Cheltenham: The Jukebox Man overlooked in early Gold Cup betting
Despite a perfect record in four steeplechases, the latest a famous race at Christmastime, The Jukebox Man is somewhat short of respect for the biggest race of his career in Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England.
The Jukebox Man was the 9-2 third choice in early betting with bookmakers on Wednesday for the $838,500 Gold Cup, run at 3 5/16 miles over 22 fences on an undulating course.
The Gold Cup is the top race on the last of four days of the Cheltenham festival for hurdlers and chasers. Friday’s seven race program begins at 9:20 a.m. Eastern or 6:20 a.m. Pacific.
The focus has settled on 7-2 Gaelic Warrior, second in the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup on Feb. 2 for trainer Willie Mullins of Ireland, and 4-1 Jango Baie, fourth behind The Jukebox Man in the Group 1 King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Dec. 26, the last starts for both geldings. Nicky Henderson, based in Britain, trains Jango Baie.
Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie have won steeplechases at Cheltenham, while the Gold Cup will be the first start over fences at the track for The Jukebox Man, who was second by a head in a three-mile hurdle for novices at Cheltenham in 2024.
The Jukebox Man, trained in Britain by Ben Pauling, was a 7-1 outsider in the King George VI Chase at three miles, winning by a nose. A win on Friday would mark a rare double. Kauto Star, in 2008, was the last winner of the King George to win the Gold Cup.
Gold Cup wins by top contenders such as Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man, or the longshot Haiti Couleurs, would be a rare victory for horses based in Britain. Irish trainers have won nine of the last 10 Gold Cups, including the last seven.
Inothewayurthinkin, the 2025 Gold Cup winner trained in Ireland by Gavin Cromwell, is part of Friday’s field, and was 15-2 on Wednesday.
An 8-year-old gelding, Inothewayurthinkin is winless in three starts during the current jump racing season. He fell when out of contention at the final fence in the Irish Gold Cup on Feb. 2.
Haiti Couleurs has won 6 of 8 starts in chases, including a handicap for novices at 3 3/4 miles at Cheltenham last March. He beat three rivals by seven lengths in the Grade 2 Denman Chase as the 5-6 favorite at about three miles at Newbury Racecourse on Feb. 7.
Haiti Couleurs is trained on the Welsh coast by Rebecca Curtis, who earlier in her career worked as an assistant for trainer Dan Hendricks in Southern California.
Friday’s program begins with the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle for 4-year-olds at 2 1/8 miles, one of the most highly-anticipated jump races of the season.
Mullins has the two leading contenders in 10-3 Proactiv and 4-1 Selma De Vary, a filly.
Proactive won his first start for Mullins in an allowance race in January, while Selma De Vary was second in a Grade 1 hurdle for 4-year-olds at Leopardstown last month to stablemate Narciso Has, who is not racing this week after a recent setback.
Mullins, the all-time leading trainer at the Cheltenham festival, has won the last four runnings of the $201,300 Triumph Hurdle, and five of the last six.
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