Every year, a small number of horses compete in both of the UK’s most prestigious National Hunt races. The Aintree Grand National follows hot on the hooves of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and both offer stiff tests of endurance.
It’s exceptionally rare for any runner to win both meetings across their careers. In terms of winning the Gold Cup and the National in the same year, it’s only ever happened once.
Golden Miller completed a unique double in 1934 and his record is set to remain intact for another year. Bettors can, however, look at the overall results from the Cheltenham Gold Cup with a view to finding some value in the Grand National odds now that attention is turning towards Aintree.
Post Gold Cup Standings
Before considering the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup result, we’ll have a quick recap of the overall market for Aintree. Current Grand National betting tips point to two frontrunners, with Corach Rambler and Noble Yeats heading the outright market at 7/1 and 8/1 respectively.
A gap follows the chasing pack which includes Mr Incredible, Delta Work, Conflated, Any Second Now and Longhouse Poet. The markets are subject to further change and there may well be some withdrawals before the final declaration is in.
For now, that’s the picture, but are there any trends to carry over from the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Gold Cup Winners…
The winner of the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs, is not entered for the Grand National, so Golden Miller’s double will stay as a unique milestone for at least one more year.
The second-placed horse is, however, expected to be in contention. Bravemansgame finished the Gold Cup as the runner up by a distant seven lengths. The Paul Nicholls trained horse is highly rated for Aintree, and while he never really looked like a winner at Cheltenham, it was a respectable showing.
Another horse that punters may well want to consider is Conflated, who finished in third place in Cheltenham’s prestige race. As one of the longer-priced outsiders, Gordon Elliott’s mount provided a solid return for each way backers, and he is on offer at similar odds for the Grand National.
…And Losers
Only seven horses from the original declaration of 13 finished the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Among those who fell on the way was Hewick, who was originally down for Aintree but has since been withdrawn.
Another horse to have been entered into the Grand National fray is Royale Pagaille. While this runner did finish the Cheltenham course, a sixth-place return doesn’t suggest a productive afternoon at Aintree in April.
The Verdict
The best course of action for any Grand National hopeful may be to avoid the Cheltenham Gold Cup. These are both testing races and those who are listed to run in both meetings may be struggling for stamina at Aintree.
If trends are worth following, the fact that Bravemansgame and Conflated both finished inside the top three at Cheltenham will provide pointers for many punters to consider at the Grand National.
