The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious horse racing events in the world, attracting top trainers, jockeys, and horses from the very best in the business. The four-day event at Prestbury Park is not only a celebration of equine excellence but also a showcase of the skills and expertise of the trainers who prepare the horses for the races.
A good trainer can make all the difference between a horse winning or losing, and their role is essential to the success of any horse racing team. Last year we saw records broken and underdogs prevail as the Cheltenham roar was finally restored after a behind-closed-doors edition in 2021. This year more of the same action is expected, but who leads the Cheltenham top trainers odds as we approach the start of the Festival? Read on, as we take a look at who can saddle the biggest winners at Prestbury Park this year and reign supreme as leading trainer.
Willie Mullins
Through years of success and perseverance at the very top of the sport, Willie Mullins has cast his name in Cheltenham legend. Even as the Irish trainer enters the twilight of his time on the racecourse, he continues to break records, picking up 10 winners at the Cheltenham Festival last year. He cemented his legacy at the very pinnacle of racing, and extended his total winners to a whopping 88, and has every chance of closing in on a century if the best of his stable play their part for the current leading trainer.
Henry de Bromhead
Next up is one of the most successful trainers in recent Gold Cup history, Henry de Bromhead. The Irishman will be hoping to make it a third successive win in the Festival’s feature race, having saddled Minella Indo to victory in 2021, followed by A Plus Tard last year. Both are up there in contention for this year’s race, while Honeysuckle will attempt to win the Champion Hurdle again despite some poor recent form. De Bromhead also has Inthepocket running the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson
While Nicky Henderson has struggled at recent Cheltenham Festivals, the veteran still enjoyed a relatively successful year last time out, picking up the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle as Constitution Hill set a new course record time, whilst Marie’s Rock won the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle. However, he’ll be hoping for more longevity this year, with Shishkin in fine form after a recent winning run has put him amongst the favourites for the Ryanair Chase now Allaho is absent, and Jonbon is expected to get the job done in the Arkle Chase, with Henderson confident in the seven-year-old, who ran well at Warwick despite a tough run against Calico.
“On reflection, I’m taking positives from Warwick – I think it’ll do Jonbon good. It was a short, sharp shock but it’ll wake him up a little bit, ” Henderson said. “He’s a big burly horse and looks magnificent but you can look a bit too magnificent. I suspect he’ll have to lose a bit of weight between now and Cheltenham.”
