Graham Clark speaks to six British trainers to find out their most confident chances ahead of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.<\/p>\n
Their team sheets are virtually complete and star players ready to go, but the question remains who exactly are the British trainers backing to take it to the Irish at this year\u2019s Cheltenham Festival. <\/p>\n
In recent years it has been the raiders from across the Irish Sea that have enjoyed the upper hand in the battle to clinch the Prestbury Cup. However, if results leading up to the meeting are anything to go by then a much closer battle looks on the cards this time around. <\/p>\n
While Willie Mullins is odds-on to be the leading trainer at the meeting once again, and his stable jockey Paul Townend is a short-price to walk away with the leading rider trophy, the pair are unlikely to have things all quite their own way given the depth of the home team. <\/p>\n
And in order to see where the best chances of British trained winners at this year\u2019s Festival are likely to come from we have put it to five of the best trainers in the land to nominate, who they believe, represent their best chances of striking gold at the four-day meeting. <\/p>\n
OLLY MURPHYACT OF AUTHORITY<\/a> (Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys\u2019 Handicap Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cHe has come back down to a realistic mark and is only a pound above the mark when he finished second in the race last year. <\/p>\n \u201cI might pop a set of cheekpieces on him. I don\u2019t think the race looks as competitive as last year, but I\u2019m sure there will be one or two less exposed ones than him. <\/p>\n \u201cHe seems to love the place and he loves decent ground, so that is coming right for him. I think he will run respectably well at a decent each-way price.\u201d<\/p>\n WADE OUT<\/a> (National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices\u2019 Handicap Chase)<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been trained for this race ever since November. He will be fitted with some cheekpieces and the drying ground should help with his jumping.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he can go around in a half respectable manner and be in touch at the top of the hill I don\u2019t think you will see a horse come home stronger all week. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Windsor wasn\u2019t his ideal track last time out, running there will have done him good as that would have sharpened him up.\u201d<\/p>\n PAUL NICHOLLSNO DRAMA THIS END<\/a> (Turners Novices\u2019 Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cHe has advertised his own chances to be honest with you when you look at his form. There are loads of Irish battalions coming over we don\u2019t really know about, but we think he has a lovely chance.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does things on the bridle all the time and you wouldn\u2019t know what is in the locker. <\/p>\n “He has been working really nicely and we have given him an away day in Lambourn and at Kempton Park. He is definitely the leading British challenger in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n REGENT\u2019S STROLL<\/a> (Jack Richards Novices\u2019 Limited Handicap Chase)<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been my plan all season for him really. I think he has got a nice mark. It is a very competitive race, but he is very much in the same mould as Caldwell Potter, who won the race last year for us. <\/p>\n \u201cHe has probably got a bit more toe than Caldwell Potter, but I would still say that in the future he will end up being a three miler.\u201d<\/p>\n BEN PAULINGDIVA LUNA<\/a> (Mrs Paddy Power Mares\u2019 Chase)<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a red-hot Mares\u2019 Chase, and it will be no walk in the park whatsoever, but she has every right to be there this year. She is in very good form and schooled well on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have got her just about spot on. We have got plenty of work into her since she has returned from her setback. Although she is a novice I\u2019m not worried so we will drive on.\u201d<\/p>\n MONDOUI\u2019 BOY<\/a> (Albert Bartlett Novices\u2019 Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cHe won an egg and spoon race at Ludlow and then he beat a nice enough bunch at Ascot, but he won very well that day. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he will improve for the step up in trip to three miles and he seems in particularly good order. <\/p>\n “It looks a pretty open race and I think he is a good each-way bet.\u201d<\/p>\n DAN SKELTONKATEIRA<\/a> (BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cI feel with the drying forecast that we have going into the meeting that Kateira has a big chance in what is now the BetMGM Cup. <\/p>\n “We have looked at this race for her for a little while and she would hold an each-way chance in the race.\u201d<\/p>\n PANIC ATTACK<\/a> (Mrs Paddy Power Mares\u2019 Chase)<\/p>\n \u201cI think she has got a great chance in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares\u2019 Chase. She is in great form and has had a phenomenal season. <\/p>\n “I don\u2019t know why that is at ten years old, but she just seems to be getting better and is worth her place in the line up here.\u201d<\/p>\n JAMIE SNOWDENWENDIGO<\/a> (Brown Advisory Novices\u2019 Chase)<\/p>\n \u201cHe would be the most obvious one in our team at this year\u2019s Festival as he is the shortest priced British contender in the Brown Advisory. <\/p>\n “I couldn\u2019t be happier with him and he deserves to run a big race. He schooled last week and jumped super.<\/p>\n \u201cHe won a Grade Two at Newbury earlier in the season, but he just found Kempton Park\u2019s right handed track, on quick ground, a little bit sharp for him, but he ran well to be third. <\/p>\n \u201cHe enjoyed a confidence boosting run at Ayr the other day and he goes there in great form.”<\/p>\n WILDE\u2019S LEGACY<\/a> (Weatherbys Champion Bumper)<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a big price for the Champion Bumper, but he is a horse that I really like. <\/p>\n “He bolted up in his first bumper on the all-weather and he then followed up under a penalty in soft ground at Huntingdon. <\/p>\n “He has got bags of speed and I think he is massively overpriced. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he is mentally ready for this as I think he is a smart horse. It will be a competitive race as you would expect, but I wouldn\u2019t be swapping our lad.\u201d<\/p>\n NICKY HENDERSONACT OF INNOCENCE<\/a> (Turners Novices\u2019 Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cHe was very good in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon. I think he is pretty smart and he is a lovely horse. Of course the two miles and five furlongs around here is different to two and a half miles around Huntingdon, but we found plenty out that day. <\/p>\n “He stays two and a half miles around Huntingdon, but I would be surprised if stamina is an issue here. <\/p>\n JINGKO BLUE<\/a> (BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle)<\/p>\n \u201cHe will go to what was the Coral Cup. He has been difficult and he didn\u2019t enjoy jumping fences as well as he ought to have done. He had back problems and surgery, but he is still a talented horse.<\/p>\n “He ran a very good race at Cheltenham behind Kabral Du Mathan which was his best run for a while. He should run well in this, back in a handicap.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheltenham Festival 2026: Stable ToursMore from Sporting LifeSafer gambling<\/p>\n We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.<\/p>\n If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline \/ GamCare<\/a> on 0808 8020 133.<\/p>\n Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org<\/a> and gamblingtherapy.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Graham Clark speaks to six British trainers to find out their most confident chances ahead of the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":["post-332258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}