Category: Years

The 2017 Cheltenham Festival took place between March 14 and March 17, 2017 and resulted in something of a novelty, insofar as Willie Mullins, leading trainer in each of the previous four years, did not defend his title. Indeed, Mullins did not saddle a winner until Yorkhill in the opening Golden Miller Novices’ Chase on day three, ‘St. Patrick’s Day’, but quickly added three more later on the card and two more on day four, ‘Gold Cup Day’, for a total of six altogether.

Mullins’ staunch rearguard action actually gave him the same number of winners as compatriot Gordon Elliott, but the latter edged the leading trainer award on countback. Ruby Walsh, who rode a memorable four-timer for Mullins, on the aforementioned Yorkhill, Un De Sceaux in the Ryanair Chase, Nichols Canyon in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Limini in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, all on day three, won the leading jockey award for the eleventh time in his career. Not altogether surprisingly, with Elliot and Mullins contributing six winners apiece, the final result of the Prestbury Cup was a rather one-sided 19-9 in favour of the Irish.

The Mullins camp did suffer a major reverse in the Queen Mother Champion Chase when Douvan, unbeaten in 13 starts for the yard and sent off at prohibitive odds of 2/9, trailed in seventh of the nine finishers and was subsequently found to be lame behind. Victory went to Special Tiara, trained by Henry De Bromhead and Noel Fehily, who finally landed the £208, 300.32 first prize after finishing third in both 2015 and 2016.

Of the other ‘feature’ races, the Champion Hurdle went the way of Buveir D’Air, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup the way of Sizing John, trained by Jessica Harrington and ridden by Robbie Power. Indeed, having won the ‘Blue Riband’ event with her first ever runner, Mrs. Harrington finished the week as the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history, with 11 winners to her name.

The 2016 Cheltenham Festival was staged between March 15 and March 18, 2016 and, as has become customary, featured 28 races, worth £4.1 million in total prize money. Overall, the Festival proved to be quite ‘punter friendly’, with the outright or joint-favourite successful in 10 of the 28 races, albeit three times at odds-on. The third iteration of the Prestbury Cup again went the way of Ireland for the first time, by a score of 15-13 and, in the ‘feature’ races of the week, Irish-trained horses still outpointed their British-trained counterparts by a score of 3-2.

A terribly unlucky loser in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival, Annie Power, trained by Willie Mullins, took full advantage of a 7lb mares’ allowance to win the Champion Hurdle, Vautour, also trained by Mullins, likewise justified favouritism in the Ryanair Chase, winning comfortably, as did Don Cossack, trained by Gordon Elliott, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. For the home team, Sprinter Sacre, trained by Nicky Henderson, made an emotional return to something like his best form by winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase for a second time and Thistlecrack, trained by Colin Tizzard, made mincemeat of the opposition in the World Hurdle.

Although yet to train a winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup – he actually saddled Djakadam into second place for the second year running – Willie Mullins won the leading trainer award, as he had done for the last three years, with seven winners. Ruby Walsh, who rode all seven Mullins-trained winners, won the leading jockey award for the fourth year running, and the tenth time in all. Indeed, his fifth winner of the week, Black Hercules in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase in St. Patrick’s Day, brought up a half century of Cheltenham Festival winners for the Kildare-born jockey. He told BBC Radio, “It’s amazing. When I joined Pat Taaffe here on 25 I thought that was unbelievable, but 50 is incredible.”

Staged between Tuesday, March 10 and Friday, March 13, the 2015 Cheltenham Festival featured 27 races that counted towards the result of the Prestbury Cup, which Britain eventually won by the narrowest margin, 14-13. Day one, ‘Champion Day’, started as anticipated for the indomitable Willie Mullins, who saddled Douvan to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Un De Sceaux to win the Arkle Trophy and Faugheen to win the Champion Hurdle, with all three ridden by Ruby Walsh. However, the fourth Mullins-trained ‘good thing’ of the day, Annie Power, who was sent off at odds of 1/2 for the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, fell at the final flight when four lengths ahead and in command. Mullins still won the race, with his second string, Glens Melody, but that was scant consolation for punters who piled into the short-priced four-timer.

