The Cross Country Chase is one of the Festival’s most distinctive races, run over about 3 miles 6 furlongs on the unique cross-country course with its banks, ditches and varied obstacles. It’s been a specialist’s race, with Tiger Roll and Delta Work among recent winners.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Stumptown | Gavin Cromwell | K M Donoghue | 8 | 5/2 |
| 2023 | Delta Work | Gordon Elliott | K M Donoghue | 10 | 11/10 |
| 2022 | Delta Work | Gordon Elliott | J W Kennedy | 9 | 5/2 |
| 2020 | Easysland | D Cottin | J Plouganou | 6 | 3/1 |
| 2019 | Tiger Roll | Gordon Elliott | K M Donoghue | 9 | 5/4 |
| 2018 | Tiger Roll | Gordon Elliott | K M Donoghue | 8 | 7/1 |
| 2017 | Cause Of Causes | Gordon Elliott | Mr J J Codd | 9 | 4/1 |
| 2016 | Any Currency | M Keighley | A Coleman | 13 | 11/1 |
| 2011 | Sizing Australia | Henry de Bromhead | A E Lynch | 9 | 15/2 |
| 2009 | Garde Champetre | Enda Bolger | N Carberry | 10 | 7/2 |
Key Trends
Age profile: Nine-year-olds have the most wins with 5 from 14 renewals. Ten-year-olds have won 3 times. Two winners were aged 12 (Native Jack and Spot Thedifference), and Any Currency won at 13. This is a race for experienced, older horses — the youngest winner was Easysland at 6.
Favourite record: The favourite has won 6 of 14 (43%), and they’ve placed 11 times from 15 runners. The average favourite SP of around 5/2 is on the shorter side. The cross-country specialists tend to be well-known, so the market gets it right fairly often.
Trainers: Gordon Elliott has won this 5 times from 24 runners (21%). Enda Bolger — the long-time cross-country specialist — has 3 wins from 9 runners (including one listed as E Bolger). Between them, they’ve won over half the renewals.
Going: Good to Soft is the most common ground (6 editions), with 4 on Soft, 3 on Good and 1 on Heavy. Specialist cross-country horses tend to handle all conditions.
What the Data Says
This is a race that rewards specialisation. Gordon Elliott’s dominance — 5 wins from Tiger Roll (2), Delta Work (2) and Cause Of Causes — shows that his yard has made the cross-country race a particular target. Enda Bolger did the same in the earlier years with Garde Champetre and Heads Onthe Ground.
Keith Donoghue has ridden 4 of the last 5 winners (Delta Work twice, Tiger Roll and Stumptown), making him the go-to jockey for the cross-country course. That’s a strong angle when assessing the 2026 renewal.
The race hasn’t been run every year — there are gaps in 2010, 2012-15, 2021 and 2024, which limits the sample. But even from 14 editions, the pattern is clear: this rewards horses with cross-country experience rather than conventional chase form.
The average winning SP of about 5/1 is lower than most handicaps, reflecting how often established cross-country performers dominate. If a horse has proven form over the cross-country course, the market knows about it.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.