The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the National Hunt racing calendar, where the best trainers, jockeys, and horses come together in the picturesque Cotswolds countryside for glory on the sport’s grandest stage.
With four days of top-class racing, finding winners on racing tips sites can be a daunting task for novice punters, but certain trainers have a proven track record at Prestbury Park.
Their ability to prepare horses for the unique demands of the Festival, coupled with their tactical expertise and deep understanding of the undulating course, make them ones to side with year after year.
In this article, we highlight four trainers who have consistently delivered standout performances at Cheltenham and look set to make a big impact once again.
Whatever your racing knowledge, keeping an eye on these high-profile handlers could give you the edge when it comes to picking winners at this year’s Festival.
Willie Mullins
Willie Mullins is a name that has become synonymous with Cheltenham. The Irish handler has been crowned the Leading Trainer at the Festival 11 times since 2011, becoming the first person to break the 100-win barrier in the process.
The 68-year-old is on the hunt for a seventh-successive Leading Trainer triumph this year and could equal the legendary Tom Dreaper—famous for handling Arkle—as the most successful trainer in Gold Cup history with five wins if Galopin Des Champs can land a historic three-peat in the feature race.
Mullins is unlikely to be short of big chances across the week, with Salvator Mundi, Lossiemouth, Ballyburn, Maughreen, Fact To File, and Gaelic Warrior some of his leading hopes alongside Galopin Des Champs in the Gold Cup.
Gordon Elliott
The last man to put a stop to Mullins dominance at the Cheltenham Festival, Gordon Elliott won back-to-back Leading Trainer awards in 2017 and 2018, and his current form suggests that he has the potential to be a thorn in his Irish rival’s side this year.
Despite losing his stable jockey, Jack Kennedy, to another injury in November, Elliott has remained red-hot—leading the Irish Trainers’ Championship and notably winning seven races at the prestigious Leopardstown Christmas Festival, including four Grade 1s.
Elliott could send one of his strongest contingent of horses to Prestbury Park in years this spring, with potential runners including Brighterdaysahead, The Yellow Clay, Romeo Coolio, Kalypso’chance, and Gerri Colombe.
Dan Skelton
Britain’s top trainer at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, Dan Skelton, enjoyed a career-best meeting at Prestbury Park with an impressive four winners across the course of the four days—including securing his first Championship contest as Protektorat won the Ryanair Chase.
With his brother, Harry—a former Champion Jockey—in the saddle, the Skeltons are a formidable force and are growing in strength with each passing season, with Dan leading the British Trainers’ Championship heading into the big festivals.
The Warwickshire-based handler will have the opportunity to add to his 10 Festival winners with the likes of The New Lion, L’Eau du Sud, Protektorat, and Langer Dan forming a strong group of likely runners for Skelton.
Nicky Henderson
Nicky Henderson might have something to say about Skelton being the leading British trainer again at this year’s Festival. The veteran handler is set to be back at full strength in March after a virus ripped through his Seven Barrows yard 12 months ago.
The mass illness meant that his star names missed out on their respective targets at Cheltenham, and Henderson failed to add to his 73 Festival winners as a result—missing out on millions of potential prize money.
Sir Gino, Jonbon, and Constitution Hill are all short prices for the Arkle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the Champion Hurdle, respectively, while the exciting juvenile, Lulamba, is the leading contender for the Triumph Hurdle.
