Can the British bite back in annual Festival face-off?
One of the things that makes the Cheltenham Festival so great is it sees equine superstars from both sides of the Irish Sea do battle for top honours on the sport’s grandest stage.
There is no doubt the balance of power has very much been with the raiding party in recent years – a theory which came into sharp focus in 2021, when 23 of the 28 races went to Ireland.
The home team did make a better fist of it last season with 10 victories, but Willie Mullins managed that tally on his own and it is certainly not out of the question the most successful trainer in Festival history could reach double figures once more.
In truth, it is hard to see anything other than another victory for the ‘away’ side in the annual Anglo-Irish turf war – but with Nicky Henderson seemingly as strong as ever and Paul Nicholls assembling his most powerful squad for a while, there is hope Britain can avoid another landslide loss in the Cotswolds.
Ahead of this year’s meeting, we assess five of the chief hopes for the ‘home’ team, and five horses likely to ensure Irish eyes are smiling once again as the battle for the Prestbury Cup resumes.
The British
Jonbon – Nicky Henderson – Arkle Trophy, Tuesday
Jonbon is set to fly the flag for Britain in an otherwise Irish dominated renewal of the Arkle. The seven-year-old has been beaten only once in nine starts for the master of the Seven Barrows and that was when finishing best of the rest behind esteemed stablemate Constitution Hill in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He subsequently pipped Arkle rival El Fabiolo in a Grade One at Aintree and was pretty much foot-perfect in his first two starts over fences earlier at Warwick and Sandown. He was not quite so impressive on his return to Warwick in the Kingmaker last month, but that match race turned into a game of cat and mouse and he is expected to bounce back to his best at Prestbury Park.
Constitution Hill – Nicky Henderson – Champion Hurdle, Tuesday
Without any shadow of doubt Britain’s biggest gun of all at this year’s Festival, Constitution Hill puts his unbeaten record and huge reputation on the line in the day one feature. Since his 22-length demolition of Jonbon 12 months ago, the six-year-old has blown away Champion Hurdle-winning stablemate Epatante in both the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and is already being talked about as one of the greatest two-mile hurdlers of all time. Irish Champion Hurdle winner State Man might give him something to think about, but Constitution Hill is very difficult to oppose.
Hermes Allen – Paul Nicholls – Wednesday, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
It has been a while since champion trainer Nicholls was dominating the Festival with the likes of Kauto Star, Master Minded, Denman and Big Buck’s. In fact, he has not enjoyed a winner at the showpiece fixture at all since Politologue landed the Champion Chase three years ago. But the master of Ditcheat is slowly but surely rebuilding his team and the ace in this year’s pack appears to be Hermes Allen. The £350,000 purchase bolted up by 27 lengths on his hurdling debut at Stratford and has not looked back – gaining valuable Cheltenham experience with a Grade Two win in November before providing his trainer with a fifth victory in the Grade One Challow at Newbury on New Year’s Eve. That success marks him down as comfortably the best of the British in this year’s Ballymore and he can see off a formidable Irish contingent.
Edwardstone – Alan King – Queen Mother Champion Chase, Wednesday
Several horses have won the Arkle before claiming the Champion Chase 12 months later and there must be every chance Edwardstone can become the latest to complete the double. The nine-year-old was undoubtedly the star two-mile novice chaser of last season, with his Arkle success making it five wins on the bounce. He was beaten at the end of the season at Aintree, but was brilliant on his return in the Tingle Creek at Sandown before an uncharacteristic jumping mistake led to him unseating Tom Cannon at Kempton over Christmas. The key form line going into Cheltenham is from the rescheduled Clarence House at Cheltenham in January, in which the front-running Editeur Du Gite had just enough in the tank to hold Edwardstone by a head, with last year’s Champion Chaser Energumene a little disappointing in third. Mullins is confident the latter will be seen to better effect on the big day, but that may well be the case with Edwardstone too and the prospect of better ground might just give him the edge.
