cheltenham

The 2023 edition of the Cheltenham Festival followed the same path as many before it. There were fantastic storylines, epic victories, some bruising defeats – see Mark Walsh’s brutal collision with a fence post courtesy of Corbett’s Cross – and a litany of favourites and outsiders obliging for those that had backed them. 🚨 HUGE […]

Given that it’s the most prestigious – and lucrative – meeting on the National Hunt calendar, it’s no wonder that the best trainers and the biggest yards are keen to get their tanks on the lawn for the Cheltenham Festival each year. To offer some context, the likes of Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Nigel […]

One of the funny things that happens in betting is when the best of the best come together and compete against one another. There will always be jollies and market principles that dominate the betting market no matter what, but when you have a strong, deep field it affords punters a chance to secure long […]

One of horse racing’s most archaic rules has finally been ditched as the sport seeks new ways to attract new punters. The Jockey Club has confirmed that racegoers will no longer need a to wear formal attire for most of their meetings – including the iconic Cheltenham Festival. It means that jeans, trainers and collar-less […]

In the lead up to the Cheltenham Festival, many of the biggest and best yards in the UK and Ireland open up their doors to the media, allowing various journos and reporters to see the key horses in person and hear from the trainers as to how each is progressing in the weeks leading up […]

After Irish horses dominated at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, the BHA has finally revealed plans to level the playing field with an overhaul of their handicapping system. Their Quality Jumps Review investigated a number of different factors, and in the end opted for ‘subtle changes’ to the current handicapping system to ensure more accurate ratings […]

Given that she’s enjoyed success at the Cheltenham Festival in the past, there were plenty who suspected that Rachael Blackmore was set for a stellar turn at the meeting in 2021. And so it proved….in the most remarkable fashion. The Irishwoman’s six victories propelled her to champion jockey status, securing her place amongst the legends […]

Given that it’s the meeting that all owners, trainers and jockeys look forward to the most – not least punters – it’s always sad when a horse is withdrawn from the reckoning at the Cheltenham Festival through injury or ailment. But twice in consecutive years? That’s heartache, and you have to wonder if we have […]

It was the photo that shocked the world, let alone the horse racing community. Gordon Elliott, the multiple-time major winning trainer and Cheltenham Festival veteran, was photographed sitting astride the body of a dead horse, which had sadly passed away of a heart attack on the gallops. The Irishman is seen grinning at the camera. […]

It’s the last thing that anybody with a stake in the Cheltenham Festival – be it organisers, owners, trainers, jockeys or punters – wants to hear. But for the second year running, a viral pandemic is putting the extravaganza of horse racing under serious jeopardy. In 2019, the severe threat of the equine flu outbreak […]

For anyone lucky enough to attend the Cheltenham Festival in the flesh, or at least watch on from home, the vast majority would argue that there’s little that can be done to improve the action. But a successful format can always be tweaked further, and organisers have made two announcements to changes that will come […]

March the 8th is International Women’s Day, and as such each year it falls just a matter of days prior to the Cheltenham Festival. There are many walks of life where women still aren’t afforded the same opportunities as men – which in the year 2019 is a real stain on society – but one […]

In these weeks just prior to the Cheltenham Festival, ordinarily we would expect trainer’s to play down their horses’ chances when the media are invited on-site for the stable tours. But the theme in 2019 has been one of confidence, with Willie Mullins already talking up the chances of many of his key entrants to […]

When it comes to training winners at the Cheltenham Festival, few know the game as inside and out as Willie Mullins does. The genial Irishman has bagged 61 winners at the Festival – one more than nearest rival Nicky Henderson in the all-time leader rankings – and will be expecting plenty more in 2019 too. […]

In the vast majority of cases, a decent warm-up or prep race is key for all who fancy a tilt at glory at the Cheltenham Festival. The fear was that the equine flu outbreak would rule that notion out completely, but after no new cases were found by the British Racehorsing Authority, the National Hunt […]

In terms of the short and long-term implications, this is one of the worst outbreaks of equine flu in recorded history. All meetings were cancelled on Thursday after the discovery of the illness in three vaccinated horses, housed at the Cheshire yard of trainer Donald McCain, that tested positive for equine flu. Horses from this […]

It may only be in its second year, but the Dublin Racing Festival has proven to be a fantastic addition to the National Hunt calendar already. Horses of all shapes and sizes descended on Leopardstown for the two-day meeting, which produced a selection of stunning finishes and notable winners with the Cheltenham Festival just five […]

If you cast your mind back to Cheltenham Festival 2018, you may just recall the incredible weather we experienced here in the UK in the build-up. Heavy rain turned to snow, and when the temperatures fell even further that became thick black ice. At one point, it looked as if the Festival might have to […]

In demolishing a three-horse field to win the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday, outstanding thoroughbred Altior took one step closer to breaking an almighty record. The 1/10 favourite left Fox Norton and Diego Du Charmil trailing in his wake to win by seven lengths, despite appearing to jump left on a number of […]

It may be early days as far as 2019 is concerned, but already the anticipation is building ahead of the Cheltenham Festival. The meeting’s feature race, the Gold Cup, is always a hotly contested affair, and judging by the early list of entrants to this year’s renewal that trend will continue. Some 43 entries have […]

It is, arguably, the greatest show in UK horse racing. The very best trainers, horses and jockeys will descend upon sleepy Gloucestershire in March for the Cheltenham Festival, where some of the sport’s most prestigious prizes are contested. Well, nearly all, anyway. Paul and Clare Rooney, consistently amongst the best ownership teams in National Hunt […]

For many, Christmas means a number of things: gifts, spending time with loved ones, Brussel sprouts, flatulent grandparents and lots of awful TV that manifests itself as you are simply too lethargic to change the channel. For horse racing enthusiasts, the festive period means a cracking set of fixtures is on the horizon, and they […]