Cheltenham Festival 2022

With all remaining legal Covid restrictions lifted in England on February 24, 2022, spectators returned to the Cheltenham Festival with a bang, leading to a record aggregate attendance of 280,627 across the four days and a daily record attendance of 73,875 on Gold Cup Day alone. Pioneering female jockey Rachael Blackmore made headlines, as she had the previous year, winning the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle, trained by Henry de Bromhead, for the second year running and completing the Champion Hurdle/Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, also trained by de Bromhead. After becoming the first woman to win the most prestigious steeplechase on either side of the Irish Sea, Blackmore said, "You can never dream too big; this is something I never thought would be possible."

Elsewhere, Irish dominance continued, although not quite on the same scale as the 23-5 domination of the Prestbury Cup standings in 2021. Irish-trained horses won 18 of the 28 races during the week, the indefatigable Willie Mullins leading the way with a record 10 winners, including Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Allaho in the Ryanair Chase. Navan trainer Gavin Cromwell saddled Flooring Porter to win the Stayers' Hurdle for the second year running, thereby completing a clean sweep for the Irish in the 'feature'.

Not altogether surprisingly, Mullins was leading trainer for the fourth year running, and the ninth time in all, while his stable jockey, Paul Townend, with five winners, was top jockey for the second time in three years. Indeed, both trainer and jockey were unlucky not to add another one to their respective winning tallies when odds-on favourite Galopin Des Champs suffered an agonising last-fence fall in the Turners Novices' Chase when 12 lengths ahead with the race at his mercy. Philosophically – and prophetically, with the benefit of hindsight – Mullins said afterwards, "It's disappointing, but we have a sound jockey and a sound horse and we live to fight another day."

For the home team, Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, made an impressive Cheltenham Festival debut, winning the Supreme Novices' Hurdle by 22 lengths, eased down, from stable companion Jonbon. Subsequent Grand National hero Corach Rambler, trained by Lucinda Russell, won the Ultima Handicap Chase for the second year running, albeit only just, by a head.

Cheltenham Festival 2021

With a nationwide lockdown still in place, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 Cheltenham Festival took place behind closed doors, with no owners or spectators in attendance. Covid-19 restrictions also meant that amateur jockeys were not permitted to compete, such that the three traditional amateur riders' races, the National Hunt Chase, the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup and the Festival Hunters' Chase, were contested by professional jockeys instead.

In what became known as a "greenwash", British trainers saddled just five winners. Seven Barrows trainer Nicky Henderson fared best of the home contigent with two winners, Shiskin in the Arkle Challenge Trophy and Chantry House in the Marsh Novices' Chase. Elsewhere, Sue Smith, Jonjo O'Neill and Will Biddick chipped in withVintage Clouds in the Ultima Handicap Chase, Sky Pirate in the Grand Annual Challenge Cup and Porlock in the Festival Hunters' Chase, respectively.

The remaining 23 races all went the way of Irish-trained horses, leaving the final scoreline in the Prestbury Cup a chastening 23-5 in favour of Ireland. Closutton maestro Willie Mullins, with six winners, was leading trainer for the third year running, and the eighth time in all, staging a late rally to pip compatriot Henry de Bromhead to the title on countback of placed horses after winning the last two races of the week.

De Bromhead, nonetheless, enjoyed a highly memorable week, as did his stable jockey, Rachael Blackmore. The Knockeen handler had the distinction of becoming the first trainer in history to win the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup at the same Cheltenham Festival, while his winning tally also included Bob Olinger in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, Telmesomethinggirl in the Parnell Properties Mares' Novices' Hurdle and Quilixios in the Triumph Hurdle.

Blackmore won the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle, thereby becoming the first female jockey to win the two-mile hurdling championship, and finished the week with six winners, likewise becoming the first woman to secure the top jockeys' award at the Cheltenham Festival. Reflecting on her success, Blackmore said later, "It's phenomenal. I can’t even comprehend being leading jockey at Cheltenham. That’s crazy."

Cheltenham Festival 2020

The 2020 Cheltenham Festival was staged, as usual, between Tuesday, March 10 and Friday, March 13 and, according to a Jockey Club spokesperson, "...went ahead under the clear and ongoing guidance from the government and its science experts throughout...". Nevertheless, with extensive nationwide lockdown measures announced shortly afterwards, intended to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Jockey Club and the government were subsequently criticised for failing to act quickly enough.

