Record smashed at Cheltenham as Irish responsible for 23 festival winners

Ireland's unprecedented domination of the Cheltenham Festival scaled new heights on Friday when Vanillier's victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle meant a record 20 winners at the meeting for the raiders – a figure that reached 23 after another stellar afternoon.

Irish success during the 28-race fixture is nothing new, but it has been more stark than ever this week thanks to efforts of Henry de Bromhead, Willie Mullins and Denise 'Sneezy' Foster, who have led their colleagues, while leaving their British counterparts trailing.

Friday's results

At the start of play on Friday, 17 of the 21 winners at the 2021 festival had been saddled by Irish trainers and that quickly became 19 – the previous record haul from 2017 – when Quilixios got the emerald ball rolling on day four in the JCB Triumph Hurdle for De Bromhead before Belfast Banter, who hails from the County Kildare yard of Peter Fahey, proved too good for his rivals in the McCoy Contractors County Hurdle.

The new record was then set when Vanillier landed the Albert Bartlett, tightening the green grip in the Cotswolds and giving County Meath's Gavin Cromwell a second winner of the week after Flooring Porter's fine effort in Thursday's Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

De Bromhead's Minella Indo then shone in the Gold Cup, run in support of the charity WellChild this year, but Britain bit back in the St James's Place Festival Hunter Chase with Porlock Bay, whose trainer Will Biddick is based in Somerset not far from the Ditcheat home of Paul Nicholls.

Vanillier comes home clear in the Albert BartlettCredit: Edward Whitaker

The meeting concluded with the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle, which Mullins claimed with Colreevy and Galopin Des Champs to end things as top trainer with six victories - the same as De Bromhead, who lost out in the countback of placed horses.

It was a similar story 12 months ago when 16 winners hailed from Ireland, while honours were even in 2019 with 14 apiece, although the home team had played second fiddle for the three years before that.

Nicky Henderson (two winners), Sue Smith and Jonjo O'Neill are, with Biddick, the only British-based operators to get on the board this week, when the might of the away side has been fully evident.

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