The 2026 Cheltenham Festival concludes with Gold Cup day on March 13, featuring the prestigious Grade One race at 4:00 PM. Eleven horses, including favorites Gaelic Warrior, Jango Baie, and The Jukebox Man, will compete over three miles and two furlongs for a £625,000 prize pot. Ground conditions are reported as good to soft, soft in places, following overnight rain.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup, the highlight of the National Hunt racing calendar, draws a competitive field of 11 runners on the final day of the 2026 Festival. Established in 1924, the race tests stamina and jumping ability over 22 fences on the New Course. Last year's winner, Inothewayurthinkin trained by Gavin Cromwell, returns to defend his title but has been below form this season.
Top market contenders include Gaelic Warrior, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Paul Townend, who finished third in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on December 26, 2025. Jango Baie, under Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville, won the Arkle at last year's Festival and placed fourth in the same King George. The Jukebox Man, owned by Harry Redknapp and prepared by Ben Pauling with Ben Jones aboard, remains unbeaten over fences after victory in that Kempton feature race.
Other notable entries are Grey Dawning (Dan Skelton, Harry Skelton), winner of the 2024 novice chase at Cheltenham; Haiti Couleurs (Rebecca Curtis, Sean Bowen), successful in the 2025 Welsh Grand National; and Envoi Allen (Henry de Bromhead, Darragh O’Keeffe). The full list of runners comprises: 1 Envoi Allen, 2 Firefox, 3 Gaelic Warrior, 4 Gold Tweet, 5 Grey Dawning, 6 Haiti Couleurs, 7 Inothewayurthinkin, 8 Jango Baie, 9 L’Homme Presse, 10 Spillane’s Tower, and 11 The Jukebox Man.
Clerk of the course Jon Pullin noted 10mm of rain overnight, adjusting the going to good to soft on the chase course. Irish trainers hold a strong historical edge, with 28 Gold Cup winners compared to Britain's last in 2018 with Native River. The Festival's Prestbury Cup remains close, with Ireland leading 11-10 ahead of the day.
Previews highlight the race's potential for a stamina test, with accurate jumpers favored on the uphill finish. Willie Mullins, with four Gold Cup wins since 2019, fields multiple runners across the card, including in the earlier Triumph Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
