2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup News - Quotes from connections
The countdown to the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup is on, with trainers providing their insights on top contenders. Ben Pauling expresses confidence in The Jukebox Man, emphasizing its stamina and suitability for the Gold Cup. Willie Mullins highlights Gaelic Warrior's potential, particularly with its strong jumping ability. Nicky Henderson is optimistic about Jango Baie, citing its form and breeding as advantages for the race. The competition includes other noteworthy horses like Haiti Couleurs and Grey Dawning, making for an open and thrilling race.
- Quotes from connections ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- This Grade One takes place at Cheltenham on Friday 13th March
- Read quotes from Ben Pauling, Nicky Henderson, Willie Mullins and more
- Ben Pauling (The Jukebox Man)
- Willie Mullins (Gaelic Warrior)
- Nicky Henderson (Jango Baie)
- Rebecca Curtis (Haiti Couleurs)
- Gavin Cromwell (Inothewayurthinkin)
- Dan Skelton (Grey Dawning)
- Jimmy Mangan (Spillane's Tower)
- Henry De Bromhead (Envoi Allen)
- Gordon Elliott (Firefox)
- Venetia Williams (L'Homme Presse)
- Gabriel Leenders (Gold Tweet)
Gold Cup Quotes
Read exclusive quotes from connections ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup, which headlines the fourth day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival.
For more quotes, news, offers and our best betting tips, head to our Cheltenham Festival 2026 page.
2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup News - Quotes From Connections
Ben Pauling (The Jukebox Man)
We have our lad in great order and he looked brilliant this morning in his last piece of serious work and I'm just looking forward to the day now.
I think the King George is the strongest piece of form this season. It's going to come down to who takes best to the test of a Gold Cup rather than the test of the King George. I think The Jukebox Man will be more suited to a Gold Cup. They're going to go a good gallop – Haiti Couleurs will go off in front – and our horse has got a very good cruising speed and he jumps so well.
To me he looked nothing but a stayer in the King George. It looked like they didn't go overly quick and then sprinted, but it was a course record so they can't have gone that slow. For him to get up from the back of the last, that doesn't say speed, it says stamina.
He was brilliant in the Albert Bartlett and we're on the same track and he's a bigger, stronger horse in better form now than he was then. I'm very hopeful of a big run, but I'm under no illusion how hard it will be.
Willie Mullins (Gaelic Warrior)
He's one of those that, when he's on-song, he can gain a lot of ground (with his jumping). The extra two-and-a-half furlongs (distance in the Gold Cup) is huge, especially when they make it a race right from the start, which the Gold Cup usually is. Very few horses can get out in front and slow it down. There's always pace on there, and to get those last few furlongs, very few horses do.
I'm very happy with the way this horse is working. I always go back to when he was a novice, winning a three mile novice in Punchestown. To me he wouldn't have any problems staying, so I was amazed that he could run those shorter distances so well.
Nicky Henderson (Jango Baie)
It's very competitive as you'd expect. All we can do is worry about our own horse and he's in great order. He's schooled, his work's over, he couldn't be better but it's going to be tough.
Gaelic Warrior's gone favourite and I can see why, he ran very well at Leopardstown last time and Cheltenham should suit him an awful lot better because at Leopardstown they got quite spread out and he was a bit keen. Gold Cups ride so much tighter and they'll be able to drop him in and get him to relax.
I think it being at Cheltenham really suits him and he's well bred to stay. I don't see that as a problem, he runs on well at the end of his races. He's gone from two miles to three, but Kauto Star did it so why not?
The Jukebox Man would be a great story for Harry Redknapp and racing. Time will tell how strong the King George form was as they didn't get racing until they turned in. I think the Gold Cup will suit them both, but it will suit Gaelic Warrior more.
Rebecca Curtis (Haiti Couleurs)
Haiti is definitely an English National type horse. The race is very, very hard to win obviously, but I think winning a Gold Cup is probably harder, you've got to have that more elite type horse.
I think the race will really suit him. He seems to love Cheltenham, he's won twice around there already. I just think he's got everything you need for a Gold Cup.
He travels strongly, he jumps well, and I do think you need a real stayer for the Gold Cup, three miles and two and a half furlongs, a big hill finish, and go an end-to-end gallop.
So yeah, we'll see, I think he's got all the right credentials for it.
