Cheltenham Gold Cup 2025 LIVE: Tips and latest odds today as Galopin Des Champs eyes history today

Cheltenham Festival recorded its lowest single-day attendance in over three decades on Wednesday, with just shy of 42,000 racegoers, as the festival struggles to make up the numbers amid soaring costs.

The ‘Style Wednesday’ crowd of 41,949 – a 5,000 drop from last year – was the smallest since 1993, when just 40,662 turned out, according to BBC Sport.

The crowd on Tuesday’s opening day of racing was also lower than in previous years – 55,498 compared to 60,181 at last year’s meeting.

Soaring accommodation prices in and around the racecourse, as well as the cost of tickets, travel to Cheltenham, plus food and drink prices at the venue have all played their part in driving away fans – with many choosing to travel abroad, notably to Benidorm and other Spanish holiday destinations, to get the festival experience on a smaller budget

What does it mean to make history? To achieve such accomplishments in a lifetime that others are compelled to scribe down your achievements so that future generations know how extraordinary you were.

Most of us don’t come close to such recognition but for a select few there are moments when history comes knocking, when expectation weighs heavily on the shoulders and the spotlight of legacy shines firmly on them. This is the fate that awaits jockey Paul Townend and Galopin Des Champs at the Cheltenham Festival this week.

British Horseracing Authority starter Robbie Supple has defended existing procedures after a series of unsatisfactory starts at the Cheltenham Festival.

Tuesday’s Ultima Handicap Chase required three attempts to get underway while Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase had a standing start, a factor which Nico de Boinville felt had impacted on eventual second and hot favourite Jonbon’s chances.

There was further incident in the very first race on day three when Willie Mullins’ Maughreen whipped around as the runners were sent on their way at the second time of asking, putting paid to her chances.

After finishing second aboard Sixandahalf in the opening Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in which the Maughreen incident occurred, Keith Donoghue said: “I think the starters are trying to stay with the rules that they have when they have seven runners, but with 24 runners there, you’re not going to get them all to walk in in a line.

“I think they have to use their heads sometimes and just drop the flag and let them go when it looks reasonable enough.”

Rachael Blackmore ended her 2025 Cheltenham Festival drought with a delightful double that kickstarted a green wave of Irish winners on St. Patrick’s Thursday.

Blackmore, the first woman to become leading jockey at the festival with six victories in 2021, had endured a lean opening two days with only last year’s Champion Chase winner, Captain Guinness, giving her hope of victory but even he would ultimately finish third.

And, her day three rides offered little promise of success with the bookmakers offering high odds for all three of Envoi Allen, Air Of Entitlement and Bob Olinger before racing began.

Yet riding the latter two to victory delivered Blackmore more success at this ‘magical’ meeting and helped the Irish trainers to win five of the seven races.

Read Michael Jones’s full Day 3 report from Cheltenham:

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The 2025 Festival comes to an end with the biggest race of the week.

Galopin Des Champs will go for history as Paul Townend tries to steer the Willie Mullins steed to a historic third straight Gold Cup triumph.

Stick with us for full live coverage.