Top 2023 Haldon Gold Cup odds and tips

With Flat racing now all but done for another year, our attention turns to jump racing, which is just starting to get into full swing.

There’s a lot of debate about when the jumps season ‘proper’ begins – some will say it’s with the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, others will argue ‘The Showcase’ at Cheltenham – but there can be no doubt that we are well and truly into the good stuff now. 

The next big race on the agenda is the Grade 2 Betway Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on Friday afternoon, which is seen as a starting point for some of the top two mile and two and a half mile chasers around.

Some big names have won this race over the years – including Cheltenham Gold Cup winners and Queen Mother Champion Chase winners - and with another stellar field set to line up on Friday, we’ve put together this handy guide to give you all the lowdown on the big race. 

This year’s race looks set to be a cracker, with last season’s Grade 1 Clarence House Chase winner Editeur du Gite set to face off against one of the smartest novices around from last term, the Grade 2 winner Solo.

We’ve gone through the odds and picked out some of our favourite Haldon Gold Cup free bets and betting tips, to give you a head-start on betting on Exeter races.

We haven’t got long left to wait for this year’s Haldon Gold Cup and the field is almost set for one of the key early season pointers over the jumps.

We’re set for a field of six runners for the Grade 2 contest at the time of writing and you can find the Haldon Gold Cup odds for each runner below. This race is a seriously tight heat according to the bookies, so all of the odds listed are subject to change. 

• SOLO (Harry Cobden) at 3-1 with William Hill
• WAR LORD (Brendan Powell) at 4-1 with William Hill
• BRAVE SEASCA (Charlie Deutsch) at 4-1 with William Hilll
• INDIANA JONES (Darragh O'Keeffe) at 5-1 with William Hill
• ELIXIR DE NUTZ (Freddie Gingell) at 11-2 with William Hill

The Betway Haldon Gold Cup has a habit of throwing up a star or two for later in the season and judged by the field for this year’s race, it would be no surprise should the winner go on to taste glory at the Cheltenham Festival or the Grand National Festival at Aintree in the spring.  

All six runners in the field would have seriously strong claims on their best form and this is likely to be a seriously tight heat. However, there is one runner who we think stands out for the champion trainer Paul Nicholls. 

Early season races often prove to be about fitness, which means it’s tough to oppose SOLO for the unstoppable force that is the Paul Nicholls operation. Nicholls has a stunning knack for placing his horses, winning this on no less than eight occasions and twice in the last three years with Greaneteen.

He’s represented this time around by Solo, who showed his talents as a novice chaser last term by winning the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park – form which was boosted at Ascot in some style last week by the Harry Fry-trained Boothill. 

The Grade 1 winner Editeur Du Gite would be a serious threat if fully tuned up for this, though he needed his opening run at Cheltenham last term and he concedes more than a stone to the field, while each of the other four in the field need to bounce back from disappointing runs.

A first time out winner last term, it would be no surprise should Solo be at the top of his game for this and he looks a good bet for the Haldon Gold Cup.

This year’s renewal of the Grade 2 Betway Haldon Gold Cup looks set to be a cracker, with all six runners in the field having an excellent chance according to the betting markets. With so little to choose between the runners in the odds, we’ve discussed the chances for each below. 

An outstanding winner of the Grade Two Adonis Hurdle on his British debut in 2020, Solo has proven to be something of a slow burner since, taking a while to find his feet over fences in 2021-2022. However, he really got going last term, showing ability aplenty to win a nice renewal of the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase at Kempton, form which has been boosted since. Paul Nicholls has an excellent record in this race and considering Solo will be in receipt of more than a stone from the Grade 1 Editeur Du Gite, it would be no surprise should he be fully tuned up for this first time out. 

The standout horse in the field, who enjoyed a year to remember last term, building on a surprise victory against an outstanding field in Grade 2 company at Kempton when following it up in the rearranged Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham last January. He rates as the one to beat on form, though he rather needed the run on his reappearance at Cheltenham and he faces a tough task here giving away more than a stone to the entire field. 

Proved to be one of the brighter British novice prospects around two seasons ago, winning three of his six starts in 2021-2022, though things never really went to plan last year, including when third in this race. The combination of a summer break and wind surgery could well mean he’s a different proposition here and he arrives on a dangerous mark, though he’d need to take a serious step forward from his most recent outing at Plumpton back in April.

Looked a smart chasing prospect when defying a big weight to win on reappearance at Aintree last term but things didn’t work out since, rather looking as though he was in the grip of the handicapper after a 9lb rise. He’s had a wind operation over the summer and arrives here with a nice racing weight, so it would be no surprise should he get back on track with another good run first time out.

The sole Irish challenger in the field, Indiana Jones was a smart novice chaser last term, winning a Grade 3 contest in good style at Naas in March. He rather looked in need of the run on return at Cork last month but that should have blown the cobwebs away and it would be no surprise if he continued his progression here. 

A Grade 1 winner as a novice hurdler, Elixir De Nutz has shown plenty of ability over fences so far, winning three times since switching to the bigger obstacles in late 2020. Ran with credit in a host of tough assignments last term, including when a fine second behind Funambule Sivola in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February. In receipt of weight from the field thanks to his rider’s claim, he should arrive here fit after a pipe opener at Chepstow last month and it would be no surprise should he go close – though he’d likely need a career best effort to do so.

