You know how punters get lost in too much data or bet blindly? I break down the stats and trends so you can feel confident you’re betting with more than just gut instinct.
2026 Forbra Gold Cup Preview
Scheduled to take place in March of each year at the Ludlow racecourse is the Forbra Gold Cup, a race which is open to runners aged five or older. It's a Class 3 handicap chase which is run over just shy of three miles, during which the runners have to contend with a total of nineteen fences.
For sponsorship purposes, the 2026 renewal of the Forbra Gold Cup will hold the title of 'Forbra Gold Cup (Sponsored By Flowfit)'.
Forbra Gold Cup Information:
If you are interested in other predictions at Ludlow, then head over to the Ludlow tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2026
How competitive is the Forbra Gold Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2025, when the race had an over-round of 107%. The race in 2007 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 119%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Forbra Gold Cup, the over-round has been 113%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £113 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 Forbra Gold Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the Forbra Gold Cup Trend Analysis. With the field now finalised, we have the Forbra Gold Cup Trend Shortlist, which is created using the listed trends.
These are the top three quickest-run Forbra Gold Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Rodalko (5:50.50) in 2004
- Kilcrea Asla (5:55.60) in 2009
- Drumbaloo (5:56.90) in 2012
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the Forbra Gold Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 4 winners. Backing all 20 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +18.33. Whilst we wait for the 2026 Forbra Gold Cup, remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Arizona Cardinal from Stuart Edmunds under the guidance of Ciaran Gethings, won in a time of 6:39.05, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Rodalko, trained by Oliver Sherwood and ridden by Jimmy McCarthy set the quickest time of 5:50.50 in the 2004 renewal.
What the expert says...
Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Forbra Gold Cup Past Winners
Here are the Forbra Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Forbra Gold Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The race was abandoned in 2001, 2006 & 2018.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 6:17.27 | Minella Blueway (IRE) 7yo 10-9 11/4 | Adam Wedge Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2024 6:39.05 | Arizona Cardinal (GB) 8yo 12-0 11/4F | Ciaran Gethings Stuart Edmunds (GB) |
| 2023 6:09.40 | Le Cameleon (GB) 8yo 11-4 14/1 | David Noonan Jane Williams (GB) |
| 2022 6:36.20 | Java Point (IRE) 7yo 11-0 6/4F | Jonathan Burke Tom George (GB) |
| 2021 6:27.38 | Head To The Stars (GB) 10yo 10-11 13/2 | Tom O'Brien Henry Daly (GB) |
| 2020 6:26.50 | Head To The Stars (GB) 9yo 10-7 4/1 | Hugh Nugent (5lbs) Henry Daly (GB) |
| 2019 6:00.80 | Tommy Silver (FR) 7yo 11-6 7/2 | Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2017 6:17.90 | Marcilhac (FR) 8yo 10-11 100/30 | Aidan Coleman Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2016 6:34.90 | Top Wood (FR) 9yo 11-5 9/1 | Conor O'Farrell David Pipe (GB) |
| 2015 6:27.60 | Global Power (IRE) 9yo 11-3 13/2 | Leighton Aspell Oliver Sherwood (GB) |
Forbra Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the Forbra Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Evan Williams, who has won the race three times, with those three winners coming from Drumbaloo (2012), Firebird Flyer (2014) and Minella Blueway (2025). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the Forbra Gold Cup are Venetia Williams (2 wins) and Henry Daly (2 wins).
