- The opening race is the GALLAGHER NOVICES’ HURDLE, WHICH IS DUE OFF AT 1:30pm
ONLY 2 WINNERS IN THE LAST 15 YEARS HAVE BEEN RETURNED AT BIGGER THAN 7/1 – WILLOUGHBY COURT (14/1, 2017) AND CITY ISLAND (8/1, 2019)
IN 2022, SIR GERHARD BECAME THE FIRST – AND ONLY – SEVEN-YEAR-OD TO WIN THE RACE
SIX- YEAR-OLDS HAVE WON 11 OF THE LAST 13 AND 8 OF THE LAST TEN
IRELAND HAS WON 9 OF THE LAST 10
8 OF THE LAST 10 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 9/2 OR SHORTER, WITH THE FAVOURITE WINNING 4 OF THE LAST 6 AND 6 OF THE LAST 12 – LAST YEAR’S WINNER, IMPAIRE ET PASSE, WAS 5/2
WILLIE MULLINS HAS WON 4 OF THE LAST 10 (INCLUDING THE LAST 2 – ALTHOUGH HE HAS HAD 2 FAVS BEATEN IN IT IN THE LAST 11 YEARS – NICHOLS CANYON (2015) AND PONT ALEXANDRE (2013)
- 2:10PM – THE BROWN ADVISORY NOVICE CHASE, FORMERLY THE RSA CHASE
THE LAST 10 WINNERS HAD RUN AT CHELTENHAM PRIOR TO THEIR FESTIVAL WINS, AND 7 OF THEM HAD WON AT CHELTENHAM
NO HORSE AGED OLDER THAN 8 HAS WON THIS RACE IN THE LAST 14 YEARS – WITH 11 OF THE LAST 13 BEING AGED 7 – AS HAVE 18 OF THE LAST 23 WINNERS
IRELAND HAS WON 7 OF THE LAST 23 RENEWALS – AND 4 OF THE LAST 11
7 OF THE LAST 9 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 4/1 OR SHORTER – LAST YEAR’S WINNER, THE REAL WHACKER, WAS 8/1
HERE ARE OUR CHELTENHAM MARKETS FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 13TH
- 250PM – THE CORAL CUP, RACE 3
IRELAND HAS WON 5 OF THE LAST 8 AND 7 OF THE LAST 15 – LANGER DAN (9/1) WON LAST YEAR FOR DAN SKELTON
9 OF THE LAST 15 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 16/1 OR BIGGER, INCLUDING COMMANDER OF FLEET (50/1) IN 2022
NICKY HENDERSON HAS WON THIS RACE 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 14 YEARS – AND 2 OF THE LAST 5
ONLY 4 OF THE LAST 14 WINNERS CARRIED LESS THAN 11ST TO VICTORY
IRELAND HAS THE FIRST 3 HOME IN 2022 AND 4 OF THE FIRST 5 – THEY WERE 2ND, 4TH AND 6TH LAST YEAR
THERE HAS BEEN JUST ONE WINNING FAV IN THE LAST 15 YEARS
GORDON ELLIOTT HAS A GOOD RECORD IN THE RACE, WINNING 3 OF THE LAST 12 AND…
IN 2016, HE HAD ONE RUNNER, WHICH WON
HE WAS SECOND AND 4TH IN 2020 FROM 3 RUNNERS
HE HAD THE THIRD IN 2018 FROM 2 RUNNERS
HE FINISHED THIRD IN 2014 WITH HIS ONLY RUNNER
LAST YEAR WAS DIFFERENT – HE HAD SEVEN RUNNERS AND WON IT WITH A 50/1 CHANCE (MIND YOU THAT HORSE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN 50/1, BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY)
LAST YEAR, THOUGH, THE BEST HIS HORSES COULD ACHIEVE WAS NINTH
- 3:30PM CHAMPION CHASE
THIS IS A RACE THAT WILLIE MULLINS WON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2022, WITH ENERGUMENE, WHO ALSO WON LAST YEAR
