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


It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most essential week of the jump racing year when many of the very best nationwide hunt horses do battle for champion honours.


Nowadays, however, the Festival is no longer simply a significant horse racing celebration; it has secured its own progressively significant position in the British sporting calendar as a whole.


One illustration: I am commemorating my 35th anniversary of working there. Back in 1983 fitness instructor Michael Dickinson managed what was considered a hardly reputable 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's an excellent 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 just about 24,000 per afternoon over 3 days.


In 2018, the 14th Festival arranged to be staged over four days, that average will be more than 60,000 individuals. Additionally, the quantity of airtime offered over by radio and TV, plus the space for editorial and promos on-line and in newspapers, has 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 enhancement on 2017's success in the BetBright Anglo-Irish obstacle, with a record 19 wins from 28 races, is thought about sensible.


Podcast: 5 live Cheltenham preview


Cheltenham race schedule & BBC coverage


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


First things first: the weather condition


It is typically said that because of its position nestling in the foothills of the Cotswold Hills, the medspa town of Cheltenham has its own micro climate.


That might in some cases be the case, but it didn't use 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 approximated 500 tonnes of snow needed to be cleared from the track and public areas combined, and the results of that rainfall, plus further rain, indicates the Festival is set to start on the softest racing surface area seen for the first day 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 team - lots of with jockeys wearing the maroon and white silks of the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owned by airline company tycoon Michael O'Leary - includes 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 television series Sons of Anarchy - in an attempt to attract O'Leary, who is said to like names with effective undertones.


Unbeaten in seven 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 together with Apple's Jade - trained by Mullins prior to a prominent 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 finally concerns an end.


Like a bulk of the stable's greatest hopes, Getabird will be the install 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 due to the fact that of a damaged right leg.


The Mullins obstacle likewise includes 3 high-profile runners wanting 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 suffered 2 current defeats and will use cheek pieces to assist concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has rather lost his method; while Douvan, two times a Celebration winner, will be racing for the very first time since tumbling in the 2017 Champion Chase, when clashing with Altior in the race this time or lining up in the Ryanair Chase.


Altior just one star in Henderson challenge


Just as Messrs Elliott and Mullins control the Irish attack, the stable of Nicky Henderson, based at Lambourn in Berkshire, has a majority of the foot soldiers manning the home defences.


Henderson, who's won more Festival races than any other trainer - 58 - has the significant players in 3 of the week's four primary features, and is fancied to finish what would be an extraordinary treble.


Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks impressive 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 sign up with an elite band who've won leaping's King George VI Chase and Timico-sponsored Gold Cup in the very same season.


To blend metaphors, Might Bite, owned by the Knot Again Partnership headed by Kent County Cricket Club chairman Simon Philip, is a fantastic all-rounder, although is prone to near run-outs.


The nine-year-old has two times nearly grabbed defeat from the jaws of success when veering off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, notably in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics ensured not to be repeated, his big-race chances would be considerably much shorter as he takes on 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 due to run in 2015's 4th Djakadam, Total Recall and the well-touted Killultagh Vic, has never ever won the race, and has - quite extraordinarily - had horses finish runner-up 6 times consisting of Djakadam two times.


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


They call it St Patrick's Thursday, however, not least due to the fact that it's on 15 March, day 3 could practically 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 likely to be his swansong at the component.


The dive racing public has actually taken the 12-year-old to their hearts for his success in landing an overall of 16 races, obviously, however likewise for his capability to recuperate in the face of hardship, like the falls.


Success for the veteran, trained by Colin Tizzard for octogenarian owner Jean Bishop, and the install of jockey Paddy Brennan, against protecting 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 Festival given that taking in his very first in 2012; his CV includes a newbies' obstacle success and kind figures of 3-5-4-5 in succeeding Champion Hurdles.


Any other service


Britain's youngest trainer Amy Murphy, 26, does not have ammunition to equate to some of her competitors, but she does have up-and-coming hurdler Kalashnikov, among 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' quotes of how much will be bet throughout the Festival appear a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is probably a reasonable call: the bookies seem to most fear Footpad, well-backed for the Racing Post Arkle Trophy (the first day).


Champion racehorse-turned-stallion Frankel has his very 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 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, apparently), both Yorkshire-trained, seek to the recent resurgence of jump racing's northern circuit.


And finally...109-year-old racing fan Ralph Hoare finally 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