018 | Sizing Tennessee (IRE) | 10 | 11-3 | 12/1 | Tom Scudamore | Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2017 | Total Recall (IRE) | 8 | 10-8 | 9/2F | Paul Townend | W P Mullins (IRE) |
| 2016 | Native River (IRE) | 6 | 11-1 | 7/2F | Richard Johnson | Colin Tizzard (GB) |
| 2015 | Smad Place (FR) | 8 | 11-4 | 7/1 | Wayne Hutchinson | Alan King (GB) |
| 2014 | Many Clouds (IRE) | 7 | 11-6 | 8/1 | Leighton Aspell | Oliver Sherwood (GB) |
| 2013 | Triolo D’Alene (FR) | 6 | 11-1 | 20/1 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson (GB) |
Conclusion
The Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup and Ladbrokes Trophy, remains a significant fixture in the National Hunt racing calendar.
With its history dating back to 1957, the race has seen many notable winners, including horses that have gone on to achieve success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The race typically attracts a competitive field of experienced chasers, with recent trends favouring horses aged between 7 and 8, carrying 11st or less, and rated 140 or higher by the handicapper.
While the race can produce surprises, with some long-priced winners in recent years, it continues to be a valuable target for trainers and owners, offering substantial prize money and prestige within the jump racing community.