Mullins actually went on to become leading trainer at the Festival for the third year running with eight winners over the four days and Walsh the leading jockey, also for the third year running, with four winners. The Champion Hurdle aside, the remaining four ‘feature’ races of the week all went the way of British-trained horses. Dodging Bullets, trained by Paul Nicholls, won the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Uxizandre, trained by Alan King and ridden by Tony McCoy – in his farewell year – the Ryanair Chase and Cole Harden, trained by Warren Greatrex, the Stayers’ Hurdle. Last, but by no means least, Coneygree, trained by Mark Bradstock, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and, in so doing, become the first novice since Captain Christy, in 1974, to win the prestigious steeplechase.

Commenting on his decision not to replace winning jockey Nico De Boinville, who was having his first ride in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Bradstock said, “It’s not just about Coneygree, it’s the work he does coming in whenever we ask him for the other horses as well.” For his part, De Boinville said, “It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

Staged, as usual, between Tuesday, March 11 and Friday, March 14, 2014, the 2014 Cheltenham Festival featured 28 races, although the final race on day three, ‘St. Patrick’s Thursday’, was a charity race, the ‘St. Patrick’s Day Derby’, in aid of Cancer Research UK. The Festival was notable for the formalisation of the traditional rivalry between horses trained in Britain and Ireland as ‘The Prestbury Cup’, which Britain won by score of 15-12.

As far as the ‘feature’ races of the week were concerned, Ireland drew first blood, albeit only narrowly, courtesy of Jezki, trained by Jessica Harrington, in the Champion Hurdle, although Britain struck back with Sire De Grugy, trained by Gary Moore, in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Dynaste, trained by David Pipe, in the Ryanair Chase and More Of That, trained by Jonjo O’Neill, in the World Hurdle.

The ‘Blue Riband’ event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, was a messy and controversial affair, the result of which was only determined after a lengthy stewards’ enquiry. Ultimately, the placings remain unaltered, with victory going to Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty and ridden by Davy Russell, who passed the post a short-head in front of On His Own, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by David Casey. The winner hung badly right in the closing stages but, while Casey felt that he would have won with an unimpeded run, the stewards deemed any interference accidental.

Other notable winners during the week included Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh, who won the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle for the sixth year running, thereby ecplising the record for consecutive Festival wins set by the legendary Golden Miller in the Cheltenham Gold Cup between 1932 and 1936. Elsewhere, a certain Tiger Roll, who would go on to record back-to-back victories in the Grand National in 2018 and 2019, recorded his first Festival win for Gordon Elliot and Davy Russell in the Triumph Hurdle.

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival marked a resurgence for British-trained horses and, although the Prestbury Cup went to Ireland for the seventh year in a row, the final score, 15-13 in favour of the visitors, was the closest since the 14-14 tie in 2019. Indeed, the result was in doubt until the final race of the week, Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, in which Air Of Entitlement, trained by Henry de Bromhead, overhauled Hot Fuss, trained by Tom Dascombe, in the final half-furlong to win by two-and-threequarter lengths.

Otherwise, it was pretty much business as usual for the leading protagonists. The most successful trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins, saddled eight winners – notably including Lossiemouth in the Champion Hurdle, Il Etait Temps in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Gaelic Warrior in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – to become leading trainer for the eight consecutive year. His stable jockey, Paul Townend, who rode that trio, plus King Rasko Grey in the Turner Novices’ Hurdle, became leading jockey for the fifth consecutive year and, furthermore, the most successful jockey in the history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup with five winners.

Already far and away the most successful owner in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, John P. McManus celebrated a birthday double courtesy of Saratoga in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle and Johnnywho in the Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase on the opening day. He later added Meetmebythesea, in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, and Dinoblue, in the Liberthine Mares’ Chase, to his winning tally, which currently stands at 88.

Although predictable, in part, the 2026 Cheltenham Festival was not without the odd shock result. Martator, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Charlie Deutsch, belied odds of 66/1 when scraping home by a nose in the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase on day two and White Noise, trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls and ridden by Tom Bellamy, made a nonsense of his 40/1 starting price when keeping on gamely to win the opening race on day three, the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. Celebrating his first Cheltenham Festival winner, Bellamy, 31, said, “I’ve worked my whole life for this day.”