Gold Cup
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The Gold Cup, the chasing crown, is a grade 1 race over 3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards and 22 fences of the New Course and is open to 5-year-olds and above. Although the first race at Cheltenham known as the Gold Cup was in July 1819, it was a flat race over 3 miles on the Cleeve Hill course and was won by Spectre owned by Mr Bodenham, and the race did continue for a number of years afterwards. However, it has no real connection with the present day pinnacle of National Hunt racing which was first contested on 12th March 1924 over 3 miles 3 furlongs. The race was not staged in 1931 due to frost, nor in 1937 due to flooding, and the Second World War prevented the race being held in both 1943 and 1944. |
| Early history:- The inaugural running of the Gold Cup was on 12th March 1924 over 3 miles 3 furlongs and was won by Red Splash (5/1) owned by Major Humphrey Wyndham, trained by Fred Withington and ridden by Dick Rees, beating Conjuror II (7/1) and Gerald L (5/1). | |
| Gold Cup 2011 | Grade 1 | 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs | ||
| Pos. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
| 1 | LONG RUN | Mr Sam Waley-Cohen | Nicky Henderson | Mr Robert Waley-Cohen 7/2 fav |
| 2 | DENMAN | Sam Thomas | Paul Nicholls | Mr Paul Barber 8/1 |
| 3 | KAUTO STAR | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | Mr Clive D Smith 5/1 |
| 4 | WHAT A FRIEND | Daryl Jacob | Paul Nicholls | Ged Mason, Sir Alex Ferguson 25/1 |
| 5 | MIDNIGHT CHASE | Tom Scudamore | Neil Mulholland | Lady Clarke 9/1 |
| 6 | TIDAL BAY | Brian Hughes | Howard Johnson | Andrea & Graham Wylie 16/1 |
| 7 | PANDORAMA | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade (Ire) | Mr R J Bagnall 14/1 |
| 8 | NEPTUNE COLLOGNES | Robert Thornton | Paul Nicholls | Mr John Hales 33/1 |
| 9 | CARRUTHERS | Mattie Batchelor | Mark Bradstock | The Oaksey Family 66/1 |
| 10 | IMPERIAL COMMANDER | Paddy Brennan | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Our Friends in the North 4/1 |
| 11 | KEMPES | Tony McCoy | Willie Mullins (Ire) | Mr John P McManus 9/1 |
| 12 | WEIRD AL | Jason Maguire | Ian Williams | Brannon Dennis, Dick Holden 20/1 |
| 13 | CHINA ROCK | Barry Geraghty | Mouse Morris (Ire) | Mr Michael O'Flynn 25/1 |
| Over round 120% | ||||
| This race was held on Friday 18th March 2011 when Long Run beat Denman and Kauto Star by 7 lengths and 4 lengths | ||||