2022 Cheltenham Festival: how dominant will Irish-trained runners be?

A record 23 Irish-trained horses won at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival and the markets for this year's meeting point to another four days of dominance in March.

All 28 races are priced up by at least one leading bookmaker, and 21 have a runner trained in Ireland at the top of the market. Four market leaders are British-trained and one French. The remaining two races have British and Irish joint-favourites.

Results over the festive period have hardened the grip of Irish-trained contenders on the top Cheltenham Festival races. Of the 14 Grade 1 contests, only two favourites, Shishkin in the Champion Chase and Jonbon in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, are trained in Britain, both by Nicky Henderson.

Shishkin: one of the British-trained heavyweights at the Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Sky Bet go just 5-2 that Irish trainers have 20 or more winners at the festival, which starts on March 15, when the feature is the Unibet Champion Hurdle for which the Henry de Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle is their 8-11 favourite.

The strength of the Irish challenge in the two-mile hurdling division has led to Sky Bet also going 5-2 that Ireland have the first three home in the opening day highlight in which the second favourite is last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Appreciate It (7-1) and joint third-best Sharjah (10-1), both trained by Willie Mullins.

Other likely Irish bankers, according to the ante-post markets, include Ferny Hollow at a best-priced 2-1 for the Arkle, Galopin Des Champs (7-4, Festival Novices' Chase), American Mike (3-1, Champion Bumper), Allaho (9-4, Ryanair Chase), Klassical Dream (11-4, Stayers' Hurdle) and Fil Dor (3-1, Triumph Hurdle).

The top five at the top of the Cheltenham Gold Cup market are all Irish-trained, headed by A Plus Tard, who was inched out in the Savills Chase by new second-favourite Galvin, a big hope for Gordon Elliott.

Will the Irish win the Cheltenham Gold Cup again?Credit: Edward Whitaker

William Hill go 5-6 that there will be under 8.5 British winners at the festival. Odds are the same for the over.

The firm have also priced up all the handicaps at the meeting. Shan Blue (6-1 Ultima) is one of two favourites trained by Dan Skelton, who has Greatwood Hurdle winner West Cork, shortest in the betting for the County Hurdle, also tucked up at his Warwickshire yard.

What the bookies say

Sky Bet: 'They won't have it their own way'

As the prices suggest, we are expecting a very strong showing from the Irish horses once again at Cheltenham. However, I'm sure they won't have it their own way with an exciting crop of British horses in Jonbon, Constitution Hill, Edwardstone and Bravemansgame.
Michael Shinners

bet365: 'A repeat of last year may be possible'

The lack of British runners at the top of the Champion Chase and Gold Cup betting suggests a repeat of last season's festival is possible.

Even more worrying for British runners was Paul Nicholls raising the possibility of Bravemansgame missing the festival to wait for Aintree. On a brighter note, Shishkin, Champ [Stayers' Hurdle] and Edwardstone [Arkle], as well as several others, will be big contenders for the home team.

The handicaps can be viewed as 50-50 races, so overall, I can see Ireland being dominant again, but with a reduced winning margin this time.

Looking at our ante-post positions, it's fair to say that Irish runners are far more popular in each market, but there are still a few key trials to go before March.
Pat Cooney

Champ: staked his Stayers' Hurdle credentials in the Long Walk Hurdle at AscotCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Paddy Power: 'The Irish have very strong hand'

It'll take a massive effort from the Irish trainers to repeat last year's haul of 23 winners, especially as their British counterparts will not be taking that lying down. That said, the Irish look to have a very strong hand in the championship races this year with perhaps Shishkin being the likeliest to stop a 'greenwash' in the four feature events.
Paul Binfield

Coral: 'Punters don't care where the horses are trained'

While there has been an enormous amount of discussion about the relative merits of British and Irish jumps horses since last season's Cheltenham Festival and Grand National, the one group largely untroubled by the results are punters, as they're primarily concerned with backing and cheering home winners, regardless of where they are trained.

From our point of view, the strength of the Irish-trained runners is unsurprisingly reflected in our ante-post markets, which are dominated by them, with the occasional exception such as a Shishkin in the Champion Chase; but the most important factor for bookmakers is that by the time the biggest four days of the year get under way in March, the best horses are taking each other on in competitive races, again regardless of where they are based.
David Stevens

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