Newbury will host a quality Flat card on Saturday 17th May and whilst the Lockinge Stakes is the feature race of the card there’s another intriguing contest in the shape of the London Gold Cup Handicap at 2:00pm. A race that has been a real stepping stone for potential Group horses the 2025 renewal looks hugely competitive and our tipster Steve Chambers looks to pick out the first three home.
Favourites
Aidan O’Brien has been snaffling countless UK Group races in recent weeks, but he aims to land a handicap success in the 2025 London Gold Cup with Genealogy, who is a prominent figure in the betting. A winner of a Punchestown maiden on his second outing, the Wootton Bassett colt could only finish fifth behind stablemate and new Derby favourite Delacroix in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket. This is notably easier than that and on handicap debut he could potentially be ahead of his current mark of 96.
John & Thady Gosden last won this contest back in 2022 when Israr claimed victory and they will unleash a dual-pronged attack in this year’s contest and the top-weighted Nebras looks to be a leading contender. Second behind Alpine Trail in a Listed event at Newmarket a couple of weeks ago, the Dubawi colt will surely come on for that outing and could be potentially better handicap company. Ernst Blofeld will be the other shot fired by the Gosden gun and he was third behind Nebras in that Newmarket event. They were off level weights that day, but Ernst Blofeld will receive 6lbs from his stablemate in this contest and the son of Frankel could quite easily reverse the form here and has to be respected.
A winner on debut, Roger Varian’s Saddadd has failed to kick on and was last seen finishing second at Newbury. A model of consistency, the Pintaubo colt will need to improve to play a part here, while another fancied runner is Harry Charlton’s Wave Rider, who has failed to get his head in front in three outings so far, but looks to be going the right way to feature prominently and the trainer won this race 12 months ago.
Outsiders
Another contender yet to taste victory is Asmen Warrior who has recorded two second placed finishes at Redcar and Leicester, but on handicap debut off a mark of 82 could be more than capable of finishing in the top half of this trappy betting event.
One of the more experienced runners in the line-up is Jack Channon’s Lightening Mann, who has two wins from six starts on his CV and was last seen winning at Newmarket off a mark of 77. Now 81 he will have his work cut out to claim a third career win.
Of the others, the Richard Hughes-trained Circus Of Rome failed to back up a Wolverhampton win two starts ago when finishing sixth at Sandown, so he needs to improve, while Quai De Bethune and Law Of Design complete the line-up and are the outsiders of the field.
London Gold Cup Handicap Racecard
Here’s the 2025 London Gold Cup Handicap Racecard with all the runners and riders for the 2:00pm at Newbury on Saturday 17th May.
14:00 Newbury
Good To FirmTrade Nation London Gold Cup Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)
- 1m 2f 0y
- Class 2
- 9 runners
- Win time: 2m 3s
11/4F (Won)
- Win: £3.75
- Place: £1.45
14/1
- Place: £2.65
22/1
- Place: £4.45
9/1
100/30
7/1
12/1
100/30
40/1
Non-runners
Nebras
+o+e Betting Returns
| Payout | |
|---|---|
| Exacta | £37.60 |
| Straight Forecast | £43.31 |
| Tricast | £710.04 |
| Trifecta | £447.60 |
Selections
London Gold Cup Handicap Prediction
John & Thady Gosden have a strong duo bidding for victory and ERNST BLOFELD can turn recent Newmarket form around by getting the better of stablemate Nebras, who has to give 6lbs away. Aidan O’Brien’s Genealogy is a fascinating runner and has to be the biggest danger to the Gosden pair, while Asmen Warrior could run a decent race in what should be a thriller.
Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
Make sure you’re following us on all our social media platforms to keep up to date with all the latest horse racing news and the best tips.