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 protection 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 essential week of the jump racing year when most of the very best national hunt horses do battle for champion honours.


These days, nevertheless, the Festival is no longer simply a major horse racing celebration; it has secured its own progressively substantial position in the British sporting calendar as a whole.


One illustration: I am celebrating my 35th anniversary of working there. Back in 1983 fitness instructor Michael Dickinson pulled off what was thought about a barely reputable 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a good one for particular pub quizzes, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average attendance was only about 24,000 per afternoon over 3 days.


In 2018, the 14th Festival set up to be staged over 4 days, that average will be more than 60,000 people. Additionally, the amount of airtime given over by radio and TV, plus the area for editorial and promos on-line and in newspapers, has actually grown out of all .


Perhaps the biggest single change from 1983 is the amount of success for Irish stables. Then it was five wins from 18 races, although that figure wasn't equated to for ten years, and in 1989 the visitors withstood 'nil points'. Today, hopes of an improvement on 2017's success in the BetBright Anglo-Irish challenge, with a record 19 wins from 28 races, is considered practical.


Podcast: 5 live Cheltenham sneak peek


Cheltenham race schedule & BBC protection


Here's my guide to the week ahead ...


First things first: the weather


It is typically said that due to the fact that of its position nestling in the foothills of the Cotswold Hills, the health club town of Cheltenham has its own micro environment.


That might sometimes be the case, however it didn't use when the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma had their current encounter in Britain; as in other places, snow drifts gathered, some five-feet deep around the fences and obstacles, and temperatures 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 impacts of that precipitation, plus further rain, suggests the Festival is set to begin on the softest racing surface 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 trainer of Irish dive 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 likely favourites this time.


The Elliott group - numerous with jockeys using the maroon and white silks of the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owned by airline tycoon Michael O'Leary - includes Gigginstown's Samcro, who appears at arrivals with the thickest cloud of hype.


The horse was deliberately called Samcro by his breeder - after the Sons Of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original from the US television series Sons of Anarchy - in an effort to draw in O'Leary, who is said to like names with powerful connotations.


Unbeaten in seven races, consisting of a point-to-point, Samcro is an Irish 'lender' 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 goes for 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 whole week, the minute when that famous 'Cheltenham roar' goes up from the crowd as months of anticipation finally pertains to an end.


Like a majority of the stable's greatest 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 just back from a lack of more than three months because of a broken best leg.


The Mullins challenge likewise includes three high-profile runners looking to regain their mojos: Faugheen, Yorkhill (both Unibet Champion Hurdle) and Douvan (Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase).


Faugheen, the injury-ravaged Champion Hurdler of 2015, has actually suffered 2 recent defeats and will wear cheek pieces to help concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has actually rather lost his method; while Douvan, two times a Celebration winner, will be racing for the very first time because tumbling 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 obstacle


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 trainer - 58 - has the significant players in three of the week's four primary features, and is fancied to complete what would be an unmatched treble.


Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks outstanding as he safeguards 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 sign up with an elite band who have actually won jumping's King George VI Chase and Timico-sponsored Gold Cup in the exact same season.


To mix 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 two times almost got defeat from the jaws of victory when drifting off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, significantly in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these shenanigans ensured not to be repeated, his big-race chances would be significantly much shorter as he takes on Native River, Our Duke and co. - although not in 2015's winner Sizing John, who is injured.


Talking of the Gold Cup, here's a stat for you: Willie Mullins, who is because of run last year's 4th Djakadam, Total Recall and the well-touted Killultagh Vic, has actually never won the race, and has - pretty extraordinarily - had horses complete runner-up 6 times consisting of Djakadam two times.


Day 3: move over St Patrick, the individuals's horses remain in town


They call it St Patrick's Thursday, but, not least since it's on 15 March, day 3 could nearly be re-named 'old heroes' Thursday this year as Cue Card and The New One strut their stuff 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 two Gold Cups - his look in the Ryanair Chase is most likely to be his swansong at the fixture.


The jump racing public has taken the 12-year-old to their hearts for his success in landing a total of 16 races, obviously, but also for his capability to recover in the face of misfortune, like the falls.


Success for the veteran, trained by Colin Tizzard for octogenarian owner Jean Bishop, and the mount of jockey Paddy Brennan, against defending champ Un Des Sceaux and the rest would, as they state, raise the roofing.


Unlike Cue Card, who missed a couple of years, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained The New One, who lines up with the trainer's jockey child Sam in the Sunbets Stayers Hurdle, has not missed out on a Celebration because taking in his very first in 2012; his CV includes an amateurs' difficulty success and kind figures of 3-5-4-5 in succeeding Champion Hurdles.


Any other service


Britain's youngest trainer Amy Murphy, 26, doesn't have ammo to equate to some of her competitors, but she does have up-and-coming hurdler Kalashnikov, among the favourites for the Supreme Novices Hurdle (the first day).


Rising-star jockey Bryony Frost is because of restore her respected collaboration with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).


Some bookies' quotes of how much will be bet during the Festival seem a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is most likely a sensible call: the bookmakers appear to the majority of 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 current revival 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 bucket list of things to do when he goes to Gold Cup day.


Coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio live sports additional and the BBC Sport website all week.


Joseph O'Brien targets Cheltenham


10 March 2018


Cheltenham Festival 2018 day-by-day round-up


16 March 2018


2017 winner Sizing John out of Gold Cup


8 March 2018


5 live Sport Special: Cheltenham Festival Preview