The Cheltenham Gold Cup: one of the most prestigious jump races
Something that clicks in mind with the names of Arkle, Best Mate, Golden Miller, Kauto Star and Mill House is the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It is one of the championship races of the Festival with five more races on the same card. The race is run over 3 miles
and 2 ½ furlongs at the new course at Cheltenham Racecourse. In order to win the race, the contestants have to jump over twenty-two fences.
Considered as the Blue Riband of jump-racing, it is the most prestigious among all the National Hunt events. This year the sponsorship of the Cup shifted from Tote to Betfred once the latter bought it in June, 2011. Tote had sponsored the race since 1980.
Synchronised won the winner’s share from the £491,850 total prize fund in 2012 while riding with jockey, Tony McCoy.
"AP [McCoy] was brilliant on him, he knows him so well. Our big worry was keeping him in the race as, if he makes mistakes, he gets behind”.
"A lot of work has gone into him at home so it was a great team effort from the yard. He only came right in the last 10 days or so and we weren't really confident”.
"He flowered in the last few days and it was spot-on timing. It's fantastic to win it as a trainer."
The first time the Gold Cup was raced, it was in the form of flat race in 1819. It was raced over three miles and won by, Spectre. It was on 12th March, 1924, that it was raced as a jumps race. The race did not get the centre piece attention since
the beginning as in the initial years it was the National Hunt Race that remained as the focus.
1959 saw the transition of the Gold Cup to the new course, and to date it is raced at the same venue.
The most remarkable trainer for the Cup was, Michael Dickinson, who in 1983 had entered the first five horses who finished the race.
Something that happened only in 1986, and could only be pulled off by the winner, Dawn Run, he won the Champion Hurdle in the same year.
Arkle still reserves the honour of winning the race three times consecutively from 1964 to 1966.
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