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 website
It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most crucial week of the dive racing year when the majority of the very best nationwide hunt horses do battle for champion honours.
These days, nevertheless, the Festival is no longer just a significant horse racing occasion; it has actually protected 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 managed what was considered a barely reputable 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a great one for particular bar quizzes, so here goes: Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House - and, that year, the average participation was just 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 people. Additionally, the quantity of airtime provided over by radio and TV, plus the space for editorial and promos on-line and in newspapers, has actually grown out of all recognition.
Perhaps the most significant single modification from 1983 is the quantity of success for . Then it was 5 wins from 18 races, although that figure wasn't equated to for ten 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 considered reasonable.
Podcast: 5 live Cheltenham preview
Cheltenham race schedule & BBC protection
Here's my guide to the week ahead ...
First things initially: the weather
It is often 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 might sometimes be the case, but it didn't apply when the 'Beast from the East' and Storm Emma had their recent encounter in Britain; as in other places, snow drifts 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 had actually to be cleared from the track and public locations combined, and the effects of that rainfall, plus further rain, implies 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 champion fitness instructor of Irish dive racing, while his arch-rival Gordon Elliott was the titleholder at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival for the very first time, with 6 of his home nation's successes. Between them, the set have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained likely favourites this time.
The Elliott group - numerous 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 buzz.
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 effort to attract O'Leary, who is said to like names with effective connotations.
Unbeaten in seven races, including 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 well-known 'Cheltenham roar' increases from the crowd as months of anticipation finally concerns an end.
Like a bulk of the stable's biggest 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 an absence of more than 3 months due to the fact that of a broken right leg.
The Mullins difficulty also includes 3 prominent runners aiming 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 current defeats and will wear cheek pieces to help concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has actually rather lost his method; while Douvan, twice a Celebration winner, will be racing for the very first time since 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 difficulty
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 fitness instructor - 58 - has the significant players in 3 of the week's four primary functions, and is fancied to complete what would be an unmatched treble.
Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks exceptional as he defends 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 attempt to join an elite band who've won jumping's King George VI Chase and Timico-sponsored Gold Cup in the exact 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 susceptible to near run-outs.
The nine-year-old has twice nearly grabbed 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 guaranteed 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 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 actually never ever won the race, and has - quite extraordinarily - had horses finish runner-up six times including Djakadam twice.
Day 3: move over St Patrick, the people'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 maybe 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 jump racing public has taken the 12-year-old to their hearts for his success in landing an overall of 16 races, of course, but 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 safeguarding champion Un Des Sceaux and the rest would, as they state, raise the roofing system.
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 boy Sam in the Sunbets Stayers Hurdle, has not missed out on a Celebration since taking in his first in 2012; his CV consists of a newbies' obstacle success and kind figures of 3-5-4-5 in successive Champion Hurdles.
Any other organization
Britain's youngest fitness instructor Amy Murphy, 26, does not 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 (the first day).
Rising-star jockey Bryony Frost is due to renew her respected partnership with Black Corton in the RSA Chase (day 2).
Some bookmakers' price quotes of how much will be bet throughout the Festival seem a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is most likely a reasonable call: the bookmakers seem to a lot 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 larger 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 resurgence of jump racing's northern circuit.
And finally...109-year-old racing fan Ralph Hoare lastly gets the opportunity 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.
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