Who will write their name into racing history in 2013?

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a rare opportunity for a racehorse to go down in history as one of the greatest, with many incredible stories over the years. Best Mate, Kauto Star, Denman and Arkle are just some of the iconic winners of this great race, with a number of contenders expected to challenge for a place on the roll of honour.

The full list of entries for the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup are as follows:

• Bobs Worth
• Bog Warrior
• Bold Sir Brian
• Calgary Bay Cape Tribulation 
• Captain Chris
• Champion Court
• China Rock
• Finian's Rainbow
• First Lieutenant
• Flemenstar
• Grands Crus
• Hey Big Spender
• Hunt Ball
• Imperial Commander
• Jessies Dream
• Joncol
• Junior
• Katenko
• Kauto Stone
• Knockara Beau
• Long Run
• Mail De Bievre
• Monbeg Dude
• Prince De Beauchene
• Quel Esprit
• Quito De La Roque
• Riverside Theatre
• Roberto Goldback
• Silviniaco Conti
• Sir Des Champs
• Sizing Europe
• Sunnyhillboy
• Teaforthree
• The Giant Bolster
• Tidal Bay
• Wayward Prince
• Weapon's Amnesty
• What A Friend
• Wyck Hill

While the final field has still to be decided, the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner will be one of the horses on the above list. The early favourites to triumph are Bobs Worth (10/3), Sir Des Champs (5/1), Long Run (7/1) and Silviniaco Conti (15/2). These horses are gathering significant early support, boosted by the unfortunate injury to Al Ferof who had previously been one of the favourites for the Cheltenham Gold Cup race.

While these are the horses thought to be most likely to succeed, Cheltenham Festival history has many examples where the underdog has triumphed and punters lucky enough to be on a long shot have had cause to celebrate long into the night. With this in mind, former Gold Cup Winner Imperial Commander is available at 66/1 with a number of bookmakers and could be worth a small wager in the hope of something special.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Day

The Gold Cup is the feature race of Cheltenham Gold Cup Day, the final day of the festival and always an extremely special occasion. The iconic race is the highlight of the day, but there are also six other races for fans to enjoy and place their wagers on.

The full schedule for Cheltenham Gold Cup Day is as follows:

Scheduled time	Race name
13:30	Triumph Hurdle
14:05	County Hurdle
14:40	Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle
15:20	Cheltenham Gold Cup
16:00	Foxhunter Challenge Cup
16:40	Conditional Jockey's Hurdle
17:15	Grand Annual Chase

The atmosphere on Gold Cup day is unlike anything else in the sport, and there is sure to be plenty of support for the contenders in all of the races on offer. There is always a huge contingent of Irish betting fans present throughout the festival, and especially on Gold Cup Day itself. Special bets are available on the winner of the Gold Cup to be Irish trained, currently available at a best price of 2/1, although there will certainly be more racing specials revealed once the race itself draws closer and the festival gets underway.
The countdown to Cheltenham 2013 is well and truly underway, with just a few short months between punters and the most exciting week of the year. Whoever comes out on top in the Gold Cup, whether it be one of the favourites or an underdog writing their name into the annals of racing history, you can be sure their legacy within the racing world will be secured forever.