Cheltenham Gold Cup Ante-Post Market

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle of national hunt fans season with every horse, trainer and jockey getting ready for Cheltenham and all every punter wants to know is who is going to perform at Prestbury Park in March.

The Gold Cup is a prestigious contest that truly shows a remarkable spectacle every season and we thought we would get ahead of the rest and take a really early look at the Ante-Post market for the 2020 renewal of the contest.

We will start at the top of the market and there will be no surprise to see some of these familiar names up there already with the current favourite at 6/1 being KEMBOY.

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KEMBOY last season was superb starting his season off at Clonmel in the Grade Two Oil Chase and easing to victory to suggest that this season he looks a far more mature horse.

He showed this again when stepping up to three miles in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown and was brilliant landing the Grade One, beating what looked like would be his rivals in the Gold Cup.

The only mishap he made all season was in the Cheltenham contest where he was highly touted to go well for Willie Mullins but at the first fence unseated his rider David Mullins making for a huge anti-climax.

He finished the season off smartly though, having not really getting a run out at Cheltenham he went to Aintree fit as a fiddle and romped to victory in the Betway Bowl to land his second Grade One of the season.

The Punchestown Gold Cup was his final race of the season and what a race it turned out to be with both of the Mullins runners battling it out to the finish and Kemboy seeing off his stablemate Al Boum Photo to take the race.

The seven year old is on the up and up and if getting back into the swing of things from the off is hard to overlook next season.

Willie Mullins takes the second favourite in the market as well and there is no surprise to see last year's winner of the Grade One be at the top of the betting.

AL BOUM PHOTO was very lightly raced last season and if being honest was not one of the front runners on punters minds to go and win the Gold Cup last season.

But for Willie Mullins and connections of the gelding they knew a big run was coming and he managed to break Mullins's curse in the big race.

He only ran three times last season starting off at Tramore in a Listed Chase where he saw off two of his stablemates and some other decent horses and it was a nice way to ease him back.

He went straight to the Gold Cup from there and it paid off with him being extremely fresh and being able to stay the trip up the hill better than the rest of the field.

He finished his season in a gruelling battle against stablemate Kemboy, in who we have already mentioned, but it was a superb contest that sets things up nicely for next season.

Having course and distance form at Cheltenham is not something to ever be overlooked and it makes him a leading contender for the feature piece in 2020.

The first British horse we are mentioning in the betting market is the Paul Nicholls trained TOPOFTHEGAME who last season was highly progressive and bought everything together nicely for the Cheltenham festival.

He started his season off in December in a Novices Chase taking his first run over fences at Exeter and he missed the start, having to play catch up the whole way round but stayed on nicely to grab second and was a real eye-catcher after how much ground he made up.

He went to Kempton on Boxing Day in the Kauto Star Novices Chase and again finished second to the massively improved La Bague Au Roi, but the seven year old put in a stellar performance and it was a nice race to be in before the festival.

The RSA Chase was tipped to be one of the races of the four days and it did not disappoint with the top three in the market proving why they were there with all three battling it out to the line.

TOPOFTHEGAME landed his first Grade One of his career under a patient ride by Harry Cobden seeing off a superb effort from Delta Work and Santini.

That race sets a huge precedent for the Gold Cup next year with those three runners looking some of the most likely horse to give a huge performance in the Gold Cup.

TOPOFTHEGAME after that performance was a horse to be taken seriously and although underperforming in his last run of the season at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices Chase, which probably came to soon for him after Cheltenham, he has to be taken very seriously next season stepping up into the big boy jumping sphere.

SANTINI like the Gold Cup winner last season was very lightly raced but it may not have played to his strengths with the Nicky Henderson trained seven year old lacking that final bit in the finish on a few occasions.

The gelding started his season off in good style at Newbury on soft ground when taking a Grade Two Novices Chase not beating a whole lot but a nice race to start the season off.

He then went off to Kempton on Boxing Day and finished third in behind Topofthegame and La Bague Au Roi and was arguably the horse to take out of the race.

He stayed on emphatically and got himself back in contention to go and win the race, coming from so far off the pace and looked like a horse to follow next time.

In the lead up to the Cheltenham festival he suffered little niggles at the yard and Henderson was not sure whether he would head to Prestbury Park.

However, he got there and was a superb second to Topofthegame with the race showing how close they are in talent to each other and if SANTINI gets a better preparation next season, he is another who looks dangerously underrated.

Colin Tizzard for the last few seasons has had big chances in the race and again he has another horse coming through that could well be the next winner of the contest.

LOSTINTRANSLATION was ran frequently last season and was muddled about with what distance he is best at and it took until the final race of the season for Tizzard to finally see the light.

