2025 Coral Cup Trends

The Coral Cup is often seen as one of the most difficult races at the Cheltenham Festival to find the winner of. Let's take a look at the Coral Cup trends from the last 10 years to try and narrow down the field to make finding a winner at betting apps that bit easier. 

The last 10 winners:

• Were not carrying top weight. 
• Were rated 138+, three were rated 150+
• Last ran over hurdles - and at least 22 days ago

Nine of the last 10 winners:

• Carried at least 6lbs less than top weight (exception William Henry).
• Had never won a Grade 1 race (Commander Of Fleet).
• Had never won a Grade 2 race (Bleu Berry).
• Were not the favourite in the betting (Dame De Compagnie).
• Had never won a chase (Heaven Help Us).
• Had run at least six times over hurdles (Aux Ptits Soins).
• Had run over at least 2m4f before (Aux Ptits Soins).
• Had only won once over jumps that season, if at all (Heaven Help Us).
• Had never won the Coral Cup before (Langer Dan the only horse to win it more than once since it began in 1993).
• Had not won more than two handicap hurdles (Langer Dan).
• Had won at least two hurdle races, but not more than four (Langer Dan).
• Were aged between 7-9, including the last nine (Aux Ptits Soins).

Eight of the last 10 winners:

• Had already run at Cheltenham - four had won at the course (Bleu Berry and Aux Ptits Soins).

Seven of the last 10 winners:

• Had won at least once in their last three starts, four won last time out (Commander Of Fleet and Langer Dan on both his wins).

Key Trials from the last 10 years

Three runners in the Grade 3 Betfair Hurdle at Newbury have gone on to be placed in the same year's Coral Cup (Blazer (2016), Activial (2015) and Smashing (2014). The winner of that handicap hurdle has never won the next Coral Cup. Last year's winner, Aucunrisque, was unplaced in the County Hurdle instead.

Bleu Berry ran in February's valuable 2m handicap hurdle at Leopardstown before his Coral Cup win in 2018 for Willie Mullins. In 2020 the winner of that race, Thosedaysaregone, finished third in the Coral Cup and in 2022 Fastorslow was down the field at Leopardstown, but second in the Coral Cup. It's generally a better guide for the County Hurdle, but, if you need to know, Lord Erskine won this year at 40/1.

2020 Coral Cup winner Dame De Compagnie was the first female winner in the race's 28-year history and she warmed up for the Festival race by winning a mares’ handicap hurdle at Cheltenham in December. That day a mare also finished second, and in 2021 another mare won - Heaven Help Us - after winning a mares' handicap hurdle at Leopardstown.

In 2022, the winner Commander Of Fleet and third Ashdale Bob had been placed in the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at Navan on their latest outing before Cheltenham. The 2017 winner Supasundae also ran in that race before his Coral Cup win.

Trainer Trends

• Nicky Henderson boasts the most winners in the Coral Cup with four winners overall, including two of the last six.
• Gordon Elliott has won this race three times and saddled five placed-runners (two in 2020).
• Willie Mullins has had eight placed runners to add to his 2018 winner.
• Paul Nicholls hasn't won the race for 10 years, winning last in 2015 with Aux Ptits Soins.
• Dan Skelton is extremely good at producing Cheltenham Festival handicap hurdle winners, and he got his first Coral Cup win in 2023. Backing that up in 2024 with the repeat success of Langer Dan.
• Martin Brassil saddled the second in 2022 and 2023. He has had only three runners in the last 10 years. Respect what he enters.
• The race is evenly split between the UK and Ireland, with both having won five of the last 10 renewals. Only Nicky Henderson (2), Dan Skelton (2) and Paul Nicholls have won for British trainers in the last 10 years. Gordon Elliott is the only Irish repeat winner in that time.

Jockey Trends

• Harry Skelton has won the last two renewals, getting the leg up on Langer Dan both times. He is also the only jockey to win the race more than once in the last 10 years.

How Did the Trends do Last Year?

When taking the race for the first time in 2023, Langer Dan had all the hallmarks of a Coral Cup winner, hitting some of the key trends including number of handicap hurdle wins. His performances meant he was in the right rating bracket with his mark of 141 giving him a weight that was more than 6lbs lower than top weight.

However, Langer Dan blew the trends apart last year when he became the first horse win the race for a second time. His back-to-back victories broke a number of key trends. His first victory in the race meant he had now won more than two handicap hurdles, and more than four hurdle races in total when running in the race last year, and he was of course a previous winner of the race. Like the year before he hadn't won in his last three starts, only beating seven out of 40 horses in those races, and it was this which let him get into the race on a lower mark than you would expect from a horse who had won a big handicap hurdle the previous year.

Check out the top horse racing betting sites.

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2025?

This is as ever a wide-open field, but looking at Cheltenham betting sites there are some already standing out on trends.

The first horse standing out on trends is Harry Fry's Altobelli. The in-form horse has won four hurdle races in total and two handicap hurdles, with both those handicap wins coming on his last two starts. His rating is in the sweet spot and will carry 6lb fewer than the top weight as long as enough of those above him stand their ground, and he fits the required age profile. However, only one horse has won the race having more than one win over jumps in that season, and he has never run a race over 2m4f or further so he doesn't tick every box.

It will be hard to look past Impose Toi on trends. A four-time winner over hurdles, again with two of them coming in handicaps, he has won over the requisite distance and even has a Cheltenham win to his name. He falls into the rating bracket we would like to see, and as such will be carrying more than 6lb fewer than the top weight. He hasn't won a Grade 1 or 2 race, has a win in his last three starts, has only won once this season and represents a top trainer in the race in Nicky Henderson.

For anyone looking for the Skelton angle, he has the aptly named Be Aware near the top of the betting. He doesn't fit many of the trends, but with the handicapper taking a very dim view of Langer Dan's repeat success, it wouldn't be a surprise if Dan Skelton has one laid out for the race.