Cheltenham Festival

At the time of his retirement in October 2012, Paul Nicholls said of Kauto Star, “He’s definitely one of the greatest; it’s hard to compare generations, but in my lifetime he’s been the best and probably will be the best.” Over a decade later, Kauto Star remains the joint-fourth highest-rated steeplechaser since the early sixties, according to Timeform, alongside Mill House and behind only Arkle, Flyingbolt and Sprinter Sacre.

Owned by the late Clive Smith, who described him as a “a wonderful, wonderful horse and a good friend of mine”, Kauto Star won 23 of his 41 races over hurdles and fences and amassed over £2.375 million in prize money. He joined Paul Nicholls from Serge Foucher in France, as a four-year-old, in November 2004 and was immediately sent over fences. Kauto Star won his first Grade 1 race, the Tingle Creek Chase, over two miles, at Sandown Park in December 2005 and, having fallen at the third fence when favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2006, enjoyed arguably his best season ever in 2006/07.

That campaign, he was unbeaten in six races, including the Stayers Chase Triple Crown – the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park and the Cheltenham Gold Cup – and with it a £1 million bonus, as well as the Tingle Creek Chase for the second year running. He lost the Cheltenham Gold Cup to stable companion Denman in 2008, but regained it in 2009, reversing the previous from to the tune of 20 lengths and, thereby, became the first horse to do so. Away from the Cheltenham Festival, Kauto Star also won the King George VI Chase a record five times, in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, his final triumph after retirement was mooted for the first time after he was pulled up, at odds-on, in the Punchestown Gold Cup the previous May.

Owned by Robcour Racing, under the auspices of Irish multi-millionaire Brian Acheson, and trained by Gordon Elliott in Longwood, County Meath, Gerri Colombe is a nine-year-old gelding who has won 10 of his 14 races under Rules, including five Grade 1 steeplechases. By useful jumps sire Saddle Maker, from the family of Sadler’s Wells, out of a mare by Cadoudal, whose progeny include Big Buck’s and Long Run, he is certainly bred to be a steeplechaser.

Interestingly, though, for all his success elsewhere, Gerri Colombe has been to the Cheltenham Festival twice and has been beaten, although far from disgraced, twice. After winning his first three starts over fences, including the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick and the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown, he was sent off 5/4 favourite for the Broadway Novices’ Chase in 2023, but went down by a short-head to the aggressively ridden The Real Whacker. In 2024, he was sent off 13/2 second favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but had no answer to reigning champion Galopin Des Champs in the closing stages and was eventually beaten three and a half lengths.

Gerri Colombe resumed winning ways on his final start of 2023/24, when justifying favouritism in the William Hill Bowl Chase at Aintree, although only just, by half a length from Ahoy Senor, who was officially rated 12lb inferior. On his reappearance in 2024/25, he could finish only third of five, beaten 13½ lengths, behind Envoy Allen in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, the first time he had finished outside the first two in his career. Of course, he may well have needed that race, but missed the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas after working poorly and, according to his trainer, could conceivably head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup without another run.

For readers unfamiliar with the name, Fact To File is an eight-year-old gelding, owned by John McManus and trained by Willie Mullins, who was briefly promoted to favouritism for the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup after beating the reigning champion Galopin Des Champs, also trained by Mullins, into third place in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on November 24, 2024. However, when the pair met again in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28, 2024, Galopin Des Champs not only reversed the Punchestown form to the tune of ten and a quarter lengths, but did so emphatically, making all the running and drawing clear on the run-in to win going away.

Nevertheless, despite that reverse, at the time of writing Fact To File remains a top-priced 4.1 second favourite for the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The son of Poliglote, who has still had only six starts over regulation fences, was a ready, three-and-three-quarter-length winner of the Broadway Novices’ Chase, over three miles and half a furlong, at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival and is currently outright 4/1 favourite for the 2025 Ryanair Chase, back over the intermediate distance o two miles and four and a half furlongs.

Fact To File is currently rated 170+ by Timeform, 9lb inferior to Galopin Des Champs, with the inference that he may be better yet. For all that Willie Mullins has said that “Galopin Des Champs wouldn’t be seen at his best” over the two-and-a-half-mile trip in the John Durkan, McManus certainly has an embarrassment of riches in the staying chasing division, with the likes of Fact To File, Spillane’s Tower and Inothwayurthnkin at his disposal. Tony Mullins, brother of Willie, has already said of Fact To File, “…J.P. [McManus] has never owned one like this and he’s owned a lot of good horses”, so it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for the young pretender.

Two decades after suffering a fatal heart attack, as a ten-year-old, in the Haldon Gold Cup Chase at Exeter on November 1, 2005, Best Mate remains the co-thirteenth highest-rated steeplechaser in the history of Timeform. Of course, he is best remembered for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running, in 2002, 2003 and 2004, making him one of just three horses since World War II – the others being Cottage Rake and Arkle – to do so.

Owned by the late Jim Lewis, trained by Henrietta Knight at West Lockinge Farm, near Wantage, Oxfordshire and ridden, for all bar four of his races under Rules, by Jim Culloty, Best Mate won 14 of his 22 starts, including 11 of his 16 steeplechases, and amassed over £1 million in prize money. He was good enough to finish a never-nearer second, beaten just threequarters of a length, in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2000 and, having made a successful transition to fences, was ante-post favourite for the Arkle Challenge Trophy before an outbreak of foot and mouth disease caused the Festival to be rescheduled, and then abandoned altogether in 2001.

In 2002, Best Mate beat 17 opponents, including defending champion Looks Like Trouble, to win his first Cheltenham Gold Cup and returned to Prestbury Park the following year to become the first horse since L’Escargot, in 1971, to win the ‘Blue Riband’ event twice. In 2004, he duly completed the hat-trick, becoming the first horse since Arkle, in 1966, to do so, but was denied the chance of completing a four-timer when suffering a training injury just over a week before the 2005 renewal. Reflecting on his tragic death on his reappearance the following November, Jim Lewis said, “It’s been a privilege to own such a great horse. There have been very few as good…I will never forget him and what he did.”