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 extra; live text updates on BBC Sport website
It's upon us: the Cheltenham Festival, the most crucial week of the jump racing year when many of the finest nationwide hunt horses do battle for champion honours.
These days, however, the Festival is no longer simply a major horse racing occasion; it has secured its own progressively significant position in the British sporting calendar as a whole.
One illustration: I am my 35th anniversary of working there. Back in 1983 fitness instructor Michael Dickinson pulled off what was thought about a barely credible 1-2-3-4-5 in the Gold Cup - the order's a good one for specific club 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 scheduled to be staged over 4 days, that average will be more than 60,000 people. Additionally, the amount of airtime offered over by radio and TV, plus the space for editorial and promotions online and in newspapers, has grown out of all acknowledgment.
Perhaps the most significant single change from 1983 is the quantity of success for Irish stables. Then it was five wins from 18 races, although that figure wasn't equalled 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 challenge, with a record 19 wins from 28 races, is considered sensible.
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 frequently said that since of its position nestling in the foothills of the Cotswold Hills, the day spa town of Cheltenham has its own micro environment.
That might often be the case, 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 collected, 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 needed to be cleared from the track and public locations integrated, and the impacts of that rainfall, plus additional rain, means the Festival is set to start 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 stronger than ever
Willie Mullins is the champ 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 six of his home country's successes. Between them, the set have 15 of the 19 Irish-trained likely favourites this time.
The Elliott team - lots of with jockeys using the maroon and white silks of the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owned by airline magnate Michael O'Leary - consists of Gigginstown's Samcro, who appears at arrivals with the thickest cloud of buzz.
The horse was deliberately 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 draw in O'Leary, who is stated to like names with powerful undertones.
Unbeaten in seven 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 prominent fallout with O'Leary in 2016 - who chooses a repeat in the OLGB Mares Hurdle (the first day).
Meanwhile, Mullins has something of a 'lender' 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 famous 'Cheltenham holler' increases from the crowd as months of anticipation lastly comes to an end.
Like a majority of the stable's most significant 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 simply back from an absence of more than 3 months because of a damaged right leg.
The Mullins difficulty likewise consists of 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 2 recent defeats and will use cheek pieces to aid concentration; Yorkhill, last season's JLT Chase winner, has actually 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 encountering Altior in the race this time or lining up in the Ryanair Chase.
Altior simply one star in Henderson obstacle
Just as Messrs Elliott and Mullins control 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 fitness instructor - 58 - has the major players in three of the week's four principal features, and is fancied to complete what would be an unprecedented treble.
Buveur D'Air, owned by JP McManus, looks impressive as he defends 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 join an elite band who have actually 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 got defeat from the jaws of triumph when drifting off a straight line late on at Cheltenham, significantly in the RSA Chase of 2017; were these antics guaranteed not to be duplicated, his big-race chances would be considerably shorter as he handles Native River, Our Duke and co. - although not in 2015's winner Sizing John, who is hurt.
Talking of the Gold Cup, here's a stat for you: Willie Mullins, who is because of run last year's 4th Djakadam, Total Recall and the well-touted Killultagh Vic, has actually never ever won the race, and has - pretty extremely - had horses complete runner-up 6 times consisting of Djakadam two times.
Day 3: move over St Patrick, individuals's horses are in town
They call it St Patrick's Thursday, however, not least since it's on 15 March, day three might nearly be re-named 'old heroes' Thursday this year as Cue Card and The New One strut their things 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 appearance in the Ryanair Chase is likely to be his swansong at the component.
The jump racing public has actually taken the 12-year-old to their hearts for his success in landing an overall of 16 races, of course, however 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 install of jockey Paddy Brennan, against protecting 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 actually not missed a Festival considering that taking in his first in 2012; his CV consists of a beginners' hurdle success and kind 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 equate to a few of her competitors, however she does have up-and-coming hurdler Kalashnikov, among 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 seem a bit wild, and ₤ 350m is most likely an affordable call: the bookies appear to most 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, apparently), both Yorkshire-trained, seek to continue the recent revival of dive racing's northern circuit.
And finally...109-year-old racing fan Ralph Hoare finally gets the chance to tick the Cheltenham Festival off his container list of things to do when he attends Gold Cup day.
Coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio live sports extra and the BBC Sport website all week.
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