Does the horse that won the Cheltenham Gold Cup also win the Grand National? This is a question a lot of horse racing fans might ask in the build-up to the Aintree Grand National this week. So, let’s answer this popular debate and also see if any of the 2023 Gold Cup runners are heading to Saturday’s Grand National.
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Has Any Horse Won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National In The Same Season?
The quick and short answer to this is – not many – just one!
In a normal season the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Aintree Grand National are less than a month apart. Therefore, for a top staying chaser to win both prizes – the first hurdle for the horses to overcome is the lack of time to recover between races.
The other big factor to take into account is that the Grand National is a handicap and the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade One Chase – which is run off level weights. This will, therefore, often mean that if a horse is deemed good enough to run in the Gold Cup, it’s likely to have to then shoulder a lot of weight in the Grand National.
Since 1978, 134 horses have tried to win with more than 11st 5lbs in weight and only two have been successful – Many Clouds and Neptune Collonges.
However, there has been a horse that HAS WON BOTH the Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same season.
Golden Miller Won The Gold Cup and Grand National 1934
You have to go back to the 1930’s to find the last horse to win both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season, when a horse called GOLDEN MILLER did the famous double.
Trained by Basil Briscoe and Owen Anthony, he’s still the only horse to have won both of these prestigious English steeplechases in the same season.
Golden Miller won the Cheltenham Gold Cup a remarkable five times on the bounce between 1932 and 1936 and in the middle of that run also landed the 1934 Aintree Grand National under a welter-burden of 12st 2lbs.
L’Escargot Won The Gold Cup and Grand National Four Years Apart
Another horse – L’Escargot, who was running at the same time as the mighty Red Rum, did also win both the Gold Cup and Grand National – just not in the same season.
The horse’s name means ‘snail’ but he was far from slow when winning the Gold Cup in 1970 and 1971, before going onto win the Grand National four years later in 1975.
Only 3 Horses That Won at The Cheltenham Festival That Same Season Have Won The Grand National Since 1961
It’s also worth pointing out that horses that have won at the Cheltenham Festival in recent seasons, haven’t done that well going onto win the Grand National.
Since 1961, only three horses that won at Cheltenham when onto win the big Aintree race. However, saying that, don’t discount horses that ran at Cheltenham last time out as 39% of the last 31 Grand National winners did run at Prestbury Park the previous month.
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The 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner – Galopin Des Champs – Doesn’t Run in The Grand National
Last month we saw the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs win the Cheltenham Gold Cup under jockey Paul Townend. The horse ISN’T entered, however, for the Aintree Grand National, so the Golden Miller record is safe for another season.
Trainer Willie Mullins still has several entered in the Grand National – which you can see here.
Last Year’s Grand National Winner Noble Yeats Was Fourth in The Gold Cup
The only horse that ran in 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup this season was Noble Yeats, who you might remember winning the Grand National 12 months ago too.
This Emmet Mullins-trained 8 year-old will be looking to become a rare back-to-back winner of the Grand National, like Red Rum and Tiger Roll – and warmed up for his Aintree defence with a decent run in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup (watch below).
Noble Yeats had no chance with the winner in the Gold Cup – beaten 15 lengths at the line – but he was staying on well to suggest the return to the longer trip of the Grand National will be right up his street.
He’s one of the Grand National favourites with the best UK betting sites, but is 19lbs higher this time and is also set to carry 11st 11bs in weight, which is 15lbs more than last year.
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WATCH: Noble Yeats Running On To Take 4th in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup
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