Friday 13 March 2026 | Cheltenham Racecourse | Gold Cup Day | New Course | Going: Good, Good to Soft in places (rain expected during afternoon)
Cheltenham Gold Cup Day 2026: The Big Races, the Key Runners and the Favourites
The greatest day in the jump racing calendar has arrived. Gold Cup Day at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is a sold-out spectacle that brings the curtain down on four extraordinary days of racing at Prestbury Park, and it has delivered an utterly fascinating storyline at the head of the market.
The blue-riband Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup — worth £625,000 to the winner — is one of the most open renewals in years, with two-time champion Galopin Des Champs ruled out through injury and the Ryanair Chase winner Fact To File not supplemented.
That leaves a brilliant four-way battle at the head of the betting: The Jukebox Man (7/2), the unbeaten King George hero owned by Harry Redknapp – who is in the running to replace Igor Tudor in the next Tottenham manager betting odds; Gaelic Warrior (3/1, Willie Mullins/Paul Townend), who was second in the Irish Gold Cup; Jango Baie (5/1, Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville); and the highly progressive Haiti Couleurs (6/1, Paul Nicholls/Sean Bowen), who has won the Irish Grand National, Welsh National and Denman Chase this season.
Defending champion Inothewayurthinkin (13/2) is also declared, wearing cheekpieces for the first time.
Before the Gold Cup, the opening Grade 1 of the day arrives with the JCB Triumph Hurdle at 1:20pm, where Willie Mullins once again dominates with nine of the 20 runners — including the two market leaders Proactif (10/3) and Selma De Vary (7/2).
The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at 3:20pm offers a stamina test over 2m7f with Doctor Steinberg (5/2 favourite) heading a quality field of 22.
Between those two Grade 1s, the William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (2pm), the Grade 2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (2:40pm) featuring the red-hot Dinoblue (7/4), and then the Festival Challenge Cup Hunters’ Chase (4:40pm) and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (5:20pm) round out what promises to be an unforgettable afternoon.
We put all seven races to our trio of AI models — Google’s Gemini, Elon Musk’s Grok and Anthropic’s Claude — and asked them to study the form and deliver their selections. Here are their Gold Cup Day tips for 2026.
1:20pm JCB Triumph Hurdle 2026 Tips — Who Wins the Grade 1 Juvenile Showpiece?
The JCB Triumph Hurdle over 2m1f is the championship race for four-year-old hurdlers and has been won by some of the sport’s all-time greats, including Tiger Roll and last year’s Champion Chase favourite Lossiemouth.
Willie Mullins’ stranglehold on the race — five wins in the last six years — continues in 2026, with nine of the 20 runners emerging from Closutton.
The previous ante-post favourite, Narciso Has, was ruled out with an injury setback in February, throwing the race wide open. Proactif (10/3) and Selma De Vary (7/2) now head the market for Mullins, with British raiders looking for a major upset in the opener.
Gemini’s tip: Proactif @ 9/2
Gemini sides with the market leader among the Mullins battalion.
When nine horses come from the same yard, the one at the head of the betting is usually there for good reason — and Proactif’s form in France before joining Mullins was exceptional, showing the kind of natural jumping technique that tends to thrive in a Triumph Hurdle run at a fast pace on good ground.
Gemini notes Willie Mullins’ astonishing record in this race (five of the last six) and backs his top-priced horse accordingly.
Grok’s tip: Selma De Vary (each-way) @ 4/1
Grok splits the Mullins runners and goes with Selma De Vary, who it identifies as the more interesting profile of the two co-favourites.
Grok’s algorithm places a premium on horses who have run well in France at juvenile level before switching to British and Irish racing, and Selma De Vary fits that profile precisely.
At a similar price to Proactif and with the same trainer, Grok argues she could easily be the better horse in a one-two finish for Mullins — and at 4/1 she represents a fair each-way price in a 20-runner field.
Claude’s tip: Proactif @ 9/2
Claude joins Gemini on Proactif. Faced with nine Mullins horses, Claude’s analysis focuses on the one at the top of the market — and Proactif’s jumping style, allied to the good-to-soft ground that suits a horse of his profile, makes him the logical anchor selection.
In a race where the same trainer has won five of the last six, backing his top entry is the most evidence-based approach available.
2:00pm William Hill County Handicap Hurdle 2026 Tips — The Festival’s Toughest Handicap?
