race. First awarded to five-year-old Red Splash, owned by Major Humphrey Wyndham, trained by Fred Withington and ridden by Dick Rees, it will now be re-introduced as a perpetual trophy, presented to the winning connections of the 2019 race and in future years. In 2020 the Cheltenham Festival, and the Gold Cup in particular, was blamed for accelerating the spread of Covid-19 in the UK, being one of the last major sporting events to take place before national lockdowns were imposed by the government. In 2021 the Gold Cup was contested behind closed doors, as the rest of the festival was, resulting in a muted atmosphere. In 2022,Rachael Blackmore became the first ever female jockey to ride to victory at the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, who she'd ridden to second place the previous year. Records Most successful horse (5 wins): Golden Miller – 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 Leading jockey (4 wins): Pat Taaffe – Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968) Leading trainer (5 wins): Tom Dreaper – Prince Regent (1946), Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968) Leading owner (7 wins): Dorothy Paget – Golden Miller (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936), Roman Hackle (1940), Mont Tremblant (1952) Winners Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr". Winning mares indicated by † Winning trainers based in Great Britain unless indicated (IRE) = Ireland, (FRA) = France The race was abandoned in 1931 because of frost, and in 1937 because of flooding. It was cancelled in 1943 and 1944 because of World War II. The 1957 winner, Linwell, was trained by Ivor Herbert, a well-known racing journalist and so barred from holding a trainer's licence. Tied Cottage finished first in 1980, but was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. The 2001 running was cancelled due to a foot-and-mouth outbreak. A substitute race at Sandown was won by Marlborough. Race sponsors Betfred began sponsoring the Gold Cup in 2012, after the betting company bought the Government-owned Tote in June 2011, but in late 2015 they lost their sponsorship following Jockey Club's and Arena Racing new initiative to not allow bookmaker sponsorships on their tracks that do not offer any contribution to horse racing from their offshore business. Only two weeks later a new sponsorship deal was announced with Timico, an independent internet service provider whose CEO Tim Radford is a horse owner having top chasers like Somersby and Racing