Coral Cup Stats & Trends 2025

Date: Wednesday 12th March

Time: 2:40pm

The big handicap on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival is the Coral Cup. A testing distance of two miles and five furlongs will be covered by the big field, and it has been no stranger to big outsiders taking the purse.

Since 2021, horses priced up at 33/1 and 50/1 have won the Coral Cup, and it should be another fascinating betting heat this year without the two-time winner Langer Dan.

You can find the Coral Cup trends to consider when assessing the Premier Handicap field below.

Age is an important stat to take into account when assessing the Coral Cup field contenders. Ten of the last 12 winners of the race have been aged between six and eight.

Nicky Henderson-trained William Henry was the oldest winner of the race since 2013 when nine, while Aux Ptits Soins is the only runner aged five to have won the race since 2012. That stat could bode well for the well-fancied Built By Ballymore for the Martin Brassil yard.

The Coral Cup is one of the few races at the Cheltenham Festival where the market is rarely correct. There has only been one winning favourite of the race since 2013, with Dame De Compagnie winning at a SP of 5/1 in 2020.

Interestingly, eight of the last 12 winners of the race have been priced 12/1 or bigger. That includes 50/1 winner Commander Of Fleet in 2022, and 33/1 victory Heaven Help Us in 2021.

It’s rare to find a race that has enjoyed British success at the Cheltenham Festival in recent memory, but the Coral Cup is one of the few. Each of the last two winners have been trained in the United Kingdom, while there has been just two-Irish trained winners in the last six renewals.

Dan Skelton has trained the winner of the race in the last two years, and he will likely have another strong hand to go to war with in 2025.

The ratings will make for key reading when assessing the Coral Cup field. Ten of the last 12 winners have been rated 140 or higher. That includes Langer Dan winning off 141 in successive years in 2023 and 2024.

The lowest-rated winner in recent memory was Heaven Help Us off 138 in 2021. Meanwhile, the highest-rated winner since 2015 was Commander Of Fleet off 152 in 2022. Ideally, you’d be looking for a runner rated between 140 and 148.

Previous experience around Cheltenham is a huge benefit to a runner in the Coral Cup. Ten of the last 12 winners have had at least one previous run at the course, with five winners over the same period also getting their nose in front at the track.

Overall form is also key reading, with eight of the winners since of the Coral Cup since 2013 winning at least once during the season.