Cheltenham Festival news: Galopin Des Champs the favourite as Gavin Cromwell backs Inothewayurthinkin for Gold Cup

William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell talks through his runners for Day Four of the Cheltenham Festival, suggesting Inothewayurthinkin can beat Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs.

And with the Festival having proved lucrative for bookies so far, William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps offers a breakdown of how things might pan out for them on Gold Cup Day.

Cromwell backs Inothewayurthinkin to beat two-time winner

Speaking in his William Hill blog, Cromwell gave the low-down on his runners for Day Four of the Festival:

“We have two Grade One runners on Friday, kicking off with Hello Neighbour in the Triumph Hurdle (1.20pm). He travelled across well and we’re happy with him and looking forward to taking on the British runners.

His last two performances have given us every reason to be confident in him and he’s trained well since his win at the Dublin Racing Festival. We’ve got very few form lines to draw with him and the English horses at the top of the market, so we’ll just have to see how it goes on the day and we’re looking forward to it.

Pinot Gris will run in the William Hill County Hurdle (2.00pm) but the hike he took in the weights, which we thought was harsh, means it’ll be a tough task for him. That said, there is only one Cheltenham Festival and we want to let him take his chance. Hopefully he can run into the money.

We saddle two runners in the Mares’ Chase (2.40pm), including last year’s winner Limerick Lace. She hasn’t been at her best this season but she’s been working well and we’re happy with her. The fact she’s disappointed on both her starts this season has to be a concern but she obviously has lots of ability, which she showed in this last year. We’ve put cheekpieces on her so hopefully she’ll show up.

Our other runner is Brides Hill who, although she’s been beaten on her two starts this season, is in good form. I think she’s come on for that and the better ground will definitely suit her. We’re hoping she’ll run well.

At the moment Brides Hill is probably the more trustworthy of the two but you can’t disregard the fact that Limerick Lace has all the ability and class to win this race.

Our second Grade One contender of the day is Inothewayurthinkin in the Gold Cup. We supplemented him for the race with him being in great form at home. He’s come forward plenty from his run in the Irish Gold Cup where he was only seven lengths back from Galopin Des Champs.

With a clear round of jumping, we really think he can make a race of it. I don’t even necessarily think that we need things to go wrong for Galopin Des Champs for us to beat him. He’s come forward plenty since the last day and I’m hoping he can put it up to the favourite.

The only concern with him is the ground. We’re hoping it’ll be well-watered because if it dries out and it’s bordering on good being in the description then we may not run him.”

READ MORE: Cheltenham Festival 2025 tips for the Gold Cup, Ryanair Chase, Champion Hurdle and more

View from the bookies

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “The Cheltenham Festival revolves around Gold Cup, and this year all the anticipation has been building to Galopin Des Champs’ attempt to win an historic third renewal. As a result, punters have been filling their boots ante-post all season, and should he oblige on Friday, he will be one of the worst ante-post payouts we’ve had in recent Cheltenham history.

“Thankfully, now at just 4/7, we don’t expect him to be overly popular with singles backers on the day, but we’re certain he’ll be a rock-solid leg of many Friday accas.

“The opposition doesn’t look the strongest either, which further concerns us, but there are some horses who are being backed against him. The main pick has been Monty’s Star, who’s 10/1 from 14/1, and maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise considering Rachael Blackmore is booked to ride. All of her rides have been incredibly popular with punters at this year’s Festival, and you can see why after victories on Air Of Entitlement and Bob Olinger on Thursday.

“As far Thursday's concerned, it's been another day for the bookies. Sixandahalf was a mare we wanted to get beaten, so we were delighted to see Rachael Blackmore and Air Of Entitlement fly up the hill. Caldwell Potter was a bad loser for us, but we'll always welcome a 25/1 winner of the Pertemps thanks to Doddiethegreat.

“Fact To File and Jagwar were popular picks, but the dial swung in our favour when Teahupoo and Johnnywho couldn't get the job done for favourite backers. As far as the week's concerned, everything hinges on Gold Cup Day and whether Galopin Des Champs can make history.”

Cheltenham Gold Cup

William Hill’s odds for the Gold Cup are as follows:

Galopin Des Champs – 4/7

Banbridge – 9/2

Inothewayurthinkin – 7/1

Monty’s Star – 10/1 (from 14/1)

Corbetts Cross – 20/1

The Real Whacker – 33/1

Ahoy Senor – 50/1

Gentlemansgame – 66/1

Royale Pagaille – 80/1

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