Triumph Hurdle

DON’T EXPECT SHOCKS IN THE OPENING RACE

1:30 Friday

JCB Triumph Hurdle

(Grade 1) 2m 1f

  • • Nicky Henderson has won seven Triumph Hurdles starting with First Bout (1985).
  • • Irish-trained runners have won five of the last eight.
  • • The last two winners, Burning Victory and Pentland Hills, are the first since 2009 not to have run in at least one the Finesse, Spring or Adonis Hurdles.
  • • Five of the last nine winners ran in the Grade 1 Spring Hurdle at Leopardstown. Only Our Conor (2013) won at both Leopardstown and Cheltenham.
  • • Since the Fred Winter was introduced in 2005, only three winners with an SP bigger than 10/1.
  • • 22 fillies have run priced 14/1 and under. Four won and eight others were placed.
  • • 12 of the last 15 winners had made their hurdling debut by January 10th, but not Burning Victory or Pentland Hills.
  • • Only Detroit City (2006) and Zaynar (2009) this century won while wearing any type of headgear. Both were wearing it for the first time over jumps.
  • • Burning Victory was Willie Mullins’ first winner since Scolardy (2002).
  • • Only Ivanovich Gorbatov, of the last eight winners, had finished outside the first two in any hurdle race in Britain or Ireland.
  • • 17 of the last 18 winners who raced on the flat, had done so over at least a mile and four furlongs.
  • • Burning Victory, Pentland Hills and Zarkandar (2011) are the only winners this century to have raced only once over hurdles in Britain or Ireland.

    • County Hurdle

    Mark up WILLIE Mullins runners

    2:10 Friday

    Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle Race

    (Grade 3) 2m 1f

  • • Saint Roi (2020) was the first since Thumbs Up (1993) to win this when making a handicap debut.
  • • Only Ch’tibello (2019) and Arctic Fire (2017) of the last 18 winners were not either novices or second-season hurdlers.
  • • Dan Skelton has trained three of the last five winners. None of them had raced since at least St Stephen’s Day.
  • • Irish-trained horses have won seven of the last 11, Willie Mullins with five.
  • • All bar Saint Roi of the last seven had been beaten at Cheltenham in a hurdle race.
  • • This century Arctic Fire (2017) is the only winner to have finished in the first five of any previous Festival race.
  • • 14 of the last 16 winners had been racing that season before the end of October. The last five winners are the only ones this century that hadn’t raced since the turn of the year.
  • • Only three of the last 14 winners had won their previous race.
  • • Lac Fontana (2014) is the only course winner to win since Master Tern in (2000). Both were second-season novices and both won the 2m handicap hurdle at the Cheltenham Trials Day in January.
  • • This century only Bridget Andrews (2018) and Katie Walsh (2010) have won this as conditional jockeys. Both were claiming 3lb.
  • • 12 of the last 14 winners were BHA-rated between 132 to 139. The exceptions were Ch’tibello (146) and Arctic Fire (158).

    • Albert Bartlett

    Irish-breds stay the distance

    2:50pm Friday

    Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race

    (Grade 1) 3m

  • • Upgraded to Grade 1 in 2008 and since then Irish trained winners lead the British seven to six. Irish-trained horses have won five of the last seven.
  • • Three of the Irish-trained winners ran in the 3m graded novice hurdle at Limerick run over Christmas. Fury Road won at Limerick and finished third in this race at Cheltenham last year.
  • • All six British-trained winners had already won a Grade 2 hurdle over at least 2m 4f, five of them at Cheltenham.
  • • Both Paul Nicholls and Gordon Elliott have yet to win this.
  • • None of the past 13 winners ran in a graded bumper. However, all bar Monkfish of the 16 winners had run that season in a graded hurdle.
  • • Nine of the last 11 winners had already a BHA rating of 140+.
  • • 13 of the last 15 were six or seven years of age.
  • • 11 of the last 13 had already won over at least 2m 5f.
  • • None of the last 12 winners was French-bred.
  • • Only one winner in the last 11 wore any sort of headgear.
  • • The favourite hasn’t won since 2013.

    • Gold Cup

    CAN THE BOUM BE BEATEN?