On the racecourse, Irish-trained horses won 17 of the 28 races, including the Ryanair Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, both of which went the way of Willie Mullins and his stable jockey Paul Townend, courtesy of Min and Al Boum Photo, respectively. Defending champion Al Boum Photo, who justified favouritism, albeit narrowly, in the 'Blue Riband' event, was a seventh winner of the week for Mullins, who thus retained his leading trainer title, and a fifth for Townend, who became leading jockey for the first time.

Despite defeat in the Prestbury Cup for the fourth time in five seasons, the home team had plenty to cheer about. Epatante, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty, justified favouritism in the Champion Hurdle, Politologue, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Harry Skelton, made virtually all to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase unchallenged and Lisnagar Oscar, trained by Rebecca Curtis and ridden by Adam Wedge, belied odds of 50/1 to win the Stayers' Hurdle, in which the defending champion, and odds-on favourite, Paisley Park, ran well below expectations.

Lisnagar Oscar was not, in fact, the longest-priced winner of the week. That distinction belonged to

It Came To Pass, trained by Eugene O'Sullivan, in Lombardstown, County Cork, and ridden by his daughter, Maxine, who stormed up the hill to win the Foxhunter Challenge Cup by 10 lengths at odds of 66/1. Unarguably the unluckiest loser of the week was Goshen, trained by Gary Moore and ridden by his son, Jamie, who was sent off 5/2 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle and looked to have the race in the bag when stumbling and unseating rider after the final flight.

Countdown to the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

If you're a follower of the sport of kings (that's surely a given since you're here), then there's few racing festivals that you'll be looking forward to that match the excitement of the Cheltenham Festival. Bundled up with so much history, rivalry and determination, it's both cemented and created a number of horses, jockeys and horse trainers into 'household name' territory. The likes of Badsworth Boy as a three time Champion Chase winner, Istabraq winning the Champion Hurdle three times and Pearlyman with two Queen Mother Champion Chase wins in the 1980s. With a focus on the Cheltenham Gold Cup we have the likes on Arkle and Best Mate as three time winners of this jewel in the crown race, and of course Galopin Des Champs had back to back wins in 2023 and 2024 and is in the running again in 2026 (currently at odds of 7-1). Current favourite is Fact to File at 4-1.

That's the beauty of the Cheltenham Festival really, each year this unmissable spectacle writes new stories that become part of the fabric of this four day event. This year the Festival takes place between Tuesday 10th March to Friday 13th March 2026. The Cheltenham Festival 2026 schedule can be found here and covers all four days of the event, along with race times, distance and details about each and every race at Cheltenham, to give you a feel of both what to expect on the day and some amazing moments from past years. 

Some greats of the Cheltenham Festival include the likes of Ruby Walsh with 59 Cheltenham wins, Rachael Blackmore, winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard along with other festival races, and trainer Willie Mullins with over 100 Festival wins. Be sure to tune in come 10th March and see where spellbinding moments the 2026 has in store for us!

The Fellow

Trained by François Doumen in Pau, southwestern France and ridden, for much of his career, by Polish-born jockey Adam Kondrat, The Fellow won the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 1991 and 1992. However, as far as the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, he is probably best remembered for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup, at the fourth time of asking, in 1994. That said, anyone who backed him in the previous three renewals has good reason to remember that his defeats were attributable, at least according to some observers, to his jockey.

The Fellow made his first appearance in the 'Blue Riband' event in 1991, as a six-year-old, when has was sent off a largely unconsidered 28/1 outsider. However, despite Kondrat taking a wide route for the whole way and a bad mistake at the fifteenth fence, The Fellow was the only horse to make a race of it with eventual winner Garrison Savannah. Indeed, The Fellow 'sprinted' up the run-in, making up the better part of three lengths, but was denied by a short head.




On the back of that performance, and his subsequent win in the King George VI Chase, The Fellow was sent off 7/2 second favourite for his second attempt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992. Kondrat rode a not entirely dissimilar race and, after a ding-dong battle with eventual winner and third, Cool Dawn and Docklands Express, on the run-in, The Fellow was headed in the final strides and denied by a short head for the second year running.




In 1993, The Fellow was sent off a heavily-backed 5/4 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but could manage only fourth, beaten 9½ lengths, behind Jodami, having been outpaced from the top of the hill. He was back again, as a nine-year-old, in 1994, by which time it seemed his time had passed. However, sporting blinkers and ridden closer to the pace than had previously been the case, The Fellow was always travelling and jumping well and kept on strongly in the closing stages to beat Jodami by 1½ lengths and, finally, reward his connections' perseverance.