The Tattersalls Gold Cup is normally run during the Irish Guineas weekend however in 2020 this will be run in July, rather than the traditional May slot.
This race has history dating back to 1962 but in those days it ran as the Ballymoss Stakes at Tipperary Racecourse. It’s undergone several changes since while gradually establishing itself as one of Ireland’s top middle distance events.
Since this race was promoted to Group 1 in 1999, there has been a string of high-class winners such as two-time champions Al Kazeem and So You Think. Trainers have been happy to send their best to compete in this race partly because the Curragh is such a fantastic course.
Next Race: TBD
The next renewal of this race has not been scheduled yet. We will update this once the schedule has been released for next season. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.
Last Run: 26th May 2019
- Winner: Magical
- SP: 2/7
- Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
- Jockey: Ryan Moore
Race Info
1m2f is the trip for this Group 1 contest, with the race offering €250,000 in total prize money this year. The going at the track is currently described as good.
| Going | Distance | Grade | Prize Money | Runners | EW Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 1m2f | Group 1 | €250,000 | 6 Runners | 1/4 1-2 |
Tattersalls Gold Cup Betting Tips
Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.
One of the best races of the weekend comes from Ireland. A small but select field go to post for this classy middle distance affair. Open to all runners aged three and older, the race has been kind to British raiders in recent years, but has attracted an all-Irish field this time around so we can safely chalk this up as another win for the home team!
Another Irish Group 1, and another race in which it is the name of Aidan O’Brien which sits atop the all-time trainers list. The master of Ballydoyle’s phenomenal record at the top level certainly extends to this event, which he has won on a record eight occasions. With half of this year’s six-runner field hailing from the O’Brien yard, he may well make it nine in 2020.
The market leaders have a solid strike rate in this event in recent times, having registered six wins in the past 10 years. A few of these have returned very short prices though, resulting in only a small level stakes profit of +£1.64 for favourite backers. We have another very short-priced favourite this year but can Magical perform a spell on the rest of the field?
| Horse | Odds | Rating | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magical | 3/10 | 122 | Aidan O'Brien | Wayne Lordan |
| Armory | 8/1 | 110 | Aidan O'Brien | Padraig Beggy |
Magical – 3/10
Unsurprisingly it is one of the Aidan O’Brien-trained trio who is clear at the head of the betting for this year’s renewal. The horse in question is the supremely talented filly, Magical, who bids to defend the crown she landed in effortless style 12-months ago. Cantering in behind the pace setter before cruising clear to score by seven lengths that day, she is still only five years old, and will most likely take some stopping if in anything like the same sort of form here.
This daughter of Galileo is far from a one hit wonder too, as whilst she has yet to master the brilliant Enable in four attempts, she has still entered the winner’s enclosure with regularity over the course of her career, including five successes at this Group 1 level.
Boasting career form figures of 11122111 at around 1m2f, this would also appear to be her optimum trip, with the only two runners to have beaten her at the distance being the aforementioned Enable, and Crystal Ocean. Having returned to the track with an impressive 4½l verdict over Irish Oaks runner up Cayenne Pepper at this track in June, she would look to be in for another profitable campaign this season and – 7lbs clear of the field on official ratings – is very much the one to beat.
Armory – 8/1
The other runners in the field do have a bit to find on the ratings if they are to topple the market leader. However, if there is to be an upset, it may well be another O’Brien runner who is the one most likely to provide it.
Armory has a whopping 12lb to make up with his stablemate on the book, but does at least receive a little help due to the conditions of this race. As the sole three year old in the line-up, he receives 9lbs from the market leader, leaving him with only 3lbs to find in theory – far from impossible considering we likely haven’t seen the best of him yet.
A winner of three of his first four starts during his juvenile campaign, Armory then posted his two best efforts in back to back Group 1 contests here at the Curragh and over at Longchamp in France. Best of the rest in Pinatubo’s blistering National Stakes performance, this Galileo colt then went on to go down by only one length to this year’s talented French 2000 Guineas winner Victor Ludorum.
