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


It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most important week of the dive racing year when the majority of the finest national hunt horses do fight for championship honours.


Nowadays, however, the Festival is no longer simply a significant horse racing occasion; it has protected its own increasingly 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 considered a barely trustworthy 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a good one for certain bar quizzes, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average participation was only about 24,000 per afternoon over three 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 space for editorial and promos online and in papers, has actually grown out of all recognition.


Perhaps the greatest 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 10 years, and in 1989 the visitors sustained '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 protection


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


First things initially: the weather condition


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


That may in some cases hold true, 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 wanders gathered, some five-feet deep around the fences and difficulties, 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 impacts of that precipitation, plus additional rain, suggests 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 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 set have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained most likely favourites this time.


The Elliott team - many with jockeys wearing the maroon and white silks of the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owned by airline company 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 television series Sons of Anarchy - in an attempt to bring in O'Leary, who is stated to like names with effective 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 (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 minute when that popular 'Cheltenham roar' goes up from the crowd as months of anticipation lastly comes to 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 rider for 11 of the last 14 years; he's simply back from a lack of more than three months due to the fact that of a damaged right leg.


The Mullins difficulty likewise includes three 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 actually suffered two recent beats and will wear cheek pieces to assist concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has actually rather lost his way; while Douvan, two times a Celebration winner, will be racing for the very first time because flopping in the 2017 Champion Chase, when encountering 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 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 finish 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 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 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 vulnerable to near run-outs.


The nine-year-old has twice almost grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory when diverting off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, notably in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics guaranteed not to be duplicated, his big-race chances would be significantly much shorter as he handles 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 because of run last year's fourth 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 two times.


Day 3: move 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 three might 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 possibly 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 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, but likewise for his capacity to recuperate in the face of difficulty, 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 system.


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


Any other service


Britain's youngest trainer Amy Murphy, 26, doesn't have ammo to equal 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 renew her respected partnership with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).


Some bookies' estimates of just how much will be bet during the Festival appear a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is most likely an affordable call: the bookmakers appear 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, 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 (called by a bad speller, apparently), both Yorkshire-trained, seek to continue the recent renewal of jump racing's northern circuit.


And finally...109-year-old racing fan Ralph Hoare finally gets the possibility to tick the Cheltenham Festival off his pail list of things to do when he attends 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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5 live Sport Special: Cheltenham Festival Preview