After three days of drama-filled racing, the Cheltenham Festival's grand finale is here: Gold Cup Day.
The Cheltenham roar will be turned up to fever pitch as the horses sprint for the finish and a place in the annals of jump racing history.
Underlined by a host of hotly contested races including the Triumph Hurdle and Novices' Hurdle, Gold Cup day rarely disappoints.
- Cheltenham Festival: What to know, dates, races, horses, how to watch, prize money, more
- Prestbury Cup at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival explained: Score, winners, standings, more
Friday's racecard
All times GMT
1.20 p.m. The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 179y
Apolon De Charnie 25/1 (J: Patrick Mullins, T: Willie Mullins, O: Edward Ware)
2 p.m. The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 2m 179y
Wilful 14/1 (J: Jonjo O'Neill Jr, T: Jonjo & A J O'Neill, O: Mrs Fitri Hay)
2.40 p.m. The Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4f 127y
Dinoblue 11/8F (J: Mark Walsh, T: Willie Mullins, O: JP McManus)
3.20 p.m. The Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m 7f 213y
Johnny's Jury 25/1 (J: Gavin Sheehan, T: Jamie Snowden, O: Blazing Blues Rc Hurlers On The Ditch)
4 p.m. The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m 2f 70y
Gaelic Warrior 10/3F (J: Paul Townend, T: Willie Mullins, O: Mrs S Ricci)
4.40 p.m. The Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase 3m 2f 70y
Barton Snow 9/2 (J: Mr Henry Crow, T: J J O'Shea, O: The MMI Partnership)
5.20 p.m. The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y
Air Of Entitlement 10/1 (J: Patrick O'Brien, T: Henry De Bromhead, O: Robcour)
Going and Weather at Cheltenham on Friday
After 12mm of rain fell on Thursday, the chase course going is rated as Good to Soft, Soft in places and the hurdle course as Soft, Good to Soft in places.
The meteorologists are expecting some of the wet stuff during the afternoon of Gold Cup Day, as well as some welcome sunny spells.
It is also set to be the chilliest day of the week for racegoers, with highs of 8°C expected and an overnight low of 0°C.
Gold Cup race info
The Gold Cup is the most prestigious steeplechase in the world. It is the blue riband race of the four-day Cheltenham Festival and makes legends of the horses that win it.
The race is run over 3 miles, 2 furlongs and 70 yards and horses jump over steeplechase fences which are a minimum of 4½ feet (1.3m).
As one of the highlights of the racing calendar, it attracts more than 70,000 racegoers and a TV audience of close to two million.
When: Friday, March 13 at 4 p.m. GMT
Where: Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire
Gold Cup odds
Note: Odds are courtesy of Bet365 and are correct as of Sunday March 13. They are subject to change.
Gaelic Warrior (3/1)
Jockey: Paul Townend, Owner: Mrs S Ricci, Trainer: Willie Mullins
The Jukebox Man (7/2)
Jockey: Ben Jones, Owner: Harry Redknapp, Trainer: Ben Pauling
Jangoe Baie (5/1)
Jockey: Nico de Boinville, Owner: Countrywide Park Homes Ltd, Trainer: Nicky Henderson
Hauti Coleurs (11/2)
Jockey: Sean Bowen, Owner: Conyers, McDermott And Prowting, Trainer: Rebecca Curtis
Inothewayurthinkin (8/1)
Jockey: Mark Walsh, Owner: JP McManus, Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
Grey Dawning (14/1)
Jockey: Harry Skelton, Owner: Robert Kirkland, Trainer: Dan Skelton
Envoi Allen (40/1)
Jockey: Darragh O'Keeffe, Owner: Cheveley Park Stud, Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
Firefox (40/1)
Jockey: Jack Kennedy, Owner: Bective Stud, Trainer: Gordon Elliott
L'Homme Presse (50/1)
Jockey: Charlie Deutsch, Owner: Dfa Racing, Trainer: Venetia Williams)
Gold Tweet (125/1)
Jockey: Clement Lefebvre, Owner: Agv Karwin Stud, Gabriel Leenders Et Al, Trainer: Gabriel Leenders
Who are the favourites?
The Jukebox Man, owned by former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth head coach Harry Redknapp, is tipped by many to taste glory on Friday.
The eight-year-old bay gelding is unbeaten over fences (four from four) with his King George triumph at Kempton over the Festive Period underlining his class. Two of his Gold Cup rivals were behind him that day -- Jango Baie and Gaelic Warrior.
"It's a dream to have a horse run in the Gold Cup and go there with a chance," Redknapp said a few weeks before the meeting. "I'm not saying we're going to win it, but we've got a serious horse. It's an open race and I think we've got as good a chance as anything."
- The Jukebox Man: All you need to know about Harry Redknapp's Cheltenham Gold Cup horse
Elsewhere, two-time Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs was ruled out of attempting to regain his Gold Cup triumph after finishing second a year ago.
Willie Mullins told Sporting Life: "After working very well on Thursday morning, he wasn't right on Friday morning and will miss the Gold Cup and the other spring festivals."
Last year's victor Inothewayurthinkin is looking to go back-to-back but does not have much form behind him.
What is the Gold Cup prize money?
One of the most lucrative races in the sport, the Cheltenham Gold Cup will make a small fortune for the winner.
2026 place-by-place breakdown:
Winner: £363,999
2nd: £137,139
3rd: £68,634
4th: £34,285
5th: £17,207
6th: £8,603
7th: £4,269
8th: £2,199
Total: £625,000
Who has won the Gold Cup in recent years?
2025: Inothewayurthinkin -- 15/2
2024: Galopin Des Champs -- 10/11F
2023: Galopin Des Champs -- 7/5F
2022: A Plus Tard -- 3/1F
2021: Minella Indo -- 9/1
2020: Al Boum Photo -- 100/30F
2019: Al Boum Photo -- 12/1
2018: Native River -- 5/1
2017: Sizing John -- 7/1
2016: Don Cossack -- 9/4F
2015: Coneygree -- 7/1