The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle over 2m1f is one of the most fiendishly competitive races of the entire week — a 24-runner Premier Handicap that has not been won by the favourite for over a decade and regularly returns a winner at 20/1 or bigger.
Murcia (6/1) heads the betting this year, while Nicky Henderson and JP McManus’s Khrisma is the best-fancied British hope.
The Irish raider I Started A Joke (10/1, Charles Byrnes) has attracted attention, while the market is relatively open with several horses vying for position around the 8/1 to 12/1 mark.
Gemini’s tip: Khrisma (each-way) @ 9/1
Gemini backs the British angle through Khrisma for Nicky Henderson and JP McManus.
The Henderson-McManus partnership has an excellent Festival record in competitive handicaps, and Khrisma arrives with course form and a profile that suggests she could be operating from a lenient mark.
Gemini notes that British-trained horses with strong staying form tend to run well in this race when the ground has any cut in it, and with rain forecast for Friday afternoon, conditions could suit perfectly.
Grok’s tip: I Started A Joke (each-way) @ 10/1
Grok identifies I Started A Joke for the shrewd Charles Byrnes yard as the most interesting each-way price in the race.
Grok’s value algorithm rewards the combination of a capable Irish-trained handicapper with a relatively unexposed profile, trained by a handler who rarely sends horses to Cheltenham without genuine expectation.
At 10/1 in a race where the market leader has won only once in the last decade, Grok takes the bigger price.
Claude’s tip: Murcia (each-way) @ 10/1
Claude goes with the market leader but with realistic expectations.
At 10/1 in a competitive 24-runner handicap where the favourite almost never wins, Claude recommends an each-way approach rather than a win-only bet.
Murcia’s form figures are the most consistent of the principals and Claude’s form analysis places him slightly ahead on quality, even accounting for the notorious unpredictability of this race. The each-way terms — typically five places — make him a playable selection.
2:40pm Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase 2026 Tips — Dinoblue’s Race to Lose?
The Grade 2 Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase over 2m4f on the New Course is the most straightforward betting race of Gold Cup Day.
Dinoblue (7/4) is a mare rated 159 who would challenge in open Grade 1 company — yet she finds herself in a mares-only Grade 2.
Her most credible rivals are Spindleberry (3/1) and Only By Night (7/1, Gavin Cromwell), who finished a close second in last year’s Arkle.
With only nine runners declared, this is a small but quality field and the formlines are clearer than in most races this week.
Gemini’s tip: Dinoblue @ 2/1
Gemini makes Dinoblue its most confident selection of Gold Cup Day. A horse rated 159 competing in a Grade 2 mares’ race is almost never an accident — she has been placed here deliberately, and Gemini’s analysis identifies her class advantage over her rivals as significant.
The good-to-soft ground suits her profile, and Gemini notes that horses of this calibre sent to mares-restricted races by top connections almost always justify favouritism.
Grok’s tip: Dinoblue @ 2/1
Grok agrees. Despite the short price, Grok argues that Dinoblue represents one of the most value-per-risk selections on the entire card — she is simply a much better horse than anything else in this race.
Grok’s algorithm occasionally flags that class advantages this pronounced are worth backing even at odds-on, and at 2/1 she is not prohibitively priced. Only By Night is noted as the most interesting each-way alternative for those seeking a bigger price.
Claude’s tip: Dinoblue @ 2/1
Claude sides emphatically with Dinoblue, making her the clearest banker of Gold Cup Day. A rating 20+ pounds higher than her nearest rival in a nine-runner Grade 2 is an advantage that is very difficult to overcome, particularly when the horse in question has shown top-level jumping fluency all season.
Unless something goes badly wrong, this race is Dinoblue’s to lose.
3:20pm Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle 2026 Tips — Finding the Next Cheltenham Gold Cup Star
The Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over 2m7f is the final Grade 1 hurdle of the Festival week — and, fittingly placed just before the Gold Cup, it has a proud history of producing future staying chase champions, with Bobs Worth and Minella Indo among its alumni.
A maximum field of 22 has been declared, with Doctor Steinberg (5/2, Noel Meade) heading the market.
No Drama This End (4/1, Paul Nicholls) and Thedeviluno (4/1, Paul Nolan) are the main threats, while Espresso Milan and Spinningayarn add depth to the field. The three-mile-plus trip on the New Course is a genuine stamina examination.
