KEY STATS FOR DAY ONE OF THE 2025 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL, by Will Reilly
HERE ARE SOME KEY STATS FOR THE RACES ON DAY ONE OF THE 2025 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
NB: Click the race title to be brought to the latest betting on each race (non-runner no bet on all 28 races)
FIRSTLY, THE MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE – THE RACE THAT OPENS THE FESTIVAL AT 1.20PM ON TUESDAY MARCH 11TH
SINCE 2013, WILLIE MULLINS’ HAS WON THE RACE 5 TIMES AND FINISHED SECOND FOUR TIMES FROM 35 RUNNERS – HE FINISHED 2ND, 4TH, 5TH, 7TH AND 8TH LAST YEAR AND 2ND, 3RD, 5TH AND 6TH IN 2023
IRELAND HAS WON 15 OF THE LAST 24 RENEWALS – BUT ONLY 5 WERE RETURNED AS THE OUTRIGHT FAVOURITE
10 OF THE LAST 12 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 6/1 OR SHORTER BUT ONLY 2 WERE RETURNED AS THE OUTRIGHT FAV (PLUS 2 JOINT-FAVS)
NICKY HENDERSON HAS WON 2 OF THE LAST 5 AND 3 OF THE LAST 9
THIS RACE WAS WON IN 2023 BY MARINE NATIONALE – pictured below – WHO WAS RIDDEN BY MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN, IN WHOSE MEMORY THIS YEAR’S SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE IS BEING RUN
THE ARKLE – AT 2PM, RACE 2 ON DAY 1
WILLIE MULLINS – pictured below – HAS WON THIS RACE 6 TIMES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS
IRELAND HAS WON 7 OF THE LAST 10
THE FAVOURITE HAS WON 10 OF THE LAST 13 ARKLES AND 7 OF THE LAST 13 WINNERS HAVE BEEN RETURNED AS THE ODDS-ON FAVOURITE
PAUL TOWNEND HAS WON THE LAST TWO AND 3 OF THE LAST 6
ULTIMA HANDICAP CHASE – 2.40PM, RACE 3, DAY 1
THERE HAS BEEN JUST ONE WINNING-FAV IN THE LAST 15 YEARS (PLUS ONE JOINT-FAV, WHICH WAS CORACH RAMBLER IN 2023)
NO HORSE TRAINED IN IRELAND HAS WON IN THE LAST 15 YEARS
DAVID PIPE WON THIS IN 2016 AND 2017 AND SENT OUT THE SECOND IN 2022. HE DIDN’T HAVE A RUNNER LAST YEAR.
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SUBSEQUENT GRAND NATIONA WINNER NOBLE YEATS FINISHED NINTH IN 2022 OFF 147. CORACH RAMBLER ALSO WENT ON TO ACHIEVE AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL GLORY.
THE CLOSE BROTHERS MARES HURDLE, 3.20PM, RACE 4, HAS BEEN WON BY IRELAND IN 14 OF THE 17 YEARS IT HAS BEEN STAGED
WILLIE MULLINS HAS WON IT TEN TIMES, INCLUDING LAST YEAR WITH LOSSIEMOUTH (8/13 FAV), seen below winning the 2024 Grade 1 Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse
CHAMPION HURDLE – 4PM THE BIG RACE OF THE DAY, RACE 5
TEN WINNING FAVS IN THE LAST 14 YEARS
NICKY HENDERSON HAS WON 4 OF THE LAST 8
WILLIE MULLINS HAS WON 5 OF THE LAST 14
JUST 2 OF THE LAST 14 WINNERS HAD AN SP IN DOUBLE FIGURES – ESPOIR D’ALLEN (16/1, 2019) AND ROCK ON RUBY (11/1, 2012)
9 OF THE LAST 12 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 5/2 OR SHORTER, INCLUDING LAST YEAR’S WINNER, STATE MAN (2/5) – The defending champ can be seen below.
4.40PM – JUVENILE HANDICAP HURDLE (THE FRED WINTER), RACE 6
JUST ONE WINNING FAV IN THE LAST 12 YEARS
8 OF THE 12 HAVE BEEN RETURNED AT 10/1 OR BIGGER – LAST YEAR’S WINNER, LARK IN THE MORNIN, WAS 9/1
6 OF THE 12 HAVE BEEN RETURNED AT 25/1 OR BIGGER – INCLUDING JEFF KIDDER AT 80/1 IN 2021
IRELAND HAS WON THE LAST 7 RUNNINGS OF THIS RACE, BUT ONLY ONE OF THEM WAS RETURNED AS THE FAV – BAND OF OUTLAWS (7/2) FOR JOSEPH O’BRIEN IN 2019 – JOSEPH ALSO WON THE RACE LAST YEAR
THE NATIONAL HUNT CHALLENGE CUP NOVICES’ HANDICAP CHASE, 5:30PM
THIS RACE HAS BEEN WON BY IRELAND IN 9 OF THE LAST 12 YEARS
WILLIE MULLINS (4) AND GORDON ELLIOTT (3) HAVE WON 7 OF THE LAST 12 BETWEEN THEM
WILLIE HAS WON THREE OF THE LAST 7 AND FOUR OF THE LAST 12
GORDON ELLIOTT HAS WON 3 OF THE LAST 10 (4 IF YOU WANT TO GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR GALVIN’S WIN IN 2021)
PRIOR TO 2023 (GAILLARD DU MESNIL, 10/11 FAV), THE LAST WINNING FAV WAS BACK IN FOCUS (9/4, 2013) BUT EIGHT OF THE LAST 11 WINNERS WERE RETURNED AT 8/1 OR SHORTER, AND 6 OF THE LAST 10 AT 9/2 OR SHORTER – LAST YEAR’S WINNER WAS CORBETTS CROSS (15/8) FOR EMMET MULLINS
7YOS HAVE WON SEVEN OF THE LAST 10