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; advanced BBC Radio 5 live sports additional; live text updates on BBC Sport website


It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most crucial week of the jump racing year when most of the finest national hunt horses do battle for championship honours.


Nowadays, nevertheless, the Festival is no longer just a major horse racing event; it has actually protected its own significantly 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 pulled off what was thought about a barely credible 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a great one for specific bar tests, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average presence was only about 24,000 per afternoon over three days.


In 2018, the 14th Festival scheduled to be staged over 4 days, that average will be more than 60,000 individuals. Additionally, the quantity of airtime provided over by radio and TV, plus the area for editorial and promotions on-line and in newspapers, has actually outgrown all recognition.


Perhaps the biggest single modification 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 endured 'nil points'. Today, hopes of an improvement on 2017's success in the BetBright Anglo-Irish difficulty, with a record 19 wins from 28 races, is considered practical.


Podcast: 5 live Cheltenham preview


Cheltenham race schedule & BBC protection


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


First things first: the weather condition


It is often stated 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 climate.


That might sometimes hold true, however it didn't apply when the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma had their current encounter in Britain; as in other places, snow wanders collected, some five-feet deep around the fences and hurdles, 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 areas integrated, and the effects of that rainfall, plus further rain, means the Festival is set to start 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 stronger 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 first time, with six of his home country's successes. Between them, the set have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained most likely favourites this time.


The Elliott group - numerous with jockeys wearing the maroon and white silks of the Stud operation, owned by airline magnate 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 attract O'Leary, who is said to like names with effective undertones.


Unbeaten in 7 races, consisting of a point-to-point, Samcro is an Irish 'banker' in day 2's Ballymore Novices Hurdle as he heads the list of Elliott runners together with Apple's Jade - trained by Mullins prior to a high-profile fallout with O'Leary in 2016 - who opts 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 well-known 'Cheltenham roar' goes up from the crowd as months of anticipation lastly comes to an end.


Like a majority of the stable's biggest hopes, Getabird will be the mount of Ruby Walsh, the Festival's most effective jockey with 56 wins, and leading rider for 11 of the last 14 years; he's just back from a lack of more than 3 months since of a broken ideal leg.


The Mullins difficulty also consists of three prominent runners looking 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 help concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has rather lost his way; while Douvan, twice a Celebration winner, will be racing for the very first time since 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 obstacle


Just as Messrs Elliott and Mullins control 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 major players in 3 of the week's 4 primary features, and is fancied to finish what would be an extraordinary treble.


Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks exceptional as he safeguards his Champion Hurdle title, although Henderson and McManus are also 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've won jumping'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 great all-rounder, although is prone to near run-outs.


The nine-year-old has two times nearly got defeat from the jaws of triumph when diverting off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, significantly in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics ensured not to be repeated, his big-race odds would be substantially shorter as he takes on Native River, Our Duke and co. - although not in 2015's winner Sizing John, who is hurt.


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


Day 3: relocation over St Patrick, individuals's horses are in town


They call it St Patrick's Thursday, but, not least since it's on 15 March, day three could almost 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 maybe best-known for falling at the third-last fence in the last two Gold Cups - his appearance in the Ryanair Chase is likely to be his swansong at the component.


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


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


Unlike Cue Card, who missed out on a number 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 actually not missed a Festival because taking in his very first in 2012; his CV includes a novices' difficulty success and type figures of 3-5-4-5 in successive Champion Hurdles.


Any other business


Britain's youngest fitness instructor Amy Murphy, 26, does not have ammo to equate to a few of her competitors, however 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 due to restore her respected collaboration with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).


Some bookmakers' quotes of just how much will be bet during the Festival seem a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is probably a reasonable call: the bookies 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 dominated by the bigger names, owners Caron and Paul Chapman, trainer 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, obviously), 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 pail 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 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