The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most prestigious race on the National Hunt calendar and is the feature of the Cheltenham Festival.

The three miles and two furlong contest is a real stamina test, while the speed at which the field tends to go in this race means the jumping of the horses is really put under examination.

This year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup was dealt a blow earlier last month when the long-term ante-post favourite Thistlecrack was ruled out of the contest due to an injury, while 2016 champion Don Cossack won’t be looking to become the first horse to win this race in back-to-back years since Best Mate in 2004 as he is now retired.

Despite the defections of several high-profile horses, the field for the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup still features some of the best chasers both sides of the Irish Sea. Here is look at the leading contenders this year.

Djakadam – Trainer: Willie Mullins – Jockey: Ruby Walsh - 4/1

Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has never won the Cheltenham Gold Cup. However, he must fancy his chances of being successful for the first time this year given he trains one of the co-favourites for the Blue Riband contest.

Djakadam has been second in this race in each of the last two runnings. In 2015, he was involved in a close tussle up to the line with novice Coneygree, where he lost out by just over a length. Twelve months ago, meanwhile, the Irish horse once again had to settle for the runner-up spot where the margin was slightly bigger; he was over four lengths behind Don Cossack at the finish.

Djakadam has had two runs so far this season. He made his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase where he scored ahead of Outlander and Sub Lieutenant, who finished second and third, respectively.

He was unable to follow that success up at Leopardstown just after Christmas in the Lexus Chase, where he had to settle for third place.

The Gold Cup co-favourite is set to be Ruby Walsh’s ride in the race this year. The iconic jockey was on board Kauto Star in 2009 and 2011 when he came out on top at Cheltenham. If the pair are successful in the feature race on day four of meeting, Djakadam will be the third Irish horse to win the Gold Cup in the last four runnings. As you can see from the Oddschecker Cheltenham Festival market report, Djakadam has been one of the best backed Mullins horses at the Festival this year, along with Melon and Yorkhill, who will line up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and JLT Novices’ Chase, respectively.

Native River – Trainer: Colin Tizzard – Jockey: Richard Johnson – 4/1

At the age of seven, Native River is the joint-youngest horse lining up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup this year. At the start of the season Colin Tizzard’s runner was not one of the leading runners at the top end of the betting for this race. However, after success in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury and the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow, he soon became one of the serious contenders at the head of the market for the contest.

Tizzard’s chaser was well-backed in the Hennessy Gold Cup where he went off the 7/2 favourite, and he justified that gamble as he held off a late challenge from Carole’s Destrier. Under the hands of champion jockey Richard Johnson, Native River led after the 16th fence and was driven out to the finish line.

The seven-year-old faced a real challenge back in December in the Welsh Grand National as he was asked to carry top weight of 11st 12lb in the Chepstow marathon. Johnson chose to hit the front at an early stage and he made all from there, finishing just over a length ahead of Raz De Maree, while Houblon Des Obeaux was a further 15 lengths back in third as the field was well strung out at the finish.

Native River had his final preparation run before Cheltenham at Newbury last month in the Grade 2 Denman Chase. He only had to face two rivals but the field included Le Mercurey and Bristol De Mai, so it was a strong test for Tizzard’s horse who passed with flying colours again in a sound round of jumping. On that occasion, he stayed on well at the end of the two-mile, seven-furlong trip. On the back of that run, he was cut in the betting once again for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Cue Card – Trainer: Colin Tizzard – Jockey: Paddy Brennan – 4/1

Cue Card is having his second run in the Gold Cup this year, after he came down at the third fence from home 12 months ago. Tizzard’s runner went into last year’s race bidding to become the first winner of the Chase Triple Crown £1 million bonus. He was successful in the Betfair Chase early in the campaign and then followed that up with a victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton, where he got up late to deny Vautour the prize in the Christmas feature.

The 11-year-old’s campaign going into the Festival this year hasn’t quite been as connections would have hoped for. He started out in the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby where he was far from his best and had to settle for third place.

He was much better on his next start in the Betfair Chase, however, where he came up against former Gold Cup winner Coneygree and was able to defend his crown at the Lancashire track. Cue Card was unable to win the second leg of the Chase Triple Crown this season as he proved no match for his younger stablemate, Thistlecrack, in the King George.

Despite that result leaving doubts over his participation in the Gold Cup, his owner Jean Buckley ultimately opted for the Blue Riband event over the Ryanair Chase and she would have gained confidence from her decision in his most recent performance, the Ascot Chase, where he prevailed by 15 lengths.

