Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle

The Coral Cup is one of the more recent additions to the Cheltenham Festiva. and was added to the festival card in 1993. The first Handicap Hurdle was won by Martin Pipe’s Olympian in 1993.

The race is a Grade 3 handicap hurdle race and is run on the Cheltenham Racecourse Old Course.

The Coral Cup is open to horses aged five and over and is run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs. The race is fast-paced and the quickest winning time was set during the 2000 Cheltenham Festival when What’s Up Boys completed the race in 4 minutes 53.8 seconds.

Coral Cup Betting & Trends

Weight: Last five winners have carried weights in the 9lbs 12st to 11lbs 12st range.
Age: Winners of the last five Coral Cups have fallen in the 5- to 9-year-old age range, indicating that age has little impact on the race.
Odds: Winners of this race in the past five years have been priced anywhere from 7/1 to 33/1 with the majority falling beneath the 12/1 margin. Antepost favourites haven't claimed a single victory in this period.
Jockey: Jockeys from some of the smaller stables have prospered in this race, but none has won it more than once in the last decade.
Trainer: Phillip Hobbs has two wins in the Coral Cup in the last ten years, but smaller stables have also picked off a number of victories,
Coral Cup Tip: If you're willing to take onboard a large liability, consider laying the Coral Cup favourite at Betfair. This cavalry charge rarely does the favourite any favours, with the last favourite winning in 2003.

Coral Cup Winners

As a handicap event that sees form horses carrying heavy weight, the Coral Cup has never been won twice by any competing racehorse. The most notable achievement in the race by a racehorse was achieved by its first winner Olympian. Olympian won the Coral Cup on the back of the Imperial Cup at Sandown Park, earning his owner a £50,000 bonus.

No jockey has managed to dominate the Coral Cup and ride more than one winner. The most successful trainer in the history of the Coral Cup is Martin Pipe who has trained three race winners, including the races’ first champion, Olympian.