As anticipation builds toward the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, March 17, historical research into previous winners of the race finds that Bravemansgame has the best chance of riding away with this year’s prize.
The research, by the MyBettingSites Supercomputer analysed the traits from all winning horses since the Cheltenham Gold Cup’s inception in 1924, and found that, statistically, the winner of the iconic race is an eight-year old horse, trained by a Paul, which has been priced by bookies at 8/1.
Of the confirmed 2023 runners, Bravemansgame – owned by John Dance and Bryan Drew, matches this description closest with an age of eight, and is trained by Paul Nicholls. While not providing an exact match for the typical starting price, current odds show that he does provide good value at 13/2, especially after winning the King George VI Chase in December.
Various other factors can be considered lucky for Cheltenham Gold Cup winners – trainers called Tom have more wins (6) than any other, with Paul (4), Basil (4), Fred (4), Fulke (4) and Vincent (4), next in line. In 2023’s field, only one of those names feature – Paul – training Bravemansgame.
When it comes to ownership, five previous winning owners have been called John. That’s just shy of one in five (18.8%), meaning Protektorat (14/1) – part-owned by John Hales, and far from bookies favourite, Eldorado Allen (100/1) – owned in part by John Romans, could gallop to gold.
A spokesperson for MyBettingSites said: “Our research shows that historically, eight-year-old horses race best in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, making Bravemansgame a great prospect, especially priced at 13/2.
“The historical traits of previous horses can be worth considering when having a wager on the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This typically goes against the bookmaker’s favourites and provides great value prices for successful betting. The Gold Cup could prove to be a brave man’s game for Paul Nicholls.”
