Cheltenham Festival 2026: Essential Guide To Jump Racing's Big Week
12 March 2018
By.
Cornelius Lysaght
BBC horse racing reporter
Cheltenham Festival
Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse Date: 13-16 March
Coverage: Full coverage on BBC Radio 5 live; continued BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text updates on BBC Sport site
It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most important week of the dive racing year when many of the very best national hunt horses do fight for championship honours.
These days, however, the Festival is no longer simply a major horse racing celebration; it has actually protected its own progressively considerable position in the British sporting calendar as a whole.
One illustration: I am commemorating my 35th anniversary of working there. Back in 1983 trainer Michael Dickinson managed what was thought about a barely reputable 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a great one for specific club quizzes, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average attendance was just about 24,000 per afternoon over three days.
In 2018, the 14th Festival arranged to be staged over four days, that average will be more than 60,000 people. Additionally, the quantity of airtime provided over by radio and TV, plus the space for editorial and promos on-line and in papers, has actually grown out of all acknowledgment.
Perhaps the biggest single modification from 1983 is the quantity of success for Irish stables. Then it was 5 wins from 18 races, although that figure wasn't equalled for 10 years, and in 1989 the visitors endured 'nil points'. Today, hopes of an enhancement on 2017's success in the BetBright Anglo-Irish obstacle, with a record 19 wins from 28 races, is thought about realistic.
Podcast: 5 live Cheltenham sneak peek
Cheltenham race schedule & BBC protection
Here's my guide to the week ahead ...
First things initially: the weather
It is frequently said that because of its position nestling in the foothills of the Cotswold Hills, the medical spa town of Cheltenham has its own micro climate.
That may often be the case, but it didn't apply when the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma had their recent encounter in Britain; as elsewhere, snow drifts collected, some five-feet deep around the fences and difficulties, and temperature levels at one point plunged to -17 C.
It's estimated 500 tonnes of snow needed to be cleared from the track and public locations combined, and the results of that precipitation, plus more rain, implies the Festival is set to begin on the softest racing surface area seen for day one in more than 25 years.
The storm from Ireland: Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott look more powerful than ever
Willie Mullins is the champ fitness instructor of Irish jump racing, while his arch-rival Gordon Elliott was the titleholder at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival for the very first time, with six of his home country's successes. Between them, the pair have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained most likely favourites this time.
The Elliott team - numerous with jockeys wearing the maroon and white silks of the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owned by airline tycoon Michael O'Leary - consists of Gigginstown's Samcro, who appears at arrivals with the thickest cloud of hype.
The horse was intentionally called Samcro by his breeder - after the Sons Of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original from the US tv series Sons of Anarchy - in an attempt to bring in O'Leary, who is said to like names with effective connotations.
Unbeaten in 7 races, including a point-to-point, Samcro is an Irish 'banker' in day 2's Ballymore Novices Hurdle as he heads the list of Elliott runners along with Apple's Jade - trained by Mullins prior to a high-profile fallout with O'Leary in 2016 - who chooses a repeat in the OLGB Mares Hurdle (day one).
Meanwhile, Mullins has something of a 'banker' of his own in Getabird, all the rage for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle, the opening race of the entire week, the moment when that famous 'Cheltenham roar' increases from the crowd as months of anticipation finally pertains to an end.
Like a bulk of the stable's most significant hopes, Getabird will be the install of Ruby Walsh, the Festival's most successful jockey with 56 wins, and leading rider for 11 of the last 14 years; he's simply back from an absence of more than three months since of a damaged right leg.
The Mullins obstacle also includes 3 prominent runners wanting to restore their mojos: Faugheen, Yorkhill (both Unibet Champion Hurdle) and Douvan (Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase).
Faugheen, the injury-ravaged Champion Hurdler of 2015, has suffered 2 recent beats and will wear cheek pieces to aid concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has rather lost his way; while Douvan, twice a Festival winner, will be racing for the first time given that flopping in the 2017 Champion Chase, when encountering Altior in the race this time or lining up in the Ryanair Chase.
