Coral Cup

A 2m 5f Handicap Hurdle where there is usually more than one big gamble on the day of the race. However, big price winners of this race are very common so why not try for an outsider!

Coral Cup Trends

10/10	had an official rating of 147 or lower
10/10	had won between 2m 2f and 2m 6f over hurdles
9/10	had won a race earlier in the season
9/10	had scored at class three or higher
9/10	were aged seven or younger
9/10	had not run for at least 32 days
8/10	winners carried no more than 11st
8/10	had no more than nine runs over hurdles
7/10	had no more than four runs that season
6/10	won last time out

Coral Cup Analysis

As with a lot of the Cheltenham Handicaps this race is rarely won by a horse carrying more than 11st and with seven Irish winners out of eighteen renewals it's becoming clear that having a well fancied Irish raider in your selections is essential if you want to show a profit on this race.

Lightly raced horses tend to do well in the Coral Cup with most of the winners in the last decade only having less then ten runs over hurdles.

The last stat highlighted above six of the last eight winners won last time out is especially worthy of note as on average less than a third of the runners will meet this criteria.

Lastly, it may be best to avoid front-runners as they have a poor recent record in the Coral Cup.

Coral Cup Last Ten Winners

Table below shows the last ten winners of the race.

Year	Horse	Age/Wgt	Trainer	Jockey	Price
2011	Carlito Brigante	5-11-0	G Elliott	D Russell	16/1
2010	Spirit River	5-11-2	N Henderson	B Geraghty	9/1
2009	Ninetieth Minute	6-10-3	T Taaffe	P Flood	14/1
2008	Naiad Du Misselot	7-10-13	F Murphy	D Russell	7/1
2007	Burntoakboy	9-9-12	R Newland	S Jones	10/1
2006	Skys The Limit	5-11-12	E OGrady	B Geraghty	11/1
2005	Idole First	6-10-10	Miss V Williams	A OKeeffe	33/1
2004	Monkerhostin	7-10-8	P Hobbs	R Johnson	13/2
2003	Xenophon	7-11-0	A Martin	M Fitzgerald	4/1F
2002	Ilnamar	6-10-5	M Pipe	R Greene	25/1

Coral Cup Preview

Give close inspection to the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and the Boylesports.com Hurdle at Leopardstown when studying the form as the equivalents of these two races have thrown up five recent winners.

Favourites do not have a good record in this race with just one outright and one joint favourite in eighteen runnings.

Philip Hobbs' runners are always of interest in the hurdle handicaps and with two wins and five other finishers in the top six from just seventeen runners, his Coral Cup entries warrant the closest inspection. His record may even be better than this had Wishful Thinking not fell at the second last in 2010. Racing there off 144 he has marched up to 164 over fences so may have gone quite close!

Coral Cup Tips

As stated above Philip Hobbs' team are to be feared but the horse that stands out instead is Act Of Kalanisi.

Trained by Richard Newland who won this race in 2007, the trainer has reported that he has his charge in similar form to his previous winner and is positive about a very good run from Act Of Kalanisi.

The horses that run well in this race tend to be lightly raced second sesaon hurdlers with good form in a classy handicap hurdle in the season in question - just like Act Of Kalanisi!

Coral Cup Odds

Full list of runners and odds for the 2012 Coral Cup.