Cheltenham Festival 2023 Day 4 Tips: Galopin Des Champs The Horse To Beat In The Gold Cup

As the 2023 Cheltenham Festival enters its fourth day, the focus turns to the prestigious Gold Cup race, with keen anticipation from spectators. Izzy Phillips has revealed her top selections for the final day's events.

1:30 JCB Triumph Hurdle 

Selection:  Lossiemouth

It’ll be a big surprise if Willie Mullins doesn’t win this race considering he has the first four in the betting. Lossiemouth is the most fancied of his runners despite being on a bit of a comeback mission from a race where it all seemed to go wrong at the Dublin Racing Festival. Lossiemouth will find that the ground has now gone in her favour and with a little more luck in running should turn the tables with Gala Marceau. She’s short enough so a distance bet or a Mullins forecast may be the way to eek some value out of this betting market.

2:50 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

Selection:  Weveallbeencaught E/W

I’m keeping the faith with Weveallbeencaught he came with a big price tag at the January Cheltenham sales and I know the Twiston-Davies team think a lot of him. Things didn’t work out at Leopardstown but I'm hoping he can bounce back to form. He’s another that has form on soft ground. He’s bred to be a staying chaser so if that’s to be the case the team will be looking for a good performance in this.

3:30 Cheltenham Gold Cup  

Selection: Galopin Des Champs

I think it’s a wide-open Gold Cup this year. I found myself making cases for Bravemansgame and Noble Yeats but I eventually landed on Galopin Des Champs. He looks to be a monster of a horse. In considering whether I felt he’d get the distance I kept going back to the way he had put Bob Olinger away with ease when tanking around Prestbury Park prior to his fall at last year’s festival. Granted he has to stay on his feet and that’s where I feel Bravemansgame could apply some pressure to his jumping. But I think Galopin Des Champs has a big engine and has shown he’s capable of staying having comfortably beaten some good rivals this season.

4:10 St James’s Place Festival Hunters’s Chase 

Selection: Billaway 

My voice is still recovering from both Billaway’s narrow loss in this race in 2021 and his win in 2022. I’m hoping for another late swoop hopefully timed just right, He seems in good form and had a good season so far. The soft/heavy ground also goes in his favour as he’s won on this going multiple times.