A Plus Tard gambled in to land Cheltenham Gold Cup

Rachael Blackmore celebrates aboard A Plus Tard after winning the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup last year

A Plus Tard has been gambled into clear second favourite at 4/1 from 7/1 with BoyleSports to win the Gold Cup later today.

The flying form of trainer Henry de Bromhead has boosted confidence in last year’s winner, while strengthening each-way support for stablemate Minella Indo means the 2021 hero is 18/1 from 22/1 in the latest betting for Friday’s showpiece.

It was a good day for the bookmakers at Cheltenham on Thursday as popular odds-on favourite Shishkin came up one short in the Ryanair Chase.

Nicky Henderson’s charge was the star of Thursday’s accumulators but was upstaged by Rachael Blackmore’s mount Envoi Allen, who now boasts three career victories at the Cheltenham Festival.

Gordon Elliott’s odds-on favourite Mighty Potter set the tone on a tough day for punters when only third in the opening race and while the Meath trainer rebounded with the winner in the Stayers’ Hurdle, bookmakers breathed a sigh of relief when 33/1 outsider Sire Du Berlais crossed the line ahead of fast-finishing favourite Teahupoo.

Lawrence Lyons, Spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “We are wiping a bit of sweat off the brow today with no favourites coming in, which puts us back in front for the week. But it’s still a close-run thing and with so much riding on the Gold Cup, we certainly aren’t counting any chickens.”

Gold Cup Odds

15/8 Galopin Des Champs

4/1  A Plus Tard (From 7/1)

7/1  Bravemansgame

8/1 Noble Yeats

12/1 Stattler

14/1 Conflated

14/1 Protektorat

18/1 Minella Indo (From 22/1)