Gemini’s tip: Doctor Steinberg @ 5/2
Gemini backs the favourite. Doctor Steinberg’s form at the highest level of novice hurdling in Ireland has been outstanding, and the 2m7f Albert Bartlett trip on the New Course — a genuine test of stamina — plays directly to his strengths as a relentless galloper who improves the further he goes.
Gemini notes that horses who have won over the right trip in Ireland at Grade 1 level before arriving at this race have an excellent festival record.
Grok’s tip: No Drama This End (each-way) @ 4/1
Grok takes on the favourite and backs Paul Nicholls’ No Drama This End at 4/1. Grok’s algorithm places significant weight on the Nicholls yard’s record of targeting this race specifically — a horse sent from Ditcheat to the Albert Bartlett is typically one the team believes can win.
No Drama This End has been progressive all season and the step up in trip should suit him well. At a double the odds of the favourite, Grok argues he is the more attractive betting proposition.
Claude’s tip: Thedeviluno (each-way) @ 11/2
Claude makes an interesting alternative case for Thedeviluno, trained by Paul Nolan.
A horse who has been specifically prepared for this race all season, whose trainer was careful to avoid rivals in the lead-up, and who arrives fresh and unexposed at the Festival is exactly the profile that Claude’s form analysis rewards in the Albert Bartlett.
The staying hurdle test over 2m7f suits a horse who is still finding improvement, and at 11/2 the each-way terms offer a compelling alternative to the favourite.
4:00pm Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026 Tips — The Greatest Race in Jump Racing
The moment the entire week has been building towards. The 2026 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most genuinely open renewals in a generation.
Two-time champion Galopin Des Champs was ruled out by injury, Fact To File was not supplemented, and the reigning champion Inothewayurthinkin (13/2, Gavin Cromwell/Mark Walsh) arrives wearing cheekpieces for the first time after a season that Cromwell himself admits has been far below his best.
That has created an extraordinarily compelling four-way market battle.
Gemini’s tip: The Jukebox Man @ 3/1
Gemini makes The Jukebox Man its nap of the day — and arguably its most confident selection of the entire Festival.
An unbeaten record over fences, a King George win in which he ground down two of his Gold Cup rivals in the final furlongs, and an eight-year-old profile that sits right in the sweet spot for staying chasers all point in one direction.
Gemini notes that the King George has an excellent recent record as a Gold Cup prep, and that The Jukebox Man’s style of racing — powering away from rivals up the hill — is ideally suited to Cheltenham’s demands. Owner Harry Redknapp has his greatest day in racing.
Grok’s tip: Haiti Couleurs (each-way) @ 6/1
Grok takes a different angle and backs Haiti Couleurs as the most compelling each-way value in the race.
Three Grade 1-calibre wins this season — the Irish Grand National, the Welsh National and the Denman Chase — paint the picture of a horse arriving at the Gold Cup in the form of his life and improving with every outing.
At 6/1, Grok argues that Haiti Couleurs is systematically underrated by a market that tends to weight Festival form more heavily than staying chase form outside Cheltenham.
If the forecasted rain arrives and the ground softens, his stamina-laden profile becomes even more dangerous.
Claude’s tip: Gaelic Warrior @ 11/4
Claude goes with Gaelic Warrior. Willie Mullins having a single runner in the Gold Cup — his entire Festival hopes focused on one horse — is a meaningful market signal, and Paul Townend doesn’t take Gold Cup rides unless he believes he can win.
Gaelic Warrior’s Irish Gold Cup second to Fact To File (who isn’t running) represents an upgrade in form terms, and his previous Festival experience from the 2024 Arkle means he handles Cheltenham’s unique atmosphere.
Claude acknowledges The Jukebox Man’s King George form but notes that the Kempton track is far less demanding than Cheltenham’s stiff uphill finish — and Gaelic Warrior has already proven himself on that terrain.
4:40pm Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase 2026 Tips — Amateur Riders Over the Gold Cup Course
The Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase runs over the same 3m2f Gold Cup course, giving a privileged band of amateur jockeys the chance to experience the most famous fences in jump racing.
It traditionally attracts a large field — 24 are declared — and the form can be difficult to assess given the amateur riding element.
Course experience is arguably more important here than in almost any other race on the card, and horses who have run well at Cheltenham previously carry a sizeable advantage over first-time visitors.
Gemini’s tip: A course-proven hunter (each-way)
Gemini recommends a focused each-way strategy in this race, filtering for horses who have run over the Cheltenham cross-country or hunter chase course before and shown they handle the terrain.
