Gold Cup Memory Lane

It's certainly a good while until the 2018 Cheltenham Festival, but it's such a rich event there is often something to talk about, either with reference to future events or write ups on the rich history of the event. That's a view echoed by many others I'd say, as I've just now been reading a year by year summary of the Gold Cup on the Cheltenham Focus Blog.

It really does bring back countless memories to think back to some of the classic Cheltenham Gold Cup races and wins over the years. It's no doubt the combination of the best of the best, in terms of horses, jockeys and trainers all competing for this prestigious prize that makes it unmissable for many racing fans.

Let us not forget how rooted in history this race is - the first Gold Cup was held way back in July 1819. Highlights of this grade one steeplechase for me over the years include the amazing 'triple' that was Best Mate's wins in 2002, 2003 and 2004, while being ridden by Jim Culloty and the impressive 2015 win by novice Coneygree - the first time in over four decades that a novice had won the race. Let's hope the 2018 race is one of the classics too, time will tell!