Cheltenham Festival 2026 Review

What a fantastic week—great to see such competitive fields, especially in the graded races.

Tuesday Review:
The week got off to a flying start in the Supreme Novices’, with Old Park Star and Sober Glory (14/1 at the time) finishing first and second, and all three key stats holding up. In the Arkle, Kargese (6/1) was highlighted as a strong each-way option and also featured prominently in the winner analysis, meeting three of the four key stats—the only missing one being chase wins that season.

The Fred Winter proved productive too, with the analysis pointing towards placed horses Winston Junior, Kilycot (40/1 SP), and Pourquoi Pas Papa (28/1 SP). There was no luck in the Ultima, although the winner did meet the significant stat of a 5lb+ RPR vs OR, which strengthens confidence in that stat.

In the Champion Hurdle, the two mares who finished first and second had the strongest profiles, and having backed Lossiemouth ante-post, that was a pleasing result. Finally, in the Plate, Madara was a confident selection and delivered comfortably, again upholding the key stat. Overall, 10 of the 12 significant stats were confirmed on the day.

Wednesday Review:
The two runners that met the key stat in the Turners underperformed, likely due to ground conditions being too quick. In the Browns Advisory, the key stat (SRPR 154+) was satisfied by both the winner Kitzbuhel and runner-up Final Demand, each boasting strong profiles.

The Coral Cup was a standout result—having backed Jinko Blue at 16/1 and 14/1, it couldn’t have gone much better. The new key stat was upheld for the second consecutive year. Franciscan Rock (50/1 SP), who finished second, was noted as a strong each-way contender, as was Beckett Rock (33/1), who placed fifth with bookmakers paying extra places.

In the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Il Et Temps (5/1 at the time of writing) won decisively, confirming all four key stats. The Grand Annual ended in a tight photo finish that didn’t fall my way, with Jazzy Matty narrowly denied despite trading around 1.5 in-running. The Bumper winner met three of the four key stats but wasn’t identified beforehand. Another solid day overall, with 10 of 12 stats holding true.

Thursday Review:
Although the Mares’ Novices’ analysis didn’t find the winner, it did highlight the second, Old School Outlaw (15/2 SP), and third, Place De La Nation (28/1 SP). The winner did meet the key distance stat, which looks increasingly important going forward.

In the Mares’ Hurdle, both Woodhooh (1st) and Jade De Grugy (2nd) met the key stats, with the winner landing a tidy ante-post success. The Stayers’ Hurdle was a tough one—Home By The Lee (33/1) won, having been backed in the previous two years but left alone this time despite meeting the stat. Ballyburn, my each-way selection, was unlucky at the final hurdle; with a clearer run, he may well have won—but that might just be hindsight and pocket talking.

The Ryanair was disappointing following Fact To File’s withdrawal, though the winner Heart Wood still met three of the four key stats. In the Pertemps, Supremely West was a well-backed winner and strongly profiled beforehand. The Kim Muir winner also met the key stat, albeit with a relatively weak overall profile. In total, 10 of 13 stats were confirmed.

Friday Review:
The Triumph Hurdle produced another big-priced winner from the Mullins yard. My main selection, Selma De Vary, ran well to finish fourth and looks a future graded performer if settling improves—possibly one for the County Hurdle or Mares’ Hurdle next season.

In the County Hurdle, Joyeuse (20/1) finished third after a positive mention in the analysis. The Albert Bartlett wasn’t a strong betting race; while the winner met two of the three key stats, it never featured prominently in my thinking.

The Mares’ Chase went to plan, with Dinoblue winning well at 6/4 and confirming both key stats. The Gold Cup was a major highlight—having backed Gaelic Warrior ante-post and again on the day, the result couldn’t have been better, with all three key stats aligning.

In the Hunters’ Chase, it was pleasing to see Barton Snow (16/1) and Its On The Line (11/2), both mentioned in the analysis, battle it out for the finish. The Martin Pipe was the one that got away—on review, Karl Des Tourelles would almost certainly have placed with a clearer passage at a crucial stage. The winner met two of the three key stats, missing only the LTO factor, reinforcing the trend towards classier, higher-weighted runners in this race.

On the day, 12 of 14 key stats were met. Across the entire week, that’s 42 of 51 (82%)—a strong return and a clear indication that the stats continue to effectively narrow the field.

Onto Aintree next!