Gavin Cromwell (Inothewayurthinkin)
A month ago, he was lying at the back of the last (at Leopardstown) after taking a tired fall. He hasn't looked back after that. He jumped up onto the lorry and every day since then he's improved.
It's a huge gap to bridge. To win a Gold Cup from that, but at the same time, we're happy that he's in good nick.
For sure he's more of a spring horse. At this stage, it's more of keeping our fingers crossed.
Dan Skelton (Grey Dawning)
Grey Dawning is in the best form of his life. This is him at his absolute best and if he can’t win this Gold Cup, he will never win one. This year’s form has been significantly better than years gone by. He started in better form by winning at Haydock whereas the year before he got beat. He’s had a smooth run into the New Year, he was great in his prep run when he unfortunately made a mistake two out which cost him any chance of winning. But right now, everything is how we want it.
The ground is nice and, in his favour, and he will never have a better chance of winning this than now. It is a very open Gold Cup. There are horses ahead of us in the betting who I think we will beat, and there are horses ahead of us in the betting who we’ve got it all to do to beat. It is a very interesting race.
Jimmy Mangan (Spillane's Tower)
I knew we were going over to Cheltenham (For the Cotswold Chase) with a very good chance. We never lost faith in him. We went to Liverpool last season and unfortunately the ground was too quick; we had to come back. We went to Down Royal and it was similar.
I've no hesitation in saying it was trainer error that I ran him at Naas not long after travelling five hours up and back from Down Royal. He was just flat. I think if he was to run in that hurdle race again, he'd win it.
I wouldn't run him at Cheltenham unless there was juice in the ground. The horse comes first and that's the one thing with JP [McManus, owner] and Frank [Berry, racing manager] – and I thoroughly agree with them. You give him a tendon once, and you've nothing then.
He acted so well at Cheltenham last time, though he'll never win by too far; he'll just get upsides and that's it.
Henry De Bromhead (Envoi Allen)
I really do think he has a chance in the Gold Cup. His form is rock solid. He won the Grade 1 at Down Royal again this season and beat Affordale Fury, who won the Savills, and Western Fold, who ran well at Leopardstown. He’s so good at Down Royal, so we said we'd freshen him up and treat it like it’s Down Royal.
He's won every second year he's been to Cheltenham, so he loves it there too. I know the stats are against him but I can’t imagine too many 12-year-olds have run in the Gold Cup.
Gordon Elliott (Firefox)
I was delighted with him in the Irish Gold Cup. He ran a huge race from off the pace and might have earned himself a crack at the big one. We'll see how he is over the next few weeks, but it's definitely a possibility.
Venetia Williams (L'Homme Presse)
He can still run well in a Gold Cup, Mon Mome finished third in a Gold Cup after winning his National and he never achieved the ratings L’Homme Presse has. It would be nice to take him to Cheltenham again and if he ran into a place we would be delighted.
He would need to jump better than he did at Newbury, but there are times his mind is not quite on the jumping job and it was certainly like that in the Denman.
On his day his jumping his great and you only have to go back to his previous run at Cheltenham when he was second in the Cotswold, he jumped superbly then. His brain just wasn’t in gear at Newbury, but we’ll allow him a few off days, he’s earned that.
Gabriel Leenders (Gold Tweet)
We decided to prepare him for Cheltenham because he has come on loads since that last start. It’s been really pleasing how much he has improved. He has woken up, he is enthusiastic and feels good. Look, we have thought about the Gold Cup for a while and his good run in the Haye Jousselin just confirmed our conviction that he will be suited to the race.
He has a lot of experience now in races over longer distances than the Gold Cup (the Haye Jousselin is run over 3m3½f). He knows how to manage his energy and as we all saw, he loves Cheltenham. So for all of these reasons we are going to take our chance.
Top Betting Sites
Betting offers
Upcoming Events
02 July 2026
- Daily Racing Lucky 15 -
- Horse Racing
- Daily Racing Treble -
- Horse Racing
- Daily Racing Double -
- Horse Racing
- NAP Of The Day -
- Horse Racing
03 July 2026
- Sandown Tips on July 3rd -
- Horse Racing
04 July 2026
- Durban July Betting Specials -
- Horse Racing
- 2026 Durban July Tips -
- Horse Racing
- Durban July 2026 -
- Horse Racing
- 2026 Durban July Final Field -
- Horse Racing
- 2026 Durban July Full Draw -
- Horse Racing
- 2026 Coral-Eclipse Stakes -
- Horse Racing
Load More
