Ascot Gold Cup Odds: Kyprios on track for a second success

The Gold Cup is the centrepiece of Royal Ascot on Thursday 20th June, with former winner Kyprios the favourite to reclaim his crown. 

There's a total of 16 entries at present for the Ascot Gold Cup and Aidan O'Brien could hold the key to the £600,000 Group 1 for stayers, run over the marathon 2m4f trip at Royal Ascot's five-day festival.

The Ballydoyle trainer, who won the race in four successive years with Yeats (2006-2009), has won it four times subsequently with Fame And Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014), Order Of St George (2016) and Kyprios (2022). 

O'Brien has five entries at this stage, including the one at the top of the market - ante-post favourite Kyprios - while he has also entered Point Lonsdale, Continuous, Queenstown and Tower Of London.

The Ascot Gold Cup was won 12 months ago by John & Thady Gosden's Courage Mon Ami, who was given a brilliant ride by Frankie Dettori to see off the gutsy Coltrane.

The defending champion suffered a setback in training and is set to miss this year’s race. 

Ascot Gold Cup Odds

(Odds will display when market is available)

Kyprios

Sent off at odds of 1/12 for his latest assignment in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes over 1m6f at Leopardstown, Kyprios had to work much harder than expected under Ryan Moore but he got the job done, beating stablemate Queenstown by a length.

He's a horse who tends to idle when he hits the front, a tendency which cost him the Champions Long Distance Cup at this venue in October when a rallying Trawlerman got back up to beat him on the line under an incredible Dettori drive.

Kyprios won this race in 2022 and he is the current 1/1 favourite for this year's renewal. Undoubtedly deserving to be at the head of the market, he is by far the most likely winner but he probably won't do it the easy way.

Gregory

Winner of the Queen's Vase in 2023, Gregory is bidding to emulate the achievements of last year's winner Courage Mon Ami for John & Thady Gosden, sporting the same Wathnan Racing silks. 

The four-year-old Golden Horn colt looked rusty when third to Giavellotto in the 1m6f Yorkshire Cup at York on his reappearance in May, but he hit the line well and could improve dramatically for the step up to this marathon distance.

Currently a 5/1 chance for the Gold Cup, he's still a young horse with few miles on the clock, and the Gosdens have a fantastic record in the race in recent times, with the legendary Stradivarius also winning the race three years in a row (2018-2020).

Vauban

Fresh off the back of becoming the first Irish-based trainer to win the British jumps trainers' championship in 70 years, Willie Mullins is aiming current 8/1 third favourite Vauban at the Ascot Gold Cup.

Winner of the 2022 Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, he left stablemate Absurde for dust when routing the field in the Copper Horse Handicap at last year's Royal Ascot by seven-and-a-half-lengths.

He finished ahead of Gregory when second in the Yorkshire Cup at York last month, which was his first run since flopping in the Melbourne Cup in November. With a clear liking for the track, he can't be discounted.

Trawlerman

Gregory might be the yard's best chance according to the betting, but John & Thady Gosden's Trawlerman has already beaten Kyprios and a few savvy punters might be happy to take the available 16/1 to repeat the feat.

The 2022 Ebor winner looked dead and buried once Ryan Moore passed Trawlerman and kicked for home aboard Kyprios in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day in October, but the winner showed huge guts to get back up to win in the shadows of the post.

On that evidence, Trawlerman won't mind the extra few furlongs and he heads to Royal Ascot off the back of a pleasing third in the Dubai Gold Cup behind Tower Of London.

Caius Chorister

It feels like a long time since Caius Chorister (16/1) won a Class 6 handicap at Yarmouth but it was only two years ago, so what an incredible story it would be if the mare could land Group 1 success at Royal Ascot.

Beaten a head by Coltrane (16/1 for the Gold Cup) in the Sagaro Stakes here on 1st May, she found Sweet William (16/1) a head too good when last seen in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown. She's a strong traveller and is well worth her place in the field.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.