{"id":39138,"date":"2025-03-08T08:40:30","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T08:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=39138"},"modified":"2025-03-08T08:46:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T08:46:13","slug":"2025-imperial-cup-trends-and-sandown-runners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2025-imperial-cup-trends-and-sandown-runners\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Imperial Cup Trends, Plus Cheltenham Entries For Sandown Bonus Chasers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Saturday’s Imperial Cup at Sandown will be the feature race on the final weekend before the Cheltenham Festival – so many punters will be trying to find the winner to boast their betting banks for the busy week ahead. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As always, there is also a Imperial Cup bonus<\/a> (\u00a3100k) on the table, should the winner go onto win ANY race at the Cheltenham Festival<\/a> – so along with the Imperial Cup trends<\/strong>, we also list the 2025 runners and what entries they hold for next week.<\/p>\n

2024 Go Dante Looking To Become Only The Fourth Two-Time Imperial Cup Winner<\/strong><\/h2>\n

12 months ago, we saw the Olly Murphy yard winning this race for the first time with Go Dante – but they’ve still got a long way to go to better the haul of the Pipes (Martin and David) – with nine between them.<\/p>\n

Luckily for the others the Pipe camp doesn’t have any 2025 Imperial Cup runners.<\/p>\n

Go Dante will return to Sandown, however – this time on a 2lb lower mark, so will certainly have his backers with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK<\/a> – but hasn’t won a race since (6 runs).<\/p>\n

Last year Go Dante also didn’t run at the Cheltenham Festival so the \u00a3100k Betfair Imperial Cup bonus was safe – but this year the horse holds an entry in the County Hurdle on the Friday, should he win again.<\/p>\n

Willie Mullins Sends Batman Girac Over<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We’ll also see a Willie Mullins<\/a> runner in the race for the first time in a decade as his Batman Girac is coming over. Mullins has fired in 103 Cheltenham Festival winners over the years, but he’s yet to win the Imperial Cup.<\/p>\n

His last runners in the race was Wicklow Brave, who was pulled up at Sandown, but bizarrely went onto win the County Hurdle the following week.<\/p>\n

Over the years, there’s only been three horses land the Imperial Cup bonus – all trained by the Pipes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
    \n
  • <\/i> 2007 Gaspara – won Fred Winter<\/li>\n
  • <\/i> 1998 Blowing Wind – won County Hurdle<\/li>\n
  • <\/i> 1993 Olympian – won Coral Cup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/div>\n

    Imperial Cup Hurdle 2025 Race Details
    \n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    \ud83d\udcc5Date: Saturday 8th March 2025
    \n\u231aTime: 2:25pm <\/span><\/span>
    \n\ud83c\udfc7Racecourse: Sandown
    \n\ud83d\udd04Trip: 2m
    \n\ud83d\udcb7Winning Purse: \u00a3<\/span><\/span>51,440
    \n\ud83d\udcfa TV: ITV4 \/ Racing TV<\/p>\n

    Imperial Cup Runners 2025 and Their Cheltenham Festival Entries<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    There are seven of the 17 Imperial Cup runners that DON’T have any Cheltenham Festival entries for next week.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
      \n
    1. <\/i> Bo Zenith- County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    2. <\/i> Knickerbockerglory – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    3. <\/i> Bo Zenith – Coral Cup and Martin Pipe<\/li>\n
    4. <\/i> Batman Girac – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    5. <\/i> Ooh Betty – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    6. <\/i> Hardy Du Seuil – No Entries<\/li>\n
    7. <\/i> To Chase A Dream – No Entries<\/li>\n
    8. <\/i> Wreckless Eric – No Entries<\/li>\n
    9. <\/i> Go Dante – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    10. <\/i> Spirits Bay – Coral Cup<\/li>\n
    11. <\/i> Tintintin – No Entries<\/li>\n
    12. <\/i> Afadil – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    13. <\/i> King William Rufus – No Entries<\/li>\n
    14. <\/i> Tapley – Jack Richards Handicap Chase and Martin Pipe<\/li>\n
    15. <\/i> Sorceleur – No Entries<\/li>\n
    16. <\/i> We’re Red And Blue – County Hurdle<\/li>\n
    17. <\/i> Big Ginge – No Entries<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      <\/div>\n

      Imperial Cup Trends 2025 To Help Find The Sandown Winner<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      ??<\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n
        \n
      • <\/i> 19\/21 \u2013 No more than twice over hurdles<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 19\/21 \u2013 Had raced within the last 6 weeks<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 19\/21 \u2013 Won between 1-2 times over hurdles<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 18\/21 \u2013 Rated 124 or higher<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 16\/21 \u2013 Aged 6 or younger<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 16\/21 \u2013 Carried 10-13 or less in weight<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 14\/21 \u2013 Won over at least 2m1f (hurdles)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 12\/21 \u2013 Carried 10-7 or less in weight<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 12\/20 \u2013 Went onto run at the Cheltenham Festival (1 winner, Gaspara – Fred Winter) (3 in total since 1993)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 11\/21 \u2013 Placed in the top two last time out<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 10\/21 \u2013 Aged 4 or 5 years-old<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 9\/21 \u2013 Double-figure price in the betting<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 7\/21 \u2013 Raced at either Cheltenham (2), Sandown (2) or Ascot (2) last time out<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 7\/21 \u2013 French bred<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 6\/21 \u2013 Won their last race<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 6\/21 \u2013 Raced at Sandown (hurdles) before \u2013 2 had won there before<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 6\/21 \u2013 Favourites<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 5\/21 \u2013 Won by the Pipe stable (have won it 9 times in all)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 2\/21 \u2013 Paul Nicholls (2 of the last 5)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 2\/21 \u2013 Nigel Twiston-Davies (2 of last 8)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 2\/21 \u2013 Won by an Irish-trained horse<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> 2\/21 \u2013 Ridden by Harry Cobden (2 of the last 5)<\/li>\n
      • <\/i> The average winning SP in the last 21 years is 11\/1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        <\/div>\n

        Imperial Cup Winners (Last 10 Years)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        <\/p>\n
          \n
        • <\/i> 2024 – Go Dante (5\/1 jfav)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2023 – Iceo (5\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2022 – Surprise Package (20\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2021 – Langer Dan (5\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2019 – Malaya (7\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2018 – Mr Antolini (20\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2017\u00a0 – London Prize (10\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2016 – Flying Angel (9\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2015 – Ebony Express (33\/1)<\/li>\n
        • <\/i> 2014 – Baltimore Rock (7\/1)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          <\/div>\n

          WATCH: Go Dante Winning The 2024 Imperial Cup at Sandown<\/strong><\/h2>\n