The seven year old raced six times throughout the season, putting in some stellar performances at 2 mile 3f to 2 mile 6f with a superb second behind Defi Du Seuil at Cheltenham in the JLT Novices Chase and also a good win in the Dipper Novices Chase earlier in the season at the same track.

However, his final contest of the season was at Aintree on his first step up to 3 miles 1 furlong in the Grade One Novices Chase and this was the race that put him in the 2020 Gold Cup frame.

He lead all the way and when normally he was being outpaced he revelled in the extra trip and put the field to shame including RSA Chase winner Topofthegame.

His prep for the race will have to be different but it showed that the step up in trip bought the best out of him and it would be surprising for him not to go down that route next season.

DELTA WORK was superb for most of last season and has to be seriously looked at in this contest having been very progressive and being younger than the field may have more scope to improve compared to the rest.

The Gordon Elliott trained runner had three big runs over in Ireland before he headed to Cheltenham winning a race at Down Royal before landing back to back Grade Ones at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown.

They were good races but nowhere near as strong as the RSA Chase where he looked to be travelling all over the rest of the field but faded near the line and could only manage third.

That race could prove to a big form line for next seasons Gold Cup which makes him enter calculations, his final race of the season also does this when landing the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown.

Overall DELTA WORK was a solid performer last season that has big scope in 2020 to go on and be an even more progressive gelding.

Last year's favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup PRESENTING PERCY enticed an Irish gamble in the race that saw the Pat Kelly trained horse go off fairly short and was unfortunately disappointing.

There was so much hype about this horse last season being the Gold Cup favourite having only had one prep run and that came over hurdles in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park.

His trainer was heavily criticised in the run up to the race and after it for how he had handled the horse all through the season and looking back it was bonkers to think a horse could win the Gold Cup not having a run over fences.

His poor run in the race was put down to the eight year old suffering an injury and he never looked right all the way round.

However, after all this PRESENTING PERCY is a huge talent that can't be overlooked in any race especially Cheltenham, romping to victory in the RSA Chase and Pertemps Handicap Hurdle on his two runs prior to last year.

He may have been poor last season but if getting back to his best and being raced more throughout the season he could be a nice price at 16/1

Where do we start with one of the greatest horses to ever grace a racecourse, ALTIOR as many will know holds the record for the most consecutive amount of wins at 19 races over hurdles and fences and he has never been beaten by even one rival.

Henderson's stable star has ran over 2 miles and slightly further in his career staying very consistent and not being able to be passed by anyone.

However, this season it looks as if he will be tackling a new demographic and stepping up in trip to battle it out over 3 miles and maybe further.

He is one the sports greatest athletes to ever live but if he was to ever go and win the Gold Cup he would be immortal in the eyes of jumps racing fans.

It looks like he will attempt the King George on Boxing Day at Kempton and if handling that well enough will bid for the Gold Cup, which could be one of the most exciting spectacles ever seen on a race-track.

That 16/1 will not last long if he performs as well over 3 miles as he has for his whole career over shorter.

CLAN DES OBEAUX truly showed his talent last year under Paul Nicholls and was very prominent in the betting for the Gold Cup but ultimately never stayed the trip.

Last season the seven year old came on the scene when landing the King Gorge VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and it was a huge break through win for the gelding.

He backed that up at Ascot in the Denman Chase in what looked a perfect prep race for the Gold Cup but when he headed to Cheltenham he could only manage fifth.

He looked in contention all the way round the track but when it came to getting up the hill he couldn't and he faded near the finish.

He rounded off his season at Aintree with a good second to Kemboy but he was outclassed overall and needs to improve again next season to be in with a shout.

NATIVE RIVER is a fan favourite at Cheltenham winning the 2018 renewal of the Grade One Cheltenham Gold Cup and last season was nudged in the betting just before the off and finished a staying on fourth.

Colin Tizzard's nine year old is an out and out stayer up the Cheltenham hill and performs to his best at the track and it would be superb to see him again in the 2020 Gold Cup but he may not be the figure of old.

The gelding has not won since his amazing performance at Prestbury Park last year but ran well last season in good races but with the new crop of Gold Cup entries coming through it looks a big task to see him win again.

The final runner we want to talk about is CYRNAME who last season was the highest rated jumps horse in Britain and Ireland and like Altior could step up in trip next season.

He is currently 20/1 but that price will be long gone if Paul Nicholls maps him out to head the Gold Cup this season and he performs well in his prep runs.

CYRNAME bounced onto the jumps racing scene last year in great style when going on to win the bet365 Handicap Chase at Ascot.

From there he jumped up massively in Class and took the Ascot Chase in fine style, drawing clear by about seven lengths being eased down.

He did not race again all season with him not getting the ground he wanted but he could be set for a huge season and currently at this price could be a nice each way bet.