Paddy Power Gold Cup Betting Tips, Winners & History

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.

Paddy Power 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.

Legendary handler Martin Pipe tops the trainers’ table in this race with a total of eight wins. Martin is of course now retired, but son David carried on the family tradition when saddling Great Endeavor to victory in 2011 and sends Siruh Du Lac into battle this time around. Of the trainers who are represented this year, it is Nigel Twiston-Davies who boasts the best record with four previous wins. The Naunton-based trainer saddles the talented Al Dancer this year.

One of the more eye-catching trends here is the fact that eight of the past 10 winners have been saddled with 11st or less on the day, suggesting the top nine runners in the weights in this year’s field may be up against it.

Considering this is a big field handicap affair, there haven’t been too many huge shock results of late, with eight of the past 10 winners returning an SP of 14/1 or shorter. There have however been no winning favourites in the past decade, handing supporters of the market leader the maximum £1 level stakes loss of £10.00 over this period.

Saint Sonnet – 9/2

Paul Nicholls has saddled the winner of this twice in the past with Caid Du Berlais and the talented Al Ferof, and sends two to post this year in the shape of Brelan D’As and Saint Sonnet. Brelan D’as has solid form in the race having finished second 12 months ago, but it is Saint Sonnet who the market has latched onto ahead of this year’s renewal.

A winner of four of eight starts when based in France, this one only joined Nicholls in January of this year. Sent to Catterick for his British chase debut, he duly won as a 1/5 shot should, before being stepped right up in class for the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Whilst ultimately well beaten into seventh of 12 that day, it was only really on the turn for home that he began to wilt having travelled right up with a quality field for much of the way, whilst a stumble at the final flight didn’t help his cause. That’s a solid enough run in the context of this Grade 3 handicap affair, particularly as having now had a full summer at the Nicholls yard, it would be reasonable to expect improvement.

Slate House – 10/1

One of the first ones to jump out at a double figure price is the Colin Tizzard runner, Slate House. Tizzard also runs The Russian Doyen, who wouldn’t be entirely dismissed either, but it is this Robbie Power ridden son of Presenting who very much looks to be the yard’s main contender.

A three-time winner on the Old Course here at Cheltenham – which will be used here – this one gets a big tick in the course box which counts for plenty at one of the toughest tracks in the country. He also undoubtedly has the class for this having scored in Grade 1 company when landing the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton last December. It is however his run in defeat in this race 12 months ago which makes him of strong interest here.

Travelling well throughout that day, he loomed up around the outside seemingly cantering as they turned for home, and was just hitting the front when knuckling on landing and coming down at the second last. He did admittedly still have a fence and the hill to tackle, but travelling as well as he was, and already having won over 3m, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t have gone very close indeed. On the downside, he isn’t the most consistent of performers, and is five pounds higher this time around, but that’s still five pounds lower than his career high rating and we can see him running a big race.

Domaine De L’Isle – 50/1

As mentioned, those runners from towards the lower end of the weights have fared pretty well in this event in recent years. However, looking for an obvious one to fit that trend this year isn’t easy. Coole Cody’s trainer Evan Williams mentioned this a potential target pre-season, so he could be worth a second look but may be inconvenienced should the rains arrive. From those saddled with 11st or less – and at a really big price – our each way vote would go to the Sean Curran-trained Domaine De L’Isle.

Yet another ex-French runner, this one has plenty of experience and will be making his 13th start over fences in this. However, only five of those have come in this country and, still only seven years old, he may well have scope to improve from his current mark of 146. Unsurprisingly considering his price, his form is a little patchy, but on the pick of those efforts he would have a fair shout at making the frame. The performance from last season that stands out is his effort in landing a 2m5f event on heavy ground at Ascot, when seeing off the likes of Kildisart, Benny’s King, and last year’s winner of this, Happy Diva.

Sharpened up by a fourth placed effort at this track on his seasonal return, and with his trainer having hit the target with two of his past six runners at the time of writing, he looks to represent a bit of value, particularly as a number of firms are paying out each way on the first six home.