NICKY HENDERSON HAS WON IT SIX TIMES, 5 OF THOSE WINS COMING IN THE LAST 12 YEARS – HE RUNS JONBON THIS YEAR
IN 11 OF THE LAST 15 YEARS THE WINNING DISTANCE HAS BEEN 7 LENGTHS OR LESS – ENERGUMENE WON BY 10 LENGTHS LAST YEAR
IRELAND HAS WON 9 OF THE LAST 21 CHAMPION CHASES
- 4.10PM – GLENFARCLAS CROSS-COUNTRY CHASE
GORDON ELLIOTT HAS WON 4 OF THE LAST 6 (AND DENISE FOSTER WON IT IN 2021 WHEN SHE TEMPORARILY TOOK OVER HIS LICENCE)
IRELAND HAS WON 9 OF THE LAST 11
THERE HAVE BEEN 4 WINNING-FAVS IN THE LAST 8
EIGHT OF THE LAST 10 WINNERS HAVE BEEN RETURNED AT 9/2 OR SHORTER – REMARKABLY, ONE OF THE LONGER-PRICED HORSES (7/1) WAS TIGER ROLL IN 2018
IT WAS FIRST RUN IN 2005 AND 16 OF THE 19 RUNNINGS HAVE BEEN WON BY IRELAND
BRITAIN HAS WON IT JUST TWICE, WITH BALTHAZAR KING, BOTH TIMES FOR PHILIP HOBBS
DELTA WORK (GORDON ELLIOTT) HAS WON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS – GALVIN FINISHED 4TH IN THE 2022 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP
- 4.50PM – JOHNNY HENDERSON GRAND ANNUAL CHALLENGE CUP H’CAP CHASE
1M7F199Y (OLD COURSE)
PAUL NICHOLLS HAS WON 2 OF THE LAST 8
IRELAND HAS WON 5 OF THE LAST 11
9 OF THE LAST 15 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 16/1 OR BIGGER – MASKADA (HENRY DE BROMHEAD) WON LAST YEAR AT 22/1
THERE WAS A 22/1 WINNER LAST YEAR, A 28/1 WINNER IN 2022 (GLOBAL CITIZEN FOR BEN PAULING) AND A 66/1 WINNER IN 2019 (CROCO BAY FOR BEN CASE)
THERE HAVE BEEN TWO WINNING-FAVS IN THE LAST 15 – THE WELL-BACKED ALDERWOOD (TONY MULLINS/AP MCCOY, 2013) AND CHOSEN MATE (GORDON ELLIOTT/DAVY RUSSELL, 2020) – THE HEAVILY-BACKED 7/2 FAV, DINOBLUE, FINISHED SECOND LAST YEAR (IT WAS HER FIRST RUN IN A HANDICAP)
NICKY HENDERSON LAST WON IT 2012 (BELLVANO/PAUL CARBERRY)
- CHAMPION BUMPER – WED 15 MARCH – 5.30PM
WILLIE MULLINS HAS WON THREE OF THE LAST FOUR, FOUR IN THE LAST SIX, AND 12 IN TOTAL (FROM THE LAST 27) – THE THREE REFERRED TO BEING FACILE VEGA (15/8 FAV), SIR GERHARD (85/40) AND FERNY HOLLOW (11/1) – HIS WINNER IN 2018 WAS (RELEGATE (25/1, 2018) – HIS HORSES FINISHED 2ND, 4TH, 5TH, 6TH, 7TH 9TH, 10TH, 15TH, 19TH AND 21ST (LAST) LAST YEAR
IRELAND HAS WON 9 OF THE LAST 11, INCLUDING THE LAST 7, WHICH HAVE BEEN SPLIT BETWEEN WILLIE MULLINS (4), GORDON ELLIOTT (2) AND JOHN KIELY (LAST YEAR, A DREAM TO SHARE, 7/2)
APART FROM THREE 4YOS, EVERY OTHER WINNER HAS BEEN AGED 5 OR 6
IN THE LAST 21 RENEWALS, THERE HAVE BEEN 13 WINNING 5YOS, 7 6YOS AND ONE 4YO (CUE CARD)
PATRICK MULLINS HAS WON IT THREE TIMES (NO ONE HAS WON MORE AS A JOCKEY), THE SAME NUMBER AS RUBY WALSH