    3:30 Friday

    Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase

    (Grade 1) 3m 2½f

    This century

  • • No horse has won this having been a beaten favourite last time out.
  • • Native River (2018) is the only winner to have been beaten in his first Gold Cup attempt.
  • • No horse has won this having previously raced that season on officially heavy ground.
  • • All winners were already Grade 1 chase winners.
  • • No horse has won this aged 10 years or over, including four favourites of that age. All winners bar Long Run (2011) were aged in the seven to nine years age bracket.
  • • Only Native River (2018) won this while wearing any type of headgear.
  • • Only Synchronised (2012) and Native River had previously raced over further than the Gold Cup distance. Both had won the Welsh Grand National.
  • • Only Kauto Star (2009) and Don Cossack (2016) won this having raced more than 12 times over fences.
  • • Only Lord Windermere (2014) and Imperial Commander (2010) did not finish first or second in their previous run.
  • • Only Lord Windermere has been returned at a price bigger than 12/1. He is also the only winner to be rated below 164.
  • • Synchronised 2012 and Best Mate 2004 are the last two horses to complete the Savills Chase/Gold Cup double in the same season. The Savills Chase was won this season by A Plus Tard.
  • • No horse has won its first Festival Grade 1 having been placed three or four times in previous Festival Grade 1s. (Santini/Melon)
  • • The King George/Gold Cup double was last achieved by Long Run in 2011.
  • • Since Arkle, only Best Mate has won three Gold Cups. Both started the third Gold Cup at odds-on.
  • • No trainer has ever won the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother and Gold Cup in the same year.
  • • Al Boum Photo (2019) became the first Gold Cup winner for Willie Mullins. From a total of 29 runners he has also trained six runners-up.
  • • Coneygree (2015) was the first novice chaser to win since Captain Christy 1974. He was also the only winner since Imperial Call (1996) not to have run at a previous Festival.

  • Hunter Chase

    Note Nicholls’ record

    4.10 Friday

    St. James’s Place Challenge Cup Hunter Chase

    3m 2½f

  • • Paul Nicholls and Irish trainers have won nine of the last 10 between them.
  • • Seven winners this century had won or been placed before in the race.
  • • The last five winners have been aged either 10 or 11 years. However, there has been no winner aged older than 11 years since Earthmover in 2004. Those two winners aged 11 years went off as SP favourite.
  • • This century only Hazel Hill (2019) and Drombeag (2007) have won after a racing break of more of 41 days.
  • • 10 winners this century had contested at the Festival before and all of them had previously run in the Foxhunters.
  • • Nine of the last 11 winners had a BHA rating of 134 or higher.
  • • 11 of the last 13 finished in the first three last time out.
  • • Jamie Codd and Patrick Mullins have yet to win this. Five of the last six winners were female.
  • • Paul Nicholls has trained the winner on four occasions, Enda Bolger on three.

    • Martin Pipe Hurdle

    Gigginstown’s fine times

    5:30 Friday

    Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle Race

    (0-145) 2m 4½f

  • • There have been 11 renewals of this race and the last nine winners had won a National Hunt race with at least 11 runners.
  • • Gigginstown have run a total of 12 horses in this. Four won, five others were placed and in 2020 Column Of Fire fell at the last when challenging.
  • • Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls between them have trained seven of the last 10 winners. They have also achieved places with 10 other runners.
  • • The Grade 3 2m 4f novice hurdle in Thurles in late February supplied the last two winners, trained by Gordon Elliott.
  • • The six British-trained winners had all run in at least three handicaps. Only Early Doors (2019) of the six Irish-trained winners had previously run in a handicap, previously finishing third in this race.
  • • Apart from Big Eared Fran finishing third in 2009, David Pipe has yet to saddled a placed runner.
  • • Blow By Blow (2018) and Ibis De Rheu (2016) both won this wearing headgear.
  • • No favourite has won since Sir Des Champs (2011).
  • • 11 of the 12 winners ran within the last 52 days.
  • • All winners were aged five, six or seven.
  • • Nine were second-season hurdlers, three others were novices.
  • • Ten of the 12 winners had run no more than eight times over hurdles.
  • • Ten of the 12 winners had previously run in a graded hurdle.