The Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National are the two most demanding prizes in British jump racing – each a career-defining test in its own right. The Gold Cup asks for stamina and composure at championship pace around Cheltenham’s undulating track. The Grand National? It’s a brutal marathon over Aintree’s unique fences, where endurance, jumping ability and a slice of luck all matter.
Winning either race places a horse among the sport’s elite. Winning both requires something even rarer – a blend of speed, toughness and versatility that few National Hunt horses ever possess. That’s why debates around greatness surface every spring across the racing world, from the weighing room to the pages of VirginBet Horse Racing coverage.
In more than a century of racing history, only two horses have ever managed to win both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National – a statistic that shows how extraordinary that achievement really is.
Golden Miller – the only same-season double winner
Golden Miller isn’t just whispered about in racing circles – he’s the benchmark for steeplechase greatness. In 1934, he achieved something no other horse has managed since: he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and followed it up by landing the Grand National in the same season.
Trained by Basil Briscoe, he arrived at the 1934 Cheltenham Gold Cup already at the top of the sport, having won the race in both 1932 and 1933.
Those back-to-back victories meant Golden Miller went to Cheltenham chasing a third Gold Cup success – and delivered. But what came next secured his place in racing folklore. Just weeks later, he lined up for the Grand National and produced another faultless performance over Aintree’s formidable fences.
L’Escargot – excellence across eras
Although his name translates to “the snail”, L’Escargot was anything but slow on the racecourse. Trained by Dan Moore, the tough and durable chaser first showed his class at Cheltenham, landing back-to-back Gold Cups in 1970 and 1971 and establishing himself as one of the leading staying chasers of his generation.
Several seasons later, L’Escargot showed his longevity and versatility by turning to Aintree. In 1975, he produced a memorable performance in the Grand National, famously denying Red Rum a third straight victory. It underlined how rare it is for a Gold Cup winner to adapt successfully to the very different test posed by the National fences.
Who could do it next?
As the National Hunt season moves into the spring’s marathon tests, conversations have turned to whether recent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners might take on the unique challenge of the Grand National over Aintree’s four-mile-plus trip.
The most obvious name in this discussion is Inothewayurthinkin, who lifted the 2025 Gold Cup for Gavin Cromwell. He briefly topped early National betting after Cheltenham thanks to his staying ability and class over fences, suggesting he could’ve been a serious contender if connections chose to run him at Aintree.
However, plans changed. He was ultimately ruled out of the Grand National, with his trainer and owner prioritising his well-being over attempting the historic double.
While no confirmed entries have come from the latest Gold Cup winners for this year’s National, the ongoing talk around Gold Cup horses with the potential to stay the National trip shows how rare and fascinating such prospects remain in modern racing.