Ascot Gold Cup Prediction: Preview, Tips & Odds [2025]
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| Timetable | 19th June @ 16:20 GMT |
| Prediction | Sweet William TO WIN! |
| Odds | 6.50 |
| Bookmaker | Lunubet Sports |
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Royal Ascot is the centrepiece of Britain's Flat racing season, with the Gold Cup being the jewel in the crown of the five-day extravaganza at the renowned Berkshire venue. A new name will be inscribed on the prestigious trophy at Royal Ascot 2025 following the announcement that two-time winner Kyprios is retiring. His trainer, Aidan O'Brien, holds a record nine Ascot Gold Cup victories, and the Irishman has the leading contender once again according to the Gold Cup betting odds.
🏆 Ascot Gold Cup Prediction
In recent years, the Ascot Gold Cup has generally favoured horses positioned at the front of the market on the best betting sites, with 18 of the last 19 winners returning single-figure odds. Only one winner, Trip To Paris at 12/1 in 2015, started at odds greater than 15/2.
Kyprios would have been the dominant favourite for this year's renewal. Still, his retirement has led to a fresh set of contenders for the Ascot Gold Cup favourites, with stablemate Illinois now taking the market lead. However, Illinois currently lacks the overall quality of Kyprios and seems somewhat short in the betting.
John and Thady Gosden have won this prestigious prize four times since 2018. However, three of those victories came with Stradivarius; they also celebrated success with Courage Mon Ami in 2023.
Sweet William is a strong contender from the Clarehaven stable. He finished third last year, won the Doncaster Cup over 2m2f last September, and recently secured a commendable third in the Yorkshire Cup at York, although the 1m6f distance proved slightly inadequate on his comeback last month.
Since 2017, three six-year-old horses have won this race, making this perhaps Sweet William's last opportunity to claim the coveted prize for stayers. Therefore, our Gold Cup prediction is that Sweet William will improve on his previous placing and finish two spots higher this time around.
OUR PREDICTION: 🏆 SWEET WILLIAM TO WIN 🏆
🏇 Ascot Gold Cup Betting Preview
The Gold Cup is the pinnacle at Royal Ascot, the centrepiece of the most important five days in the Flat horse racing season. The dazzling prize is what connections are desperate to win. Aidan O'Brien and John Gosden have been responsible for eight of the last 11 winners – can anyone stop them?
Below you will find our trio of Ascot Gold Cup tips. You may also be interested in our bookmaker reviews as you ponder the best options for Royal Ascot betting with lots of offers and daily specials to enjoy. Here is an odds comparison table to help paint a clearer picture:
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Odds are likely to change the closer we are to the event. Please check the bookmakers for updated information.
1️⃣ Sweet William / John & Thady Gosden
Sweet William has been knocking around for a few seasons and has always been a solid performer. He won a Group 3 at Sandown over 2m before finishing third in this race behind the impressive Kyprios in 2024. He made his Group 2 breakthrough in the Doncaster Cup over 2m2f and was second again behind Kyprios here on Champions Day. His York comeback third last month was pleasing, and he should be spot on now for another tilt at this race. He has never finished out of the first three in five visits to Ascot.
2️⃣ Jan Brueghel / Aidan O'Brien
Aidan O'Brien has trained a record nine winners of this race, six of them coming from Yeats and Kyprios. Illinois, winner of the Queen's Vase here last summer, is now the favourite, but perhaps Jan Brueghel is a better option at a price of 9.00 with Paripesa. The Galileo colt is a St Leger winner, and stamina could be a real forte if his trainer opts for this marathon trip following Coronation Cup glory at Epsom.
3️⃣ Wonder Legend / James Ferguson
There are, of course, some outsiders worth noting amongst the Ascot Gold Cup runners, and they certainly include Wonder Legend for trainer James Ferguson, the Sea The Stars gelding perhaps capable of running into the places at a big price. He's been much more noted for his all-weather exploits, but ran a sound race in the King George V Stakes at this meeting in 2023 and is lightly-raced on turf, with one from three starts. He's improved sharply on the synthetics in 2025 now that his stamina is being explored, and he shapes as though the 2m4f trip at Ascot will be within reach. He could certainly outrun his odds.
📊 Ascot Gold Cup Winners
Enda McElhinney
Enda McElhinney is an Irish-based sportswriter, specialising in written content on the GAA, horse racing and football. He has more than a decade of experience across many publications, bringing a wealth of knowledge and betting nous to his craft. You'll find his content featured on many websites, including The Telegraph and Planet Sport. When he isn't at this desk or the racecourse, he loves to unwind on the golf course – though sometimes that can be more stressful than working!