When is the Gold Cup? Runners, odds and start time for Cheltenham Festival main event

The Cheltenham Festival returns this month and with it the most prestigious contest in National Hunt racing. A four-day spectacle of horse racing action builds to the showpiece event: The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Gup.

The race will be run on Friday 14th March where jockey Paul Townend and Galopin Des Champs will attempt to lift the trophy for a third year in a row.

With prize money of £625,00, the Grade 1 chase is the most valuable jumps race in Britain and Ireland after the Grand National and represents the ultimate challenge for the very best horses. 22 fences are to be jumped during three miles and two-and-a-half furlongs concluding in a punishing finish up the Cheltenham hill.

The Willie Mullins trained horse is the overwhelming favourite to triumph yet again and further cement his place among the great winners at this course such as Golden Miller, Arkle, and Best Mate.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Cheltenham Gold Cup:

The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, to give it its full name, takes place on the concluding day of the festival, Friday 14 March at 4pm.

It is the fifth race of the day’s schedule and at three miles and two-and-a-half furlongs is the second longest race of the four-day event.

You can watch the first six races of each day, including Friday’s Gold Cup, with the ITV1 broadcast, while full coverage of the meeting, including the final race of each day is only available through a Racing TV subscription.

Both ITV and Racing TV provide live streams for the coverage through their apps and websites, while fans can of course tune on via the traditional television broadcast. Several betting sites will also be streaming the action, but in most cases you need to have a funded account.

The Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday 11 March and concludes on Friday 14 March. Fans will be glued to 28 races over four days, with seven races per day, including 13 races run over fences across the week, 13 over hurdles plus a bumper (flat race) and a cross-country chase.

The first race is scheduled for 1:20pm GMT each day, with the final race starting at 5:20pm.

While it is still too early for the jockeys on each horse to be confirmed we have a strong idea of what the field for the Gold Cup will look like, though that remains open to change. Below is the list of entries ranked by the likelihood of them to win the race according to the latest Cheltenham odds:

The overwhelming favourite after back-to-back Gold Cup wins in 2023 and 2024. Closest challenger is Fact To File but recent successes in the Savills Chase at Christmas and the Irish Gold Cup breed confidence that another will follow at the Cheltenham Festival.

Won the King George with jockey Paul Townend, who will be atop Galopin Des Champs for this one. Will have to prove his stamina up the final hill to challenge for the trophy but certainly one that can compete with the two-time champ.

Winner of the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last year and his first Grade 1 a month later at Aintree the youngster is improving under the watchful eye of Gavin Cromwell and jockey Mark Walsh. Race against much of this field before but has never won.

Beaten only by Fact To File and Spillane's Tower in Grade 1s last season but struggled in the Irish Gold Cup. That loss may or may not point to how he’ll fare at Cheltenham.

The Gold Cup course could suit him despite losing out to Pic D'Orhy in the Ascot Chase. Should be quick across the ground but others have better records.

Won the 2023 Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival and has talent. Pulled up in last year’s Gold Cup.

Will run well but perhaps not quite at this level to challenge for the top spots.

Has potential but the ground doesn’t suit his style and has never finished better than fifth in this race.

A two-time Grade 1 winner but getting on a bit and has pulled up on back-to-back starts.

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