The 2022 Cheltenham Festival is right around the corner, and already, all eyes are on the big favourites in each race. While there are races that every trainer wants to win, of course, at the end of the day, they all count – especially asthere’s also the accolade of ending the Festival as the ‘Leading Trainer’.
Schooling morning at Cullentra today
🎥: @rvn_managementpic.twitter.com/Gb3GBEK43x
— Gordon Elliott (@gelliott_racing) March 2, 2022
Willie Mullins is the reigning champion – having won the most races at each of the last three meetings (2019-21), and healso leads the ways as the trainer with the most Cheltenham Festival wins, with 78. As the 2022 Cheltenham betting markets hot up, who, if anyone could challenge him as the leading trainer this year?
Gordon Elliott
The County Meath trainer missed out on the Cheltenham Festival last year, following the controversy that led to him being suspended for six months. However, he’s back and boasts his biggest ever team at Prestbury Park. While some of his former horses are no longer in his care (Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard to name two), Elliott retains a number of his former winners – including the iconic Tiger Roll.
He’s had an incredible season so far – saddling over 120 winners – and sending between 50 and 60 horses over from Ireland is a real signal of intent for the man who looks to seek redemption for his wrongdoing. Elliott shares the record with Mullins for the most wins at a single Festival – landing eight winners in 2018 – and you can guarantee he’ll be chomping at the bit to add to his list of accolades later this month.
Nicky Henderson
Henderson boasts 70 wins at the Cheltenham Festival, and has been a three-time leading trainer since 2000. After the Irish domination at last year’s Festival – if the Brits have any chance of success, they will come courtesy of the Berkshire trainer. Henderson’s biggest hopeful is Shishkin, who’s the favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. However, the rest of his yard are decent hopes, rather than the outright favourites.
Henderson has saddled a winner at every Festival since 2008, and has already started the mind-games with Mullins, who looks to lead another strong charge this year.
Willie Mullins
You simply cannot look beyond the King of Closutton – who’s the overwhelming favourite when it comes to the latest Cheltenham top trainer odds. Mullins trained six winners at last year’s Festival, and seven in 2019, and as we mentioned, holds the records for the most winning horses in Cheltenham Festival history.
Once again, the majority of the race favourites hail from his County Carlow yard, and Mullins boasts four Champion Hurdle and Ryanair Chase winners, as well as the dual Gold Cup success with Al Boum Photo, and two Stayers’ Hurdle wins. The only feature race to elude him so far is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but Chacun Pour Soior Energumene could end that drought at this year’s Festival.
Elsewhere, it’s understood that Paul Nicholls is set to take his smallest team to Prestbury Park – with between 12 and 14 runners. However, the six-time leading trainer is said to have a decent trio in Bravemansgame, Stage Star and Bob and Co – but it looks set to be another Irish annihilation.