Shishkin – Nicky Henderson – Ryanair Chase, Thursday
Shishkin is already a dual Festival winner having claimed the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle three years ago and the Arkle in 2021, but was pulled up when bidding to make it a hat-trick in last year’s Champion Chase, with a rare bone condition subsequently put forward as an excuse. A laboured third on his Tingle Creek comeback suggested he may just be past his best, but not for the first time Henderson has worked wonders with an apparently faltering stable star. Having undergone wind surgery, Shishkin successfully stepped up in trip with a glorious display in last month’s Ascot Chase and if he is in that sort of form on his return to Cheltenham, the rest may well be playing for places.
The Irish
Honeysuckle – Henry de Bromhead – Mares’ Hurdle, Tuesday
Honeysuckle’s place in Cheltenham history is assured as a three-time Festival heroine, with back-to-back Champion Hurdle victories preceded by success in the Mares’ Hurdle three years ago. After an unbeaten run of 16 races, she met with defeat for the first time when only third in her bid for a fourth Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse earlier this season, and again had to make do with minor honours when runner-up to State Man in last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. But while her aura of invincibility has gone, she clearly retains plenty of ability and even a reproduction of her most recent performance will make her hard to beat on her return to Gloucestershire.
Delta Work – Gordon Elliott – Glenfarclas Chase, Wednesday
Delta Work played the role of pantomime villain as last year’s Festival as he denied his popular stablemate Tiger Roll a sixth Festival victory on his final appearance before retirement. It will be a different story 12 months on though, with the 10-year-old one of the shortest-priced favourites of the meeting as prepares to defend his crown. Delta Work has been beaten in his last couple of races, but there was not much wrong with his third place at the track in January under a big weight, while his most recent outing in the Boyne Hurdle was no more than a readying run for Cheltenham. He will be at concert pitch for the big day and looks one of the bankers of the week.
Mighty Potter – Gordon Elliott – Turners Novices’ Chase, Thursday
Mighty Potter won twice in Grade One company over hurdles last season, but already looks set to do even better now he has set his sights on the larger obstacles. The six-year-old is three from three since being sent chasing and has bagged two more top-level prizes at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown. His finishing effort at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival was particularly impressive and he will rightly line up for the Turners’ Novices’ Chase as a hot favourite. It is a slight concern that he disappointed at last year’s Festival, but he appears a more mature horse this time around and it is difficult to find fault in him.
Lossiemouth – Willie Mullins – Triumph Hurdle, Friday
Willie Mullins won the Triumph Hurdle for a third time with Vauban last season and in Lossiemouth he has another outstanding candidate. The French recruit was thoroughly impressive in winning her first two starts on Irish soil at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown and has headed the betting for the juvenile championship at Cheltenham ever since. She was very unfortunate not to complete her hat-trick at the Dublin Racing Festival after serious traffic problems stopped her in her tracks at a crucial stage and she was ultimately unable to recover in time to reel in stablemate Gala Marceau. The Mullins pair will renew rivalry, with another stablemate in Blood Destiny also prominent in the market, but Lossiemouth might be the one.
Galopin Des Champs – Willie Mullins – Gold Cup, Friday
Bar his stumbling final fence fall in last year’s Turners’ Novices’ Chase, Galopin Des Champs has been pretty much faultless over fences thus far and is justifiably a warm order for the biggest race of all at this year’s Festival. The seven-year-old was brilliant in slamming his rivals in the John Durkan at Punchestown on his first start of the current campaign and looked better the further he went when winning over three miles over fences for the first time in last month’s Irish Gold Cup. The extra couple of furlongs he will encounter at Cheltenham is a step into the unknown, but Mullins is adamant he will not lack for stamina and there is no doubting his class, with last year’s winner A Plus Tard perhaps the only one able to match him in that department and he returns with questions to answer after just one listless performance this term. All in all Galopin Des Champs looks the most likely winner and is expected what looks set to be another successful week for his trainer.