Altior simply one star in Henderson challenge
Just as Messrs Elliott and Mullins dominate the Irish assault, the stable of Nicky Henderson, based at Lambourn in Berkshire, has a majority of the infantryman manning the home defences.
Henderson, who's won more Festival races than any other fitness instructor - 58 - has the significant gamers in three of the week's 4 primary functions, and is fancied to complete what would be an unmatched treble.
Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks outstanding as he protects his Champion Hurdle title, although Henderson and McManus are likewise represented by serial runner-up in the race My Tent Or Yours; Altior and jockey Nico de Boinville seek their 3rd Festival successes together in the Queen Mother Champion Chase; while Might Bite and de Boinville effort to join an elite band who've won leaping's King George VI Chase and Timico-sponsored Gold Cup in the same season.
To blend metaphors, Might Bite, owned by the Knot Again Partnership headed by Kent County Cricket Club chairman Simon Philip, is a terrific all-rounder, although is vulnerable to near run-outs.
The nine-year-old has twice nearly got defeat from the jaws of victory when veering off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, especially in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics ensured not to be duplicated, his big-race odds would be considerably much shorter as he handles Native River, Our Duke and co. - although not last year's winner Sizing John, who is hurt.
Broaching the Gold Cup, here's a stat for you: Willie Mullins, who is because of run in 2015's 4th Djakadam, Total Recall and the well-touted Killultagh Vic, has never won the race, and has - pretty extraordinarily - had horses complete runner-up 6 times consisting of Djakadam twice.
Day 3: move over St Patrick, the people's horses remain in town
They call it St Patrick's Thursday, but, not least since it's on 15 March, day three might almost be re-named 'old heroes' Thursday this year as Cue Card and The New One strut their things at their seventh Festival.
For Cue Card, a two-time Festival winner - although perhaps best-known for falling at the third-last fence in the last 2 Gold Cups - his appearance in the Ryanair Chase is most likely to be his swansong at the fixture.
The dive racing public has actually taken the 12-year-old to their hearts for his success in landing an overall of 16 races, of course, however also for his capacity to get better in the face of difficulty, like the falls.
Success for the veteran, trained by Colin Tizzard for octogenarian owner Jean Bishop, and the install of jockey Paddy Brennan, against Un Des Sceaux and the rest would, as they state, raise the roof.
Unlike Cue Card, who missed a number of years, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained The New One, who lines up with the fitness instructor's jockey child Sam in the Sunbets Stayers Hurdle, has not missed a Celebration considering that taking in his very first in 2012; his CV consists of a newbies' hurdle success and form figures of 3-5-4-5 in successive Champion Hurdles.
Any other service
Britain's youngest fitness instructor Amy Murphy, 26, does not have ammunition to equal some of her rivals, but she does have up-and-coming hurdler Kalashnikov, one of the favourites for the Supreme Novices Hurdle (day one).
Rising-star jockey Bryony Frost is because of restore her respected partnership with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).
Some bookmakers' estimates of how much will be bet throughout the Festival appear a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is most likely an affordable call: the bookies appear to most fear Footpad, well-backed for the Racing Post Arkle Trophy (the first day).
Champion racehorse-turned-stallion Frankel has his first runner at the Cheltenham Festival when the Dan Skelton-trained Solo Saxophone lines up in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle (day 2).
In a year controlled by the larger names, owners Caron and Paul Chapman, fitness instructor Jedd O'Keeffe and jockey Joe Colliver fly the flag for those with a lower-profile, with Sam Spinner in the Stayers Hurdle (day 3).
Sam Spinner and Gold Cup hope Definitly Red (named by a bad speller, apparently), both Yorkshire-trained, look for to continue the recent resurgence of jump racing's northern circuit.
And finally...109-year-old racing fan Ralph Hoare lastly gets the chance to tick the Cheltenham Festival off his container list of things to do when he goes to Gold Cup day.
Coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio live sports extra and the BBC Sport site all week.
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