Cheltenham is the home of National Hunt racing, with two courses (Old and New) set in a natural amphitheatre. The uphill finish is one of the most demanding in jump racing. The four-day Festival in March is the championship meeting of the entire sport.
Course Profile
| Direction | Left-handed |
| Surface | Turf |
| Racing | Chase (593), Hurdle (523), National Hunt Flat (66) |
| Total races (dataset) | 1,182 |
Top Trainers
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| N J Henderson | 735 | 92 | 12.5% |
| W P Mullins | 734 | 86 | 11.7% |
| Dan Skelton | 586 | 66 | 11.3% |
| P F Nicholls | 666 | 63 | 9.5% |
| Gordon Elliott | 558 | 53 | 9.5% |
| N A Twiston-Davies | 504 | 46 | 9.1% |
| Fergal O’Brien | 445 | 42 | 9.4% |
| Henry de Bromhead | 289 | 36 | 12.5% |
| C L Tizzard | 315 | 28 | 8.9% |
| P J Hobbs | 297 | 24 | 8.1% |
| A King | 293 | 21 | 7.2% |
| D E Pipe | 281 | 19 | 6.8% |
| Gavin Cromwell | 123 | 19 | 15.4% |
| M Keighley | 196 | 17 | 8.7% |
| N P Mulholland | 179 | 16 | 8.9% |
Top Jockeys
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Skelton | 451 | 61 | 13.5% |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 538 | 51 | 9.5% |
| P Townend | 206 | 40 | 19.4% |
| B J Geraghty | 239 | 40 | 16.7% |
| H Cobden | 340 | 37 | 10.9% |
| Nico de Boinville | 216 | 36 | 16.7% |
| P J Brennan | 298 | 32 | 10.7% |
| Aidan Coleman | 303 | 30 | 9.9% |
| R Johnson | 312 | 29 | 9.3% |
| T Scudamore | 279 | 23 | 8.2% |
| Rachael Blackmore | 142 | 23 | 16.2% |
| S Bowen | 217 | 21 | 9.7% |
| N de Boinville | 119 | 21 | 17.6% |
| D N Russell | 157 | 20 | 12.7% |
| N D Fehily | 203 | 20 | 9.9% |
Favourite Performance
Across 1,294 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 375 times — a strike rate of 29.0%.
That’s below the national average (~32%), which makes this a trickier course for favourite backers.
Going Distribution
| Going | Races | % |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 465 | 39.3% |
| Soft | 385 | 32.6% |
| Good to Soft | 269 | 22.8% |
| Heavy | 63 | 5.3% |
The most common going description is Good, accounting for 39.3% of races.
Betting Angles
- N J Henderson leads the trainer table with 92 wins from 735 runs. Volume as much as strike rate, but they clearly target this track.
- P Townend rides this course well: 19.4% win rate from 206 rides.
Cheltenham Festival Race Guides
The four-day Cheltenham Festival is the championship meeting of National Hunt racing. We’ve analysed the trends and statistics for every race on the programme:
Day 1 — Tuesday: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle · Arkle Chase · Ultima Handicap Chase · Champion Hurdle · Mares’ Hurdle · Boodles Juvenile Hurdle
Day 2 — Wednesday: Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle · Champion Bumper · Champion Chase · Cross Country Chase · Coral Cup · Mares’ Chase
Day 3 — Thursday: Stayers’ Hurdle · Ryanair Chase · Plate Chase · Pertemps Final · Kim Muir Chase
Day 4 — Friday: Gold Cup · Triumph Hurdle · County Hurdle · Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle · Grand Annual Chase · Martin Pipe Hurdle · Hunters’ Chase