Cheltenham Gold Cup
When is the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2018? Runners, odds, weather forecast and more
The big race is on Friday
Melissa JonesSenior Digital Reporter
This week, in their droves, punters will flock to the Cheltenham Festival for the biggest National horse racing spectacle of its kind.
Over the four days, around 105,000 people will use the town's train station, which is enough to fill Cheltenham Town's ground nearly 15 times over.
Up top 260,000 fans will descending onto the famous Cotswolds course, where approximately nine tonnes of potatoes will be eaten and 45,000 afternoon teas will be served.
Millions will be bet on the 28 races at the course, in betting shops around the UK and across the world, and the big steeple chase that everyone will be waiting for is the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
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Here's a quick guide to this year's Gold Cup:
When is the Cheltenham Gold Cup?
The main race of the festival, this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup is on Friday 16 March at 3.30pm.
What horses are running?
We don't know the final runners yet, they will be released closer to the race itself. The bookmakers have a list of horses that are entered in the race and have assessed their chances.
There are 27 in contention at this stage and they will be confirmed or taken out of the race soon.
What are the odds for the favourites?
The favourite is Might Bite, who won at The Festival last year in rather erratic fashion.
He has won his two starts this season but faces some good rivals, including Native River, last year's third.
2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander during the victory parade outside the Hollow Bottom pub
Colin Tizzard's contender has stamina in abundance, but he has to turn around the result from 2017 with Sizing John.
The latter's stablemate Our Duke, is fourth best in the market and could be the up and coming horse. At time of writing the latest odds on the favourites are below, and you can find further odds here.
Might Bite - 3/1
Native River - 4/1
Our Duke - 13/2
Killultagh Vic - 9/1
Road To Respect - 9/1
What's the weather forecast?
Cheltenham is expecting up to 14mm of rain to fall by Sunday which could turn the ground heavy in places, so punters will need to back horses with plenty of stamina.
The week itself is looking mixed, with sunny intervals expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. Showers could fall on Thursday and Friday- and it is generally expected to be breezy, so hold onto your hat.
How do I get tickets for the Gold Cup?
Head to Cheltenham Racecourse's website here. General admission is sold out but there is still availability in the hospitality suites, starting from £495 per person.
The Timico Gold Cup on display during the 2017 Cheltenham Festival
Racegoers can still get tickets for the other three days (Tuesday to Thursday, March 13-15).
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