Cheltenham Festival
Most successful Cheltenham Gold Cup trainers
Known as the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the contest which holds the most prestige for trainers, jockeys, and owners alike.
The race has seen some incredible winners over the years, forming stable stars around the country with many trainers winning the Gold Cup on multiple occasions, which has cemented them in the history books of the Cheltenham Festival.
This year’s renewal of the Gold Cup, which takes place on Friday, looks wide open with many fancies for every type of punter. We’ll be looking below at the most successful horse racing trainers in the Gold Cup, past, and present.
Bet on the Cheltenham Gold Cup here with William Hill
Tom Dreaper
Tom Dreaper is the leading trainer in the race with a staggering five wins. His first Gold Cup glory came in 1946 with Prince Regent. Dreaper’s next success would come with a very special horse, the famed Arkle who won consecutive Gold Cups, winning in 1964, 1965, and 1966.
He was the first horse to win three on-the-spin since the legendary Golden Miller and as a result, both horses have been recognised with statues within the Cheltenham grounds. Dreaper capped off his fifth and final Gold Cup win with Fort Leney in 1968. All but one of Dreaper’s winners were ridden by Pat Taaffe, who is the most successful jockey in the race’s history with four wins.
Basil Briscoe
Basil Briscoe has only won the Gold Cup with one horse, but that horse won it four consecutive times. The legendary Golden Miller is the Gold Cup’s most successful horse, winning back-to-back renewals between 1932-1936. This feat has never been matched and it is one that solidified Briscoe as one of the most successful Gold Cup trainers of all time.
Henrietta Knight
When you talk about the Gold Cup, you automatically think of three horses: Golden Miller, Arkle, and Best Mate. The latter was trained by Henrietta Knight and gave her a Gold Cup hat-trick between 2002 and 2004; the 7/1 winner in 2002 became a legend and an instant fan favourite. Best Mate was the first thoroughbred to win three renewals consecutively since Arkle. Knight’s success with Best Mate will cement her place in the history books with a horse that has become synonymous with this prestigious race.
Paul Nicholls
Paul Nicholls has established himself as one of the leading trainers of our time and has been extremely successful, having made a habit of accumulating countless winners at the Cheltenham Festival. Nicholls has trained Gold Cup greats like Kauto Star and Denman, but one of his finest hours was when he saddled the first three horses home in 2009 renewal.
Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins and his battalion have dominated the Cheltenham Festival for many years now, and as of last year, he has now trained three Gold Cup winners. In last year’s edition, Galopin Des Champs hacked up by seven lengths, steered on by Paul Townend and marked Mullin’s third win in the contest, with the prior two being secured by Townend aboard Al Boum Photo, who won consecutive Gold Cups in 2019 and 2020. This year, Mullins has his eyes on a fourth, with Galopin Des Champs the favourite again to romp home for a second time in succession, bringing further success to the Irish trainer.
