Gold Cup
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The Gold Cup, the chasing crown, is a grade 1 race over 3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards and 22 fences of the New Course and is open to 5-year-olds and above. Although the first race at Cheltenham known as the Gold Cup was in July 1819, it was a flat race over 3 miles on the Cleeve Hill course and was won by Spectre owned by Mr Bodenham, and the race did continue for a number of years afterwards. However, it has no real connection with the present day pinnacle of National Hunt racing which was first contested on 12th March 1924 over 3 miles 3 furlongs. The race was not staged in 1931 due to frost, nor in 1937 due to flooding, and the Second World War prevented the race being held in both 1943 and 1944. |
| Early history:- The inaugural running of the Gold Cup was on 12th March 1924 over 3 miles 3 furlongs and was won by Red Splash (5/1) owned by Major Humphrey Wyndham, trained by Fred Withington and ridden by Dick Rees, beating Conjuror II (7/1) and Gerald L (5/1). | |
| Gold Cup 2000 | Grade 1 | 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs | ||
| Pos. | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
| 1 | LOOKS LIKE TROUBLE | Richard Johnson | Noel Chance | Mr T Collins 9/2 |
| 2 | GO BALLISTIC | Paul Carberry | Willie Mullins (Ire) | Mrs Violet O'Leary 9/2 |
| 3 | STRONG PROMISE | Robert Thornton | C M Kinane (Ire) | Mr Geoff Hubbard 20/1 |
| 4 | SEE MORE BUSINESS | Mick Fitzgerald | Paul Nicholls | Mr Paul Barber 9/4 fav |
| 5 | LAKE KARIBA | Norman Williamson | Venetia Williams | The Winning Line 150/1 |
| 6 | DORANS PRIDE | P G Hourigan | Michael Hourigan (Ire) | Mr T J Doran 40/1 |
| 7 | GLORIA VICTIS | Tony McCoy | Martin Pipe | Mr Terry Neill 13/2 |
| 8 | GO BALLISTIC | Tony Dobbin | Alan King | Mrs B J Lockhart 16/1 |
| 9 | THE LAST FLING | Seamus Durack | Sue Smith | Mr Trevor Hemmings 16/1 |
| 10 | EVER BLESSED | Timmy Murphy | Mark Pitman | Ever Blessed Partnership 14/1 |
| 11 | TULLYMURRY TOFF | Graham Lee | Malcolm Jefferson | Mr John H Wilson 100/1 |
| 12 | RINCE RI | Ruby Walsh | Ted Walsh (Ire) | Mr F H Moriarty 33/1 |
| Over round 111% | ||||
| This race was held on Thursday 16th March 2000 when Looks Like Trouble beat Florida Pearl and Strong Promise by 5 lengths and a neck | ||||