When it comes to British and Irish jump racing, there’s no race more prestigious than the Cheltenham Gold Cup. And the 2025 renewal is set to be the most competitive yet. Galopin Des Champs is out to make it three Gold Cup triumphs in a row, but stablemate Fact to File is ready to rival him on the biggest stages of them all.
While odds are always subject to change, horse racing markets currently have Fact to File as the second favourite to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup just behind stablemate Galopin Des Champs. Fact to File won well at Cheltenham last year, and he defeated Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkham.
Galopin Des Champs, on the other hand, is the back-to-back winner of the Gold Cup under jockey Paul Townend. While the Willie Mullins-trained horse tasted defeat at Punchestown on his first appearance since May, the race where Fact to File triumphed, another of Mullins’ charges, it’s par for the course with the multiple-time Gold Cup winner. He usually needs a run at the start of the season to get going.
The Chasing Pack
There are, of course, other horses in the race and many of them will fancy their chances to some degree in the showpiece. Spillane’s Tower for trainer James Joseph Mangan has won a couple of Grade 1’s in Ireland already and was the horse to push Fact to File all the way in the John Durkan.
Grey Dawning, a Dan Skelton horse, was a Grade 1 winner at Cheltenham last year, and while he’s been defeated at the top level since, Skelton is a trainer doing good things, and he appears to have faith that Grey Dawning has what it takes to compete with the very best. The Gold Cup wouldn’t be the Gold Cup without a Gordon Ellott-trained runner, and the best from his yard will be Gerri Colombe, the horse that chased Galopin Des Champs home in the last Gold Cup.
Mullins Holding the Aces
Willie Mullins will undoubtedly have multiple runners in the race, and short-priced Fact to File and Galopin Des Champs will be accompanied by I Am Maximus, who won the Grand National with ease last season. However, the hike in weights means the task will be more challenging, and he only has Grade 1 novice form under his belt thus far.
The reality for most looking at the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup is that this will be a battle between the two Mullins horses at the top of the betting – Fact to File and Galopin Des Champs. Paul Townend will certainly fancy his chances on board the latter based on previous performances and domination in the race.
But Mark Walsh, who will ride Fact to File, knows what his mount is capable of and that he can beat the reigning champion. It makes for one of the most intriguing Cheltenham Gold Cups in recent years, especially as it’s two horses from the same yard that are strongly fancied.