Hennessy Gold Cup Betting Sites & Event Review: Odds, Offers and more

This Hennessy Gold Cup betting page will tell you everything you need to know about the event and what makes it so special. We will tell you what kind of great promotions might be on offer, take a look at the odds prices levels and also run you through a few interesting tidbits and historical background regarding the event itself.

Hennessy Gold Cup Betting Offers & Promotions

For the Hennessy Gold Cup, many bookmakers run special deals that can help you find extra value in their bets. With the winner going on to become the key favorite for the Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup, many punters and bookies eye what happens in this race closely. Because the race is so popular, many online bookmakers create special one-off deals to entice one-off bettors to sign up. As it is a race that requires the horses to jump over fences, some bookies offer money back if your horse is a faller. Other specials may include allowing you to score big if your horse places fifth or even eighth. It is worth considering, before looking at which horse you wish to back, which operator has the most comprehensive deal to make sure you have the best value for your money.

Hennessey Gold Cup Odds Prices

National Hunt events are wildly popular, attracting thousands more punters than regular horse races. As a result, bookmakers know they must offer enticing odds prices, because otherwise people will just go elsewhere to place their bets. As history has shown, betting sites cut their profit margin by a couple of points to keep customers interested, meaning that there is much better value to be had. The trick is to look across the board before placing your bet, in the safe knowledge that you have found the best possible value.

Some Interesting Facts

While not as old as the Grand National or the Epsom Derby, the Hennessy Gold Cup has nonetheless a deep and rich tradition. Celebrating its 60th anniversary last year, the inaugural winner of the race, Mandarin, was in fact owned by Peggy Hennessy, a member of the Hennessy family, who sponsored the race. The data table below shows you some neat facts about the event.

Event Information:
First held:	1957	Festival location: Newbury Racecourse Fulke Wulwyn, successful Gold Cup trainer
Distance:	3m 2½f
Surface:	Turf
Track:	Newbury
Weight:	Handicap
Qualification:	At least four-years-old

The 60-year-long Hennessy sponsorship of the race was in fact the longest running race sponsorship of all time, beating even the Whitbread Gold Cup (now known as the bet365 Gold Cup), which ended its huge sponsorship run in 2001. The sponsorship has now been taken over by the popular bookie Ladbrokes, who will increase the value of the race by 25% to £250,000. The total value of the two-day event will go up to almost £700,000. Thanks to their endorsement the race is expected to become even bigger than ever.

The race initially started in Cheltenham, before moving to Newbury in Berkshire in 1960. Some of the greatest winter horses have been involved in the race, including but not limited to Arkle, Mill House, Bregawn, Burrough Hill Lad and Denman. Few horses have won both the Hennessy and the King George or the Cheltenham Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival, but One Man, Teeton Mill and Bobs Worth have all managed the double. The only horse to with both the Hennessy and the Grand National was Many Clouds in the 2014-15 season. The last horse to win the race was Native River, the 7-2 favorite managing to clinch the win by only half a length.

Historical Info

The price of the Gold Cup has changed drastically over time. Originally worth £5,272 on its first race, the prize money is now worth a whopping £250,000. Many other things have changed too. For example, in 1958 John Lawrence, an amateur racing enthusiast, managed to win the race in dramatic fashion, pulling off a brilliant coup up the hill to catch the popular favorite Kerstin. When the race started, punters were not allowed to bet anywhere apart from the racecourse (they, of course, did anyway), but now they can, of course, bet from the safety of their own home.

The race has only grown in prestige since its inception, playing host to some of the best horses ever to grace the field. As it is a handicap race, horses carry different weights, usually assigned by the handicapper. Due to this set-up, the race has big upsets built into its DNA. A great example is in 1965 when Arkle managed to achieve a second time win by 15 lengths despite carrying a huge 12st 7Ibs. The horse, considered by some to be the greatest steeplechase racer, was said to have gained its strength by drinking Guinness twice a day. Now you may not see horses do that nowadays, but there are still plenty of surprises in store when its time for the Hennessey Gold Cup.