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 additional; live text updates on BBC Sport site


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


These days, however, the Festival is no longer simply a major horse racing occasion; it has secured its own significantly substantial 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 pulled off what was considered a hardly reliable 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a great one for specific pub tests, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average presence was just about 24,000 per afternoon over 3 days.


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


Perhaps the biggest single change from 1983 is the amount 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 withstood 'nil points'. Today, hopes of an improvement on 2017's success in the BetBright Anglo-Irish obstacle, 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 often said that due to the fact that of its position nestling in the foothills of the Cotswold Hills, the medical spa town of Cheltenham has its own micro climate.


That may in some cases be the case, but it didn't apply when the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma had their recent encounter in Britain; as somewhere else, snow wanders gathered, some five-feet deep around the fences and obstacles, and temperature levels at one point plunged to -17 C.


It's approximated 500 tonnes of snow had actually to be cleared from the track and public areas combined, and the effects of that rainfall, plus further rain, suggests 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 champion 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 nation's successes. Between them, the set have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained likely favourites this time.


The Elliott team - many 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 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 stated to like names with powerful connotations.


Unbeaten in 7 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 together 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 (the first day).


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 well-known 'Cheltenham holler' goes up from the crowd as months of anticipation finally pertains to an end.


Like a majority of the stable's biggest 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 since of a broken best leg.


The Mullins difficulty likewise includes 3 high-profile runners seeking 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 current defeats and will use cheek pieces to assist concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has rather lost his way; while Douvan, twice a Festival 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 dominate the Irish attack, the stable of Nicky Henderson, based at Lambourn in Berkshire, has a bulk of the foot soldiers manning the home defences.


Henderson, who's won more Festival races than any other trainer - 58 - has the major gamers in three of the week's 4 primary features, and is fancied to complete 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 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 have actually won leaping's King George VI Chase and Timico-sponsored Gold Cup in the very 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 grabbed defeat from the jaws of success when veering off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, especially in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics ensured not to be repeated, his big-race chances would be substantially much shorter as he takes on Native River, Our Duke and co. - although not in 2015's winner Sizing John, who is injured.


Broaching the Gold Cup, here's a stat for you: Willie Mullins, who is due to run last year's fourth Djakadam, Total Recall and the well-touted Killultagh Vic, has actually never ever won the race, and has - quite extraordinarily - had horses finish runner-up 6 times including Djakadam two times.


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


They call it St Patrick's Thursday, however, not least due to the fact that it's on 15 March, day 3 might 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 possibly best-known for falling at the third-last fence in the last 2 Gold Cups - his look in the Ryanair Chase is 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 a total of 16 races, naturally, but likewise for his capability to recover in the face of hardship, like the falls.


Success for the veteran, trained by Colin Tizzard for octogenarian owner Jean Bishop, and the mount of jockey Paddy Brennan, versus safeguarding champ Un Des Sceaux and the rest would, as they say, 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 novices' difficulty success and kind figures of 3-5-4-5 in successive Champion Hurdles.


Any other company


Britain's youngest trainer Amy Murphy, 26, doesn't have ammo to equate to a few of her rivals, 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 prolific partnership with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).


Some bookmakers' price quotes of just how much will be wagered throughout the Festival appear a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is probably a reasonable call: the bookmakers seem to many fear Footpad, well-backed for the Racing Post Arkle Trophy (day one).


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 (called by a bad speller, obviously), both Yorkshire-trained, seek to continue the recent 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 participates in Gold Cup day.


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


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