Cheltenham Festival 2026

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.”