Placing a bet on horse racing can seem daunting if you’re new to betting on sports, but it’s really easy once you know how. To help, read our quick step-by-step below. 

1. Pick a bookmaker to bet on the Haldon Gold Cup. If you already have an account set up that’s great but if you don’t, we can recommend any of Ladbrokes, Sky Bet and William Hill. 
2. Head your selected bookmaker’s website and click ‘sign up’. Enter your details and don’t forget to add any promotional codes required to earn any free bets tokens or bonuses. Make sure you fully check all of the terms and conditions beforehand. 
3. Once you have an account, you need to select a horse in the Haldon Gold Cup. You can either look at things like the form on sites like the Racing Post, or you can do it on the bookmaker’s website. To do the latter, head to the sports section and click on ‘horse racing’. 
4. If you are looking for free Haldon Gold Cup betting tips, we recommend checking out tips from Ed Quigley, who is very good at picking out a value bet. 
5. From there, navigate to racing taking place on Friday 10 November and select Exeter. 
6. Select the Haldon Gold Cup, which is the 3.30pm race on Friday. 
7. Once you have located the horse you would like to bet on, click on the price next to your selection. Your horse and their price will appear in the bet slip. 
8. . If you wanted to place a £5 win bet, you would place a 5 into the box. If you would like to place an each-way bet, make sure you select that.
9. Your potential returns should appear and once you are happy, select ‘place bet’.

With so many bookmakers out there to choose from, punters can take advantage of some fantastic free bets and betting offers on the horse racing. When big races on the horizon, the bookmakers will pull out all of the stops to stand out by producing some excellent offers and the Haldon Gold Cup is no exception. We’ve listed some of the best offers we could find below. 

• Betway are sponsoring the Haldon Gold Cup and they currently have a fantastic sign up offer. New customers can get a £30 free matched free bet if their first accumulator loses, plus 50 free spins on a designated game. Simply sign up for a new account and you will get a free bet to match the stake of your first sports multiple bet with 3+ selections (between £5-£30) should it be unsuccessful, plus 50 free spins. 
• New Boylesports customers can get £20 in free bets when you sign up and stake £10. Simply sign up, deposit £10 and stake £10 on anything at odds of evens or more and the free bet will be credited to your account upon settlement of the bet.
• 10Bet are offering a 50% sign up bonus to new customers up to a limit of £50. Simply sign up using the code ‘PLAY10’ and make your first deposit and 10Bet will provide you with a 50% bonus of that number in free bet tokens – up to a limit of £50. 

The Haldon Gold Cup has more than 50 years of history, with some excellent winners of the race emerging in that time. Paul Nicholls is the leading trainer in the Haldon Gold Cup, training eight winners with Lake Kariba (1998), Flagship Uberalles (1999), Azertyuiop (2004), Tchico Polos (2010), Vibrato Valtat (2015), Politologue (2017) and Greaneteen (2020 and 2022).

Two jockeys share the mantle of leading rider in the Haldon Gold Cup, with both Richard Johnson and Peter Scudamore having four wins each. Scudamore’s victories came with Artifice (1983), Admiral's Cup (1986) and Sabin du Loir (1990 and 1991), while Johnson’s four Haldon Gold Cup wins were courtesy of Viking Flagship (1997), Monkerhostin (2005), Ashley Brook (2008) and Planet of Sound (2009).

The Haldon Gold Cup is a Grade Two limited handicap steeplechase, run over a distance of two miles, one furlong and 109 yards. The race is a limited handicap, which means that while top weight Editeur du Gite will have to give away weight to the field, each horse will carry a minimum of 10st 6lbs – even if their handicap mark would normally have them weighted to carry less.  

The Haldon Gold Cup is one of the big early season contests for the chasers and regularly attracts a high-quality field. Run over just shy of two miles and two furlongs, the race is used as a first port of call for some of the top two mile and two and a half mile chasers around and some big names have won this race over the years. 

Indeed, some Cheltenham Festival heroes of the past have won the Haldon Gold Cup this century, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate (in 2001), the Champion Bumper and Ryanair Chase winner Cue Card (2012), as well as the champion chasers Politologue (2017) and Edredon Bleu (2002 and 2003). 

The Haldon Gold Cup is held at Exeter Racecourse each year and the race is named after the Haldon Hills which surround the racecourse. 

• The Betway Haldon Gold Cup will take place at Exeter Racecourse in Devon. The full address is Exeter Racecourse, Kennford, Exeter, Devon. EX6 7XS
• The Grade Two contest headlines the opening day of The Jockey Club’s ‘West Country Weekend’ at Exeter and Wincanton. It is due to take place on Friday 10 November 2023, with the race due off at 3.30pm.
• You can watch the Haldon Gold Cup exclusively live on Racing TV, while the race is also to stream on a range of betting sites. Some of those websites will require you to place a cash bet to watch it, while others will only require you to have a balance available. Please check with your gambling website beforehand.

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• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
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