A COVETED CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP TROPHY WAS STOLEN RECENTLY IN A £150,000 RAID ON A RACEHORSE OWNER'S HOME. THE ICONIC, SOLID GOLD CUP, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS IN THE RACING WORLD, WAS SNATCHED FROM THE HOME OF RAYMOND MOULD. THE THIEVES STRUCK AT THE MULTI-MILLIONAIRE PROPERTY TYCOON'S ELUSIVE COUNTRY HOUSE IN WORMINGTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SOMETIMES AFTER MIDNIGHT. AS WELL AS THE GOLD CUP, WHICH IS WORTH AT LEAST £10,000, THEY MADE OFF WITH THE CHALLENGE CUP AND THE BRITANNIA HANDICAP CUP. ALSO STOLEN WERE SILVER AND BRONZE ANIMAL ORNAMENTS, A WOODEN AND GOLD CLOCK, TWO SILVER TROPHIES AND A CIGARETTE CASE. POLICE SAY THE HAUL WAS WORTH MORE THAN £150,000. THERE HAS BEEN A SPATE OF HOUSE THEFTS IN THE AREA RECENTLY AND IT IS NOT KNOWN YET WHETHER MOULD'S PROPERTY WAS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED FOR HIS RACING TROPHIES. A NEW GOLD CUP IS MADE EVERY YEAR, WITH THE WINNER GETTING TO KEEP THE TROPHY. MOULD'S HORSE CHARTER PARTY, RIDDEN BY RICHARD DUNWOODY, WON THE PRIZE IN 1988. THE OWNER'S CLOSE FRIEND, RACEHORSE TRAINER NIGEL TWISTON-DAVIES, WHO WON THE TROPHY THIS YEAR, SAID: 'THEY'VE BROKEN INTO HIS HOUSE AND STOLEN IT.' HE REVEALED THAT MOULD WAS AWAY IN LONDON AT THE TIME OF THE RAID BUT HIS DAUGHTER KATY WAS THERE AND WAS 'TRAUMATIZED'. CHARTER PARTY BEAT CAVVIES CLOWN BY SIX LENGTHS IN THE COLOURS OF CLAIRE SMITH AND MOULD'S LATE WIFE JENNY TO TAKE THE CUP IN 1988. THE GOLD CUP IS THE MOST HIGHLY PAID, NON-HANDICAP CHASE IN THE UK, WITH A £500,000 PRIZE. GLOUCESTERSHIRE POLICE HAVE APPEALED FOR HELP IN TRACING THE TROPHY AND FOR ANYONE WHO SAW SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN THE AREA LAST NIGHT TO COME FORWARD.
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