Ranked: who are the top ten contenders based on this season's ratings in a wide-open Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

It is exactly two months to go until the Cheltenham Gold Cup and this year’s running is shaping up to be as strong and open a race as we've seen in recent times. Here, we rank the entries by their best Racing Post Ratings so far this season to help make sense of where the leading contenders stand.

A notable omission from the top ten is defending champion Inothewayurthinkin, who posted an RPR of 182 in his Cheltenham success but has been out of sorts this campaign, recording figures of 122 and 128 in two heavy defeats. Despite this, most bookmakers still have him as the Gold Cup second favourite at around 7-1.

Cheltenham Gold Cup latest odds

• William Hill: 6 Galopin Des Champs, 7 Inothewayurthinkin, Jango Baie, 8 The Jukebox Man, 10 Gaelic Warrior, 12 Grey Dawning, 14 Haiti Couleurs, 20 Affordale Fury, 25 I Am Maximus, 33 bar.

10. L'Homme Presse – Peak seasonal Racing Post Rating 165

L'Homme Presse sneaks into the top ten despite his sole performance coming in defeat, when he stayed on gamely for second in a Grade 3 handicap chase at Cheltenham on his seasonal return in December off top weight.

The Venetia Williams-trained 11-year-old won last year’s Cotswold Chase on Cheltenham's Trials day card and that race is routinely used as a Gold Cup prep, with the likes of Santini (2020) and Native River (2021) faring best of the recent winners, finishing second and fourth respectively in the Gold Cup after their Cotswold wins.

L'Homme Presse won the Cotswold 12 months ago with another RPR of 165 so a repeat performance is far from impossible, but he would need to improve around another 10lb to be competitive in what would be his second appearance in the Gold Cup, having finished fourth in 2024.

=8. Haiti Couleurs and Galopin Des Champs RPR 166

Haiti Couleurs has won the Welsh and Irish Grand NationalsCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Haiti Couleurs has become a big fan favourite following a remarkable novice chase campaign, when he won four times including the National Hunt Chase at the festival and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse a month later.

He returned this term with a promising warm-up over hurdles before hitting a stumbling block when pulled up in the Betfair Chase on his first attempt in Grade 1 company. That disappointment suggested he may have been out of his depth at the very top level.

However, he bounced back in style for Rebecca Curtis with a rousing victory in the Welsh Grand National on December 27, a performance that bettered his previous best RPR by 12lb. If he can continue improving at that rate he could mount a serious challenge in this year’s deep field.

Galopin Des Champs will bid for a fourth Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Joining Haiti Couleurs in eighth place is the Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs. A delayed start to the season saw him miss the John Durkan before making his belated return in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last month.

He moved into the lead approaching the penultimate fence there and briefly looked set to claim another win at his beloved track, only to be passed by Affordale Fury, with stablemate I Am Maximus also getting the better of him as he faded into third.

Galopin Des Champs is expected to come on for that first outing of the season, and the Irish Gold Cup later this month will reveal far more about where he stands. A big run would likely see his Gold Cup price shorten from a current 6-1.

However, he is now a ten-year-old, and no horse from that age group has won the race since Cool Dawn in 1998. Can Galopin Des Champs overcome this trend and land a third Gold Cup?

7. I Am Maximus – RPR 167

I Am Maximus won the 2024 Grand NationalCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

JP McManus's stout stayer produced an RPR of 172 when finishing runner-up in last year's Grand National, the same figure he achieved when winning the Aintree showpiece in 2024, so a competitive run in the Gold Cup is feasible.

He ran a huge race when a 50-1 second in the Savills Chase last month but, like Galopin Des Champs, he has the negative factor of being a ten-year-old facing a host of younger rivals. The Grand National might prove the better fit again.

6. Affordale Fury – RPR 169

Affordale Fury caused a small surprise when landing the Savills Chase at 7-1, finishing ahead of the two horses immediately below him on this list.

Galopin Des Champs was the last horse to complete the Savills-Gold Cup double, doing so in the 2023-24 season, when he recorded an RPR of 184 in the Leopardstown contest.

Affordale Fury’s figure of 169 suggests he needs another chunk of improvement to claim a Gold Cup, but Noel Meade's stable star has age on his side and he has improved markedly in each of his four runs this season.

5. Grey Dawning – RPR 172

Grey Dawning cruises across the line after winning the Betfair ChaseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Dan Skelton’s hopes of a first Gold Cup rest with Grey Dawning, and victory in the festival showpiece would be a big boost to his trainers’ championship claims.

While Affordale Fury has already been out four times, Grey Dawning has been seen just once this season, when producing a career-best performance to beat Royale Pagaille in the Betfair Chase, earning an RPR of 172. Bar a no-show in the 2024 King George VI Chase, you have to go back to his days as a novice chaser to find a performance that returned an RPR below 160.

The nine-year-old is set to line up in the Cotswold Chase later this month. A victory in that race could see him bid to become the first horse since Looks Like Trouble (2000) to win the Cotswold and Gold Cup in the same season.

Grey Dawning has only raced twice at Cheltenham, but he does have a festival win to his name courtesy of a success in the 2024 Turners Novices’ Chase.

4. Jango Baie – RPR 173

Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie has long shaped like a stayer, even when winning the Arkle over two miles at last year’s festival. He backed up that theory when landing the 1965 Chase at Ascot in November, gaining a clear career best RPR of 171, which was the highest in that Grade 2 since Cyrname's victory over Altior in 2019.

He tackled three miles for the first time when a fine fourth in a thrilling King George at Kempton on Boxing Day, earning a new career best RPR of 173.

That run suggested the Gold Cup test could suit him even better, with the King George turning into something of a sprint finish and Jango Baie never stronger than when at the line.

=1. Gaelic Warrior, Banbridge, The Jukebox Man – RPR 174

Gaelic Warrior, The Jukebox Man, Banbridge and Jango Baie jump the final fence of the King George together (left to right)Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Speaking of that epic King George, it is fitting that the top three in our list are the same trio that were separated by only a short head at Kempton.

Winner The Jukebox Man is 8-1 to become the first horse since Long Run in 2011 to complete the King George-Gold Cup double that season. Long Run posted an RPR of 181 at Kempton before defeating Denman and Kauto Star in an unforgettable Gold Cup.

The King George has become less of a pointer towards the race in recent years, partly due to increased dominance from Irish horses, but also due to the emphasis on speed over stamina at Kempton. It was therefore not a surprise to see The Jukebox Man, Banbridge and Gaelic Warrior all given the option of the Ryanair as well as the Gold Cup when festival entries were made.

Gaelic Warrior has the most proven stamina of the trio, having won the Bowl over 3m1f at Aintree in commanding fashion last year, and he is a general 10-1 shot for the Gold Cup. His Cheltenham record reads well, with two seconds and a win from three appearances, the success coming in the 2024 Arkle, when he posted an RPR of 172, 9lb higher than the figure Jango Baie achieved when winning that race last year.

Banbridge is the biggest price of the three at around 50-1, largely due to doubts over his stamina with the Ryanair Chase perhaps a more likely target.

Their King George-winning RPR of 174 would only have been good enough to win two of the last ten Gold Cups, meaning that improvement will likely be necessary if any of the three bid to land the big one in March. 

Read more . . .

Harry Wilson delves into this season's standout chasing performances and identifies a tip for the Gold Cup 

'Another Dessie moment beckons' - why this horse can win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, plus tips for the Champion Chase and Ryanair 

Tom Segal kicks off his Cheltenham Festival portfolio with a rising star set for Gold Cup glory 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.