Sizing John – Trainer: Jessica Harrington – Jockey: Robbie Power – 10/1

Sizing John comes into the Festival on the back of his best performance of his career: a victory in the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown where he finished ahead of Empire of Dirt and Don Poli. Jessica Harrington’s horse only just stepped up in trip over fences back in January following a number of runs at two miles chasing home Douvan, where he was unable to get the better of Mullins’ superstar.

Jessica Harrington's charge was cut in the betting for the Cheltenham Gold Cup following his victory in the Grade 3 Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles several months ago. After the way he saw out the three-mile trip in the Irish Gold Cup on soft ground, punters have been happy to back the seven-year-old for the leading race at the Festival where he is now as short as 10/1.

Outlander – Trainer: Gordon Elliott – Jockey: Bryan Cooper – 12/1

Gordon Elliott has arguably the strongest team of horses he has ever had for the Festival this year. His leading hope in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, according to the betting, is Outlander, who is a 12/1 shot for the contest.

Outlander won one of the leading Grade 1 races over three miles in Ireland this season when he scored in the very competitive Lexus Chase at Leopardstown's Christmas Festival. The nine-year-old finished just over two lengths ahead of his stablemate Don Poli who came home second, while two-time Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam was a further head back in third place.

Connections of this horse will be hoping he performs better than his last trip to Cheltenham, as he was a faller in the JLT Novices’ Chase 12 months ago. With Outlander set to be the leading hope of Gigginstown Stud, retained jockey Bryan Cooper is likely to be on board where he is looking to win this race for the second year running – he rode Don Cossack to victory at the 2016 meeting.

More Of That – Trainer: Jonjo O’Neill – Jockey: Mark Walsh – 14/1

More Of That’s last appearance at the Cheltenham Festival was in 2015 when he won the World Hurdle, beating Annie Power. Since then, he has run over fences on seven occasions with just two victories to his name. Those two wins, though, have both come at Cheltenham, so he clearly has liking for the course at Prestbury Park.

The J.P. McManus-owned horse has been well backed for the Gold Cup in recent weeks which suggests his trainer Jonjo O’Neill is very happy with his form back at home. The nine-year-old was travelling well on his most recent start in the Irish Gold Cup, before unseating his jockey Mark Walsh at the last fence when in contention.

It is impossible to know whether More Of That would have beaten Sizing John or finished ahead of Empire Of Dirt, but it was clearly his best outing of the campaign so far – and one which will give connections hope ahead of the feature race at the Festival.

Empire Of Dirt – Trainer: Gordon Elliott – Jockey: Jack Kennedy – 14/1

Having being successful in the Brown Adavisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 12 months ago, Empire Of Dirt is one of the few 2016 winners that is returning to the Cheltenham Festival this year. The Irish horse was held up in the early stages of that contest by Cooper but produced a late turn of foot to score by four lengths at odds of 16/1.

The 10-year-old switched stables in the summer and made his debut for Elliott at Navan in the Troytown Handicap Chase, where he was victorious over three miles and was even eased up close home by Cooper in an impressive performance.

Empire Of Dirt returned to action in the Irish Gold Cup, where he was only beaten by less than a length by Sizing John, and connections will therefore be pleased with what they have seen from their horse on the racetrack this season. The Irish horse still has an entry in the Ryanair Chase over the shorter trip of two miles and five furlongs; however, this is the race he is most likely to start in at the Festival this year.

Champagne West – Trainer: Henry De Bromhead – Jockey: David Mullins – 16/1

Champagne West has won both of his two starts in 2017 to put himself in contention for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Henry de Bromhead’s horse handled the ground well on New Year’s Day at Tramore in a listed contest over 2m5f on going that was officially described as soft to heavy. That success was then followed up at Gowran Park last month where he came out on top in the Thyestes Chase in a field which included Ucello Conti, Bonny Kate and Rogue Trader.

This will be Champagne West’s third visit to the Festival. He made his Cheltenham debut in 2014 in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle where he finished fourth, while 12 months ago he was pulled up in the Ryanair Chase by his jockey Tom O’Brien.

The nine-year-old is at a career high mark of 167 now in the official ratings, and only Cue Card, Native River and Outlander have a better rating in this year’s Gold Cup field.

Who is likely to go off as favourite?

The betting is likely to be headed by Djakadam come the day of the race, especially if trainer Willie Mullins has a good meeting up until that point. If the Irish champion trainer has a quiet three days before Gold Cup day, however, don’t be surprised to see support fly in for Cue Card, who is arguably the most popular horse running at the meeting this year.