2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup The 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup was a horse race which took place at Cheltenham on Friday 18 March 2005. It was the 77th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and it was won by the pre-race favourite Kicking King. The winner was ridden by Barry Geraghty and trained by Tom Taaffe. Kicking King was the first winner of the Gold Cup to be trained in Ireland since Imperial Call in 1996. The three-time winner Best Mate was withdrawn from the race a week earlier after bursting a blood vessel. A fourth day was added to the
Road to Cheltenham Road to Cheltenham The Road to Cheltenham is a series of seven British and Irish top-class horse races over hurdles, culminating in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The Road To Cheltenham is a concept developed by Racing For Change – an arm of the British Horseracing Authority charged with leading a fundamental reappraisal of the way racing is promoted – and the online sportsbook StanJames.com. The seven races that comprise The Road To Cheltenham are the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton Racecourse in November, the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse in November, the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown Racecourse, Ireland,