Royal Ascot: Gold Cup 2024 Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

The Ascot Gold Cup is one of the UK’s oldest and most renowned G1 races, having been inaugurated way back in 1807. As a result, this iconic race dominates Royal Ascot betting volumes, with the 2024 iteration scheduled to take place on Thursday, 20th June at 16:25.

This year will see 16 elite runners compete over the legendary two-mile, three-furlong course, and Ireland’s best betting sites have already published their ante post odds. 2022 winner Kyprios is the early favourite here, but which horse do I think will prevail next week?

🏆 Royal Ascot Gold Cup Prediction

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Kyprios is a deserved favourite ahead of the 2024 Gold Cup. After all, not only has he already won this race two years previously (defeating Mojo Star by half-a-length despite a relatively slow start in 2022), but he also has four Group 1 victories to his name in just five attempts.

Three of these have been over two miles or more, too, including the Goodwood Cup Stakes and Qatar Prix du Cadran in 2022. The six-year-old Kyprios has also won eight of his last 10 flat races since May 2021, and despite the obvious threat of the younger Gregory, he’s my tip to prevail once again in 2024.

🏇 Royal Ascot Gold Cup Betting Review

While the ante post horse racing betting odds for the Gold Cup make Kyprios the clear favourite, he’s not the only contender here. Here’s my analysis of the three most likely winners.

1️⃣ Kyprios

In addition to his obvious pedigree at G1 level (and over the relevant distance), Kyprios will also arrive at Ascot in good form. He prevailed at the SBK Vintage Crop Stakes Listed Race at Navan on 27th April, for example, before defeating Queenstown by a length in the Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown on 17th May.

If you’re interested in each-way betting, you should know that Kyprios hasn’t finished outside the top two in any race since a fourth place run at Lingfield in May 2021. Either way, Kyprios is the runner to beat in this year’s Gold Cup, even though just three of the last 10 iterations of the race have been won by horses aged over four.

• 1.80 with Unibet
• 1.80 with BoyleSports
• 1.72 with LeoVegas Sports

2️⃣ Gregory

Another highly appealing each-way bet is the second favourite Gregory, who can currently be backed at around 6.00. Although this four-year-old colt hasn’t won in three outings since June 2023, his last victory did come at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase, while he has finished in the top three in five of his six career flat races to date.

This record includes a third place finish in the Group 2 Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes at York last time out, when he was outpaced two furlongs from home and finished 5½ lengths behind winner Giavellotto. Interestingly, he has never raced over two miles before, but the John Gosden-trained runner is likely to be among the frontrunners here.

• 7.00 with BoyleSports
• 6.50 with Spreadex
• 6.10 with LeoVegas Sports

3️⃣ Vauban

Interestingly, the six-year-old gelding Vauban also placed ahead of Gregory at the Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes at York, as he pressed the leaders throughout before finishing second and 4¾ lengths behind Giavellotto. In doing so, he rebounded from a disappointing 14th place finish at the Lexus Melbourne Cup in November, where he weakened considerably two furlongs out before falling away.

A veteran of both flat and jump races, this Willie Mullins-trained runner is more than experienced over distances of two miles or more. He also has four wins and five top-two finishes in eight career flat racing outings, including an excellent victory in the Ballyroan Stakes at Naas last August. Once again, Vauban offers obvious value as an each-way bet in the 2024 Ascot Gold Cup.

• 8.00 with BoyleSports
• 8.00 with Unibet
• 7.50 with LeoVegas Sports

⭐ Royal Ascot Gold Cup Betting Tips

There are plenty of trends and insights that you can draw on before betting on the 2024 Ascot Gold Cup. Here are some of the most compelling!

• Consider the Dominance of O’Brien and Gosden
Between them, Aidan O’Brien (eight) and John Gosden (three) have trained 11 of their previous 20 Ascot Gold Cup winners since 2004. Incredibly, 19 of the 24 runners fielded by O’Brien have also placed during this time (79%), while six of Gosden’s nine horses have achieved the same objective (66%). This trend heavily favours Kyprios and Gregory in the win market.
• Check for Recent Leopardstown Winners
The course that has produced the most winners of the Gold Cup is Leopardstown, with four of the last 20 victors triumphing here before heading to Ascot. Interestingly, Kyprios prevailed in the Group 3 Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown last time out. Sandown and Navan have each produced a total of three winners since 2004.
• Pick Trawlerman as an Outside Bet
The 13.00 shot Trawlerman (who is trained by John Gosden) offers excellent value as an outside win bet or each-way pick here. The six-year-old is favoured by several trend factors, including having three or more career victories and winning within his last four starts. In fact, he has won three of his previous four races, while he defeated Kyprios by a neck in the G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot last October.

📊 Royal Ascot Gold Cup Winners

✒️ Lewis Humphries iGaming and Sports Betting Expert

Lewis Humphries is an experienced sportswriter and tipster from the UK. He writes regularly about horse racing and key events from across the UK and Ireland, including the Irish Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Grand National. He’s also providing extensive coverage and predictions for the 2024 Royal Ascot Festival.