Returned to the track this season in the Irish 2000 Guineas, he again ran with great credit to be beaten only 2½l by Sussex Stakes favourite Siskin – a particularly commendable effort considering he was forced to endure something of a rough passage that day. He steps up to this trip for the first time here, which may see him take a further step forward and it would be no surprise to see him run a big race at lengthy odds.
Tattersalls Gold Cup Winners
| Year | Winner | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Magical | 2/7 | Aidan O'Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2018 | Lancaster Bomber | 100/30 | Aidan O’Brien | Seamie Heffernan |
| 2017 | Decorated Knight | 7/2 | Roger Charlton | Andrea Atzeni |
| 2016 | Fascinating Rock | 9/4 | Dermot Weld | Pat Smullen |
| 2015 | Al Kazeem | 3/1 | Roger Charlton | James Doyle |
| 2014 | Noble Mission | Evens | Lady Cecil | James Doyle |
| 2013 | Al Kazeem | 9/4 | Roger Charlton | James Doyle |
| 2012 | So You Think | 2/11 | Aidan O'Brien | Joseph O'Brien |
| 2011 | So You Think | 1/7 | Aidan O'Brien | Ryan Moore |
| 2010 | Fame And Glory | 8/15 | Aidan O'Brien | Johnny Murtagh |
About the Tattersalls Gold Cup: Group 1 Action at the Curragh
The Tattersalls Gold Cup is a horse race run on the flat at the Curragh racecourse in May of each year (July in 2020). The contest is usually only open to thoroughbreds which are aged four years and older although in 2020 three year olds will be able to compete. Throughout the years only three horses have managed to claim a double in the event. Yankee Gold in 1976 and 1977, So You Think in 2011 and 2012, and lastly Al Kazeem in 2013 and 2015.
As the race is a Group 1 affair it only attracts the best horses, trainers and jockeys that are present in the world of horse racing. This is quite clear when looking at through the list of honours over the years. As it stands the most successful jockey is Michael Kinane who has triumphed in this one at the Curragh a record six times from 1987, when he won with Cockney Las, to 2003, when he was victorious on the back of Black Sam Bellamy.
Leading the way amongst the trainers, with eight wins of this race, is Aidan O’Brien. He claimed victory for the first time in 2003 with the previously mentioned Black Sam Bellamy, and achieved his last win to date in 2019 with Magical. Dermot Weld is the only trainer close to O’Brien with six wins in the Curragh Group One contest.
A Brief History
When the event was first established in 1962 it was first called the Ballymoss stakes, after the very successful Irish-trained horse of the same name. The race was run over a mile and two furlongs and three year olds were also allowed to enter. Renamed as the Rogers Gold Cup in 1984, the race rules were changed a year later do that the minimum age was raised to four. When sponsored by Tattersalls the name changed to the Tattersalls Rogers Gold Cup before gaining its present title in 1993.
The prestigious event had held a status of being a Group 2 event, until in 1999 it was upgraded to a Group 1 contest. It is from its change in 1999 to becoming a Group 1 affair that we find it best to compare the records in order to understand what trends appear between the winners.
From comparing the ages of the winning horses there is a trend where four year olds have been victorious more than half of the races run from 1999 to 2019. In fact, 57% of races run from 1999 to 2019 were won by four year olds, and a further 33% were won by five year olds. That means that from 1999 to 2019, 90% of the races have been won by four and five year olds. Although this is definitely interesting, there tends to be a large number of horses aged within this range in the field, so it is also good to look at the trends regarding winning trainers and jockeys.
The leading trainer and jockey are Aidan O’Brien and James Doyle repectively. But always be sure to check out the other big hitters who are involved in this race, and the records of the horses they are entering, as previous trainer and jockey form can only amount to so much.