Here are the Forbra Gold Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals for trainers who have entries in the 2026 renewal; those not listed have not had a runner. (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Williams | 12-3-5 | +3.75 | -1.35 |
| Venetia Williams | 16-2-7 | -4.17 | -0.97 |
| Henry Daly | 10-2-4 | +2.50 | +0.19 |
| Dan Skelton | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -3.00 |
| Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero | 1-0-0 | -1.00 | +0.00 |
Forbra Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
Here are the Forbra Gold Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals for jockeys who have rides in the 2026 renewal; those not listed have not had a runner. (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ciaran Gethings (Tommys Charm) | 1-1-1 | +2.75 | +1.72 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies (Ballycamus) | 5-0-2 | -5.00 | -3.25 |
| Harry Skelton (Prince Zaltar) | 4-0-0 | -4.00 | -4.00 |
| David Bass (Rockinastorm) | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Charlie Deutsch (Galop De Chasse) | 3-0-0 | -3.00 | -3.00 |
| Richie McLernon (Beachcomber) | 2-0-0 | -2.00 | -2.00 |
2026 Forbra Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 1, 3, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1, 4, 2, 3, UR, PU, 2, 4, PU, UR, 1, (2, 5), (1, PU), (RO, UR)
The percentage shown is the proportion of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (63%) - Ran in 3 - 9 races (Going)
- 20 / 20 (70%) - Had 4 - 12 placings (Career)
- 20 / 20 (71%) - Ran in 8 - 28 races (Career)
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Within the first 6 of the market
- 20 / 20 (73%) - Fewer than 17 races (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Fewer than 5 placings (Going)
- 20 / 20 (75%) - Ran in 2 - 20 races (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (77%) - Had 1 - 9 placings (Hcps)
- 20 / 20 (82%) - No bigger than 14/1
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Had 1 - 6 wins (Career)
- 20 / 20 (84%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Fewer than 5 wins (Chase)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran in 2 - 16 races (Class)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - In a field of 9 - 25 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (87%) - Carried 128 - 160lbs (Debut)
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Ludlow racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the Forbra Gold Cup. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Forbra Gold Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
Forbra Gold Cup Trend Shortlist
Ludlow will host the 2026 renewal of the Forbra Gold Cup, which will be run at 2:07 pm on Thursday, 26th February 2026, and these are the runners who perform best based on the trends, along with the trainer, jockey and their record in the race (Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP):
- 15/15 Minella Blueway (4/1)
- Evan Williams (12-3-5 +3.75 / -1.35)
- Isabel Williams (0-0-0 0.00 / 0.00)
Others: Aboutdamntime (13/15), Beachcomber (12/15), Prince Zaltar (10/15), Rockinastorm (10/15), Tommys Charm (10/15), Ballycamus (8/15) and Galop De Chasse (8/15).
*Trainer & Jockey numbers are Runs-Wins-Places Win LSP / EW LSP, Runners, Odds and Trends Passed/Failed correct at the time of posting (11:28 am Wednesday 25th February 2026), if no odds were available at the time of posting, then forecasted odds are used.
Forbra Gold Cup Trend Analysis
✅ The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +9.33, is when runners had 1 start in the past 30 days.
❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners were sent off 8/1 last time out, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-20.
The courses that have produced the most winners of the Forbra Gold Cup are Ludlow, Taunton and Ffos Las; there have been a total of 3 winners from each of those courses.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 155 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 5 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, there is only one stallion whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Forbra Gold Cup; that stallion, Kayf Tara, has produced 4 winners (2024,2021,2020,2013).
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Le Cameleon in 2023, winning for Jane Williams at odds of 14/1 under the guidance of David Noonan. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 7 winning favourites in the race. Remember to use the best racing tipsters along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 Forbra Gold Cup.
Route to the Forbra Gold Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the Forbra Gold Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Minella Blueway Windsor - 7th of 11 (10/1) | Fitzdares Windsor Stayers Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Arizona Cardinal Leicester - 1st of 9 (14/1) | Kube - Leicesters Premier Events Venue Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Le Cameleon Taunton - 5th of 5 (7/2) | Arthur & Peggy White Memorial Handicap Chase |
| 2022 - Java Point Cheltenham - 3rd of 8 (7/1) | Timeform Novices Handicap Chase |
| 2021 - Head To The Stars Wincanton - PU of 14 (41/1) | Dick Hunt Handicap Chase |
| 2020 - Head To The Stars Warwick - 6th of 13 (16/1) | Classic Chase |
| 2019 - Tommy Silver Ludlow - CO of 9 (10/3) | Attwood Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase |
| 2017 - Marcilhac Taunton - 5th of 7 (5/2) | Bathwick Tyres Handicap Chase |
| 2016 - Top Wood Sedgefield - 5th of 6 (3/1) | Jean Taylor Memorial Handicap Chase |
| 2015 - Global Power Ffos Las - PU of 10 (4/1) | Betway West Wales National |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this Forbra Gold Cup Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse Racing Tips team, overseeing the tipsters and managing the tip settlement, while also creating and managing all the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
