Date: Friday 18th March 2022
The Gold Cup has become a race where the strongest staying chasers in their prime usually come to the fore, and this year’s renewal looks a classic example of that pattern.
Age, Grade 1 quality, recent winning form and previous Cheltenham experience remain the strongest pointers. Horses with too many miles on the clock or those outside the 7 to 9-year-old band continue to struggle, so the shortlist becomes fairly manageable once those filters are applied.
These are the three that come out best on the Turf Talk ratings.
TURF TALK RATINGS - LEADING CONTENDERS
| Horse | Turf Talk Rating |
|---|---|
| A Plus Tard | 226 |
| Galvin | 214 |
| Al Boum Photo | 201 |
| Protektorat | 194 |
| Minella Indo | 186 |
| Chantry House | 174 |
| Tornado Flyer | 168 |
The key Gold Cup factors this year are current-season winning form, Grade 1 class, age and whether the horse has the right balance between proven stamina and tactical pace. Those remain the strongest modern trends.
MAIN SELECTION
A Plus Tard (4/1 available)
He again tops the ratings and looks to have all the right ingredients for this race.
He has the age, the class and the ideal profile of a horse still moving forward as a staying chaser. He was second in the race last year and comes here looking an even stronger proposition now, which is often a key Gold Cup angle in itself.
BACKUP SELECTION 1
Galvin (13/2 available)
The main danger on the ratings and a horse with a very strong staying profile.
He has the recent-run angle, he has Grade 1 form and his campaign has been aimed at this race for some time. He does not have quite the same depth of Gold Cup form as the main pick, but he looks sure to be involved.
BACKUP SELECTION 2
Al Boum Photo (11/2 available)
The former dual winner still deserves huge respect.
His age is starting to push against the strongest modern trend and that is the main concern, but class and previous course form keep him very much in the mix. He remains too solid to leave out of the shortlist.
SUMMARY
A Plus Tard again heads the ratings and gets the vote, with Galvin looking the biggest danger and Al Boum Photo still respected despite having a little more to prove on the age trend than in previous years.
