Cheltenham Gold Cup 2026 Entries: 33 horses nominated for the race

The snow is on the ground here in the North West but spring isn't too far away and you know that means the Cheltenham Festival is looming on the horizon.

Early entries are out for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with 33 horses having been put forward for the race. Let's see who could be lining up to take on the challenge and who are the early favourites...

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is one of the most-famous horse races in the world and is the Blue Riband event of the four-day Cheltenham Festival that fans look forward to all year.

A total of 33 horses have been put forward as early entries for the race. This includes defending champion Inothewayurthinkin. The Gavin Cromwell-trained eight-year-old won last year as a 15/2 shot and he is currently the 6/1 joint-favourite in our Cheltenham Gold Cup Ante-Post market.

He sits on top with the two-time champion Galopin Des Champs. This Willie Mullins horse was the odds-on favourite to go back-to-back-to-back at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival but it wasn't to be as he was taken down by six lengths. You can bet your bottom dollar that he'll be looking to regain the crown and become a true great by coming back from defeat to reclaim the title - just like Kauto Star.

The past two winners of the Grand National have also been put forward for the race. The Willie Mullins-trained Nick Rockett impressed last season by winning over the famous Aintree fences to give the trainer back-to-back wins in the race. It was I Am Maximus who took the crown in 2024.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup/Grand National double would be something of legend considering only two horses have done it previously - Golden Miller (both in 1934) and L'Escargot (1970, 1971 for the Gold Cup, 1975 for the National). Neither are among the favourites and whether they are pointed here or back to Aintree is a very legitimate question.

Here is the list of the 33 early-entries for the race.

Affordale Fury - Noel Meade
Banbridge - Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Champ Kiely - W. P. Mullins
Croke Park - Gordon Elliott
Envoi Allen - Henry de Bromhead
Fastorslow - Martin Brassil
Firefox - Gordon Elliott
Found A Fifty - Gordon Elliott
Gaelic Warrior - W. P. Mullins
Galopin des Champs - W. P. Mullins
Gerri Colombe - Gordon Elliott
Gold Tweet - Gabriel Leenders
Grangeclare West - W. P. Mullins
Grey Dawning - Dan Skelton
Haiti Couleurs - Rebecca Curtis
Handstands - Ben Pauling
Heart Wood - Henry de Bromhead
I Am Maximus - W. P. Mullins
Impaire Et Passe - W. P. Mullins
Inothewayurthinkin - Gavin Cromwell
Jango Baie - Nicky Henderson
Konfusion - Joel Parkinson & Sue Smith
L’homme Presse - Venetia Williams
Lecky Watson - W. P. Mullins
Monty’s Star - Henry de Bromhead
Myretown - Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
Nick Rockett - W. P. Mullins
Resplendent Grey - Olly Murphy
Spillane’s Tower - James Joseph Mangan
Spindleberry - W. P. Mullins
Stellar Story - Gordon Elliott
The Jukebox Man - Ben Pauling
Three Card Brag - Gordon Elliot

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