Staged at Sandown racecourse the Betfair Imperial Cup in a hurdle race run over 2m 1/2f.
Run just days before the start of the Cheltenham Festival - with the race always getting added interest with a £100k bonus should the winner land any Cheltenham Festival race the following week.
In recent years that incentive has seen powerful stables like Henderson and Hobbs target the race, but it’s the Pipe yard that hold the best recent record – winning the race four times in the last 22 years and 9 times in all.
The last horses to win the Imperial Cup and then go onto land a Festival race the following week are Olympian (1993), Blowing Wind (1998) and Gaspara (2007). While the 2016 winner – Flying Angel – only just failed to land the bonus after running second in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' race.
Five of the last eight winners – Go Dante, Iceo, Malaya, London Prize and Mr Antolini – didn’t go onto run at the Cheltenham Festival, but the 2021 winner - Langer Dan - was another that only just failed to land the bonus when second in the Martin Pipe Conditional Hurdle race six days later.
The Olly Murphy runner Go Dante has won the last two runnings and will be looking for a famous three-timer in the Sandown race.
Here at GEEGEEZ we take a look back at recent winners and give you all the key stats to take into the 2026 renewal – this year run on Saturday 7th March.
Recent Imperial Cup Winners
2025 - GO DANTE (6/1)
2024 - GO DANTE (5/1 jfav)
2023 - ICEO (5/1)
2022 – SURPRISE PACKAGE (20/1)
2021 - LANGER DAN (5/1)
2020 – Abandoned
2019 – MALAYA (7/1)
2018 – MR ANTOLINI (20/1)
2017 – LONDON PRIZE (10/1)
2016 – FLYING ANGEL (9/1)
2015 – EBONY EXPRESS (33/1)
2014 – BALTIMORE ROCK (7/1)
2013 – FIRST AVENUE (20/1)
2012 – PAINTBALL (20/1)
2011 – ALARAZI (10/1)
2010 – QASPAL (11/4 fav)
2009 – DAVE’S DREAM (12/1)
2008 – ASHKAZAR (10/3 fav)
2007 – GASPARA (11/4 fav)
2006 – VICTRAM (8/1)
2005 – MEDISON (9/2 fav)
2004 – SCORNED (14/1)
2003 – KORELO (9/4 fav)
2002 - POLAR RED (6/4 fav)
Imperial Cup Betting Trends and Stats
20/22 – Had raced within the last 6 weeks
19/22 – Had won no more than twice over hurdles before
19/22 – Had won between 1-2 times over hurdles before
19/22 – Rated 124 or higher
17/22 – Carried 10-13 or less
16/22 – Aged 6 or younger
15/22 – Had won over at least 2m1f (hurdles) before
13/22 – Carried 10-8 or less
12/22 – Winners that went onto run at the Cheltenham Festival (1 winner, Gaspara - Fred Winter)
12/22 – Winning distance – 3 ½ lengths or more
11/22 – Finished in the top two last time out
10/22 – Aged 4 or 5 years-old
9/22 – Returned a double-figure price in the betting
7/22 – Raced at either Cheltenham (2), Sandown (2) or Ascot (2) last time out
7/22 – French bred
7/22 – Had raced at Sandown (hurdles) before – 3 had won there before
6/22 – Winning favourites
6/22 – Won last time out
5/22 – Won by the Pipe stable (have won it 9 times in all)
2/22 – Trained by Paul Nicholls (2 of the last 6)
2/22 – Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies (2 of last 9)
2/22 – Won by an Irish-trained horse
2/22 – Ridden by Harry Cobden (2 of the last 6)
Go Dante (Olly Murphy/Sean Bowen) has won the last 2 runnings
Olympian (1993), Blowing Wind (1998) and Gaspara (2007) landed the Imperial Cup bonus (won a race at the Cheltenham Festival)
The average winning SP in the last 22 years is 11/1
Only 2 back-to-back winners since 1949 (Secret Service, Go Dante)
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