With a 24-runner field and amateur jockeys in the saddle, Gemini’s algorithm weights course experience as the single most important variable — and backs whichever course-proven hunter is available at the best price on the day of the race.
Each-way value at 8/1 or bigger is the target.
Grok’s tip: An Irish point-to-point winner (each-way)
Grok focuses on the Irish point-to-point angle. Horses with a strong background in Irish point-to-point racing — the traditional gateway to the hunter chase scene — have an outstanding record in this race, bringing with them the natural jumping technique and stamina developed on demanding Irish terrain.
Grok backs an Irish-bred hunter with point-to-point form and at least one previous hunter chase win as the best each-way profile available.
Claude’s tip: A course-and-distance winner (each-way)
Claude sides with the simplest possible filter: back a horse who has already won or placed over course and distance at Cheltenham.
Hunter chases are specialist events where the course itself provides a bigger barrier to victory than the quality of the opposition, and a horse who has already navigated all 22 fences cleanly carries a distinct advantage.
Claude recommends identifying the best-priced runner with proven Cheltenham experience and taking an each-way position at 10/1 or bigger.
5:20pm Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2026 Tips — The Festival Finale
The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle over 2m4f brings the curtain down on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival with another wide-open 24-runner handicap, restricted to young conditional (apprentice) jockeys.
The favourite has not won this race for over ten years, and the average winning price is typically well into double figures. Roc Dino, The Passing Wife and Murcia are among the early market leaders at 8/1, with A Pai De Nom — the third favourite — missing the cut.
Finding the winner is notoriously difficult, making each-way betting the most sensible approach.
Gemini’s tip: The Passing Wife (each-way)
Gemini is attracted to The Passing Wife as a horse with a strong staying profile that fits the 2m4f trip perfectly.
Gemini’s analysis of the Martin Pipe suggests that horses with powerful finishes — those who tend to get stronger rather than weaker approaching the final hurdle — outperform horses with early pace in this race.
The Passing Wife’s form shows exactly that pattern.
Grok’s tip: Roc Dino (each-way) @ 10/1
Grok backs Roc Dino at 10/1. The Martin Pipe consistently rewards horses who are young enough to be genuinely improving but experienced enough to handle a big-field competitive handicap.
Roc Dino’s profile — lightly raced and progressive — is the ideal fit. Grok adds that a horse at the head of the market in this race is often there for better reasons than the stat about favourites losing suggests, and recommends an each-way position at 10/1.
Claude’s tip: An unexposed improver (each-way)
Claude recommends the broadest possible strategy: target an unexposed Irish-trained improver with a recent placed effort at a good track, available at 12/1 or bigger.
The Martin Pipe’s history strongly favours horses who are still on the way up — horses for whom the handicapper has not yet fully caught up — and the conditional jockey element means the riding advantage of a well-claiming young jockey can be worth several lengths in a 24-runner race.
Claude’s play is an each-way bet on the most progressive Irish raider in the field.
Cheltenham Gold Cup Day 2026 — AI Tips Summary and Naps
Four days, 28 races, and three AI models have been put through their paces across the entire 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Here is where Gemini, Grok and Claude have landed their biggest selections on the final and greatest day of the Festival week:
Gemini’s Nap: The Jukebox Man (Gold Cup, 4:00pm)
Grok’s Nap: Haiti Couleurs each-way (Gold Cup, 4:00pm)
Claude’s Nap: Gaelic Warrior (Gold Cup, 4:00pm)
All three AI models have placed the Gold Cup at the centre of their day’s selections — but with strikingly different takes.
Gemini is firmly behind the King George hero The Jukebox Man as the most straightforward formline in the race. Claude makes the case for Gaelic Warrior — arguing that Mullins’ sole runner backed by Paul Townend is the clearest stable confidence signal of the Festival.
And Grok takes the contrarian each-way value route with Haiti Couleurs, the horse who has been quietly compiling one of the most impressive staying chase CVs of the season.
The one race where all three models converge without debate is the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase — all three select Dinoblue, who they agree is simply operating in the wrong grade for any rival to challenge her.
Proactif gets the nod from two of the three AI models in the Triumph Hurdle, while Doctor Steinberg is backed by Gemini in the Albert Bartlett, with Grok and Claude splitting between No Drama This End and Thedeviluno as each-way alternatives.
Find out how the AI models got on with their Cheltenham betting tips on Thursday.
