The Kim Muir Challenge Cup is a handicap chase over about 3 miles 2 furlongs on Thursday of the Festival, restricted to amateur riders. It’s a race that produces its share of upsets, though the bigger professional yards still target it despite the amateur restriction.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Daily Present | Paul Nolan | Mr B T Stone | 8 | 12/1 |
| 2024 | Inothewayurthinkin | Gavin Cromwell | Mr D O’Connor | 6 | 5/2 |
| 2023 | Angels Dawn | S Curling | Mr P A King | 8 | 10/1 |
| 2022 | Chambard | Venetia Williams | Miss L Turner | 10 | 40/1 |
| 2021 | Mount Ida | Denise Foster | J W Kennedy | 7 | 3/1 |
| 2020 | Milan Native | Gordon Elliott | Mr R James | 7 | 9/1 |
| 2019 | Any Second Now | T M Walsh | Mr D O’Connor | 7 | 6/1 |
| 2018 | Missed Approach | W J Greatrex | Mr N McParlan | 8 | 8/1 |
| 2017 | Domesday Book | Stuart Edmunds | Miss G Andrews | 7 | 40/1 |
| 2016 | Cause Of Causes | Gordon Elliott | Mr J J Codd | 8 | 9/2 |
Key Trends
Age profile: Seven-year-olds lead with 7 wins from 19 renewals (37%). Eight-year-olds have 4 wins, nine-year-olds 5. A single six-year-old (Inothewayurthinkin in 2024), one ten-year-old, and one twelve-year-old complete the set.
Favourite record: The favourite has won 4 of 19 (21%), placing 10 times from 22 total favourite runners. The average favourite SP of about 5/1 suggests a fairly competitive betting heat.
Trainers: Gordon Elliott has 2 wins from 25 runners. Donald McCain also had 2 from 9 (earlier in the sample). Venetia Williams has 1 win from 27 runners, Gavin Cromwell 1 from 4. The smaller and mid-tier yards can do well here.
Going: Good to Soft accounts for 8 winners, Good for 6, and Soft for 5. A fairly even spread across conditions.
What the Data Says
The Kim Muir is interesting because the amateur rider restriction creates opportunities for yards that have strong amateur connections. Derek O’Connor has ridden 2 winners, and Jamie Codd has ridden 1, both highly experienced amateur jockeys. The quality of the rider matters more than usual in this race.
Inothewayurthinkin’s win at 5/2 in 2024 is notable because the horse went on to win the Gold Cup the following year. That’s an extraordinary trajectory — Kim Muir to Gold Cup in 12 months. Any Second Now also went on to run well in the Grand National.
The average winning SP of about 15/1 shows it’s a competitive handicap. Chambard at 40/1 and Domesday Book at 40/1 are reminders that shocks can happen, but 4 of the last 8 winners have been single-figure prices, so it’s not as unpredictable as some Festival handicaps.
Venetia Williams’ 1 win from 27 runners is a poor return, though the yard has placed 5 times. She’s the type of trainer who targets these amateur races regularly, so the volume is high even if the win rate is low.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.