Connect with us

Racing

Cheltenham Festival races 2022 | Guide to the action

The Cheltenham Festival 2022 is fast approaching, with racing fans counting down the days until the greatest show on turf. With 28 races over four days, it’s the highlight of the jumping season with top-class horse racing throughout.

In this Cheltenham guide, we take a closer look at every race over the 2022 Festival to ensure that you’re well and truly ‘Cheltenham ready’.

Tuesday – Day One

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

The traditional curtain-raiser to the Cheltenham Festival, the Supreme is a hurdles race run over 2 miles that has been won over the years by some top quality horses, including Vautour, Altior, and Shishkin.

Willie Mullins has won the race a record-breaking seven times, including last year when Appreciate It demolished the field by a staggering 24 lengths.

Arkle Chase

Run over 2 miles, the Arkle is for novice chasers, with many winners going on to run in the Champion Chase the following year.

Shishkin won last year’s Arkle, and he’s a short-price favourite for the Champion Chase this time around.

Ultima Handicap Chase

The Ultima is run over 3 miles and 1 furlong and is used by many to prepare for the Grand National.

UK entries have dominated this race in recent years, and there have been no Irish trained winners since 2006 – the Sue Smith trained Vintage Clouds won last year’s renewal.

Champion Hurdle

The feature race of day one at the Festival, the Champion Hurdle, is run over 2 miles and has been won by hurdling legends through the years such as Istabraq, Persian War, and Hurricane Fly.

This year, all eyes will be on the unbeaten Honeysuckle as she looks to defend her Champion Hurdle crown that she landed in impressive style in 2021.

Mares’ Hurdle 

Run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs, the Mares’ Hurdle is for female horses only and has been dominated by Irish trained horses since its inception.

The wonder mare Quevega landed the race six consecutive times from 2009 to 2014, and it’s also been won by Apple’s Jade and Honeysuckle, with Black Tears winning last year’s race.


Boodles Juvenile Hurdle

Traditionally known as the Fred Winter, the Boodles is a juvenile novice hurdles race for horses aged four years old.

Paul Nicholls and Gordon Elliott have both saddled the winner of the race three times, but there was a massive shock in last year’s race when Jeff Kidder won it at 80/1 for trainer Noel Meade.

 

National Hunt Chase

The final race on the Festival’s opening day, the National Hunt Chase, is the first contest in the week where amateur jockeys get to shine, and it’s run over 3 miles and 5 furlongs and 23 fences jumped.

However, due to Covid protocols, only professional jockeys were allowed to race last year, and Jack Kennedy partnered Galvin to victory.

Wednesday – Day Two

Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle

The Ballymore kicks off day two of the Festival and is a novice hurdle run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs.

Irish trained horses have won the race seven times out of the last eight, including in 2021 when the Hendy de Bromhead trained Bob Olinger took the win with Rachael Blackmore.

Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

Run over 3 miles, the Brown Advisory is a novice chase for horses aged five years old, and there are 20 fences to be negotiated – the high-class Monkfish won it last year.

Several winners of this contest compete in the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year, and Lord Windermere was the last horse to land the double in 2013 and 2014.

Coral Cup

Traditionally one of the most competitive races at the Festival, the Coral Cup is a handicap hurdle run over 2 miles and 5 furlongs.

Trainer Nicky Henderson has landed the race four times, but last year’s race went to Ireland with the Paul Hennessy trained Heaven Help Us made all from the front at 33/1.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

The feature race on Wednesday, the Champion Chase, has seen jumping greats such as Moscow Flyer, Sprinter Sacre, and Altior all previously lifting the trophy.

Put The Kettle On took the spoils last year while Shishkin is many people’s banker of the Festival this year in the race as he looks to land a hat-trick of Festival successes.

 

Cross Country Chase

This unique race is run over the cross country course and sees 32 jumps.

In recent year’s it’s been dominated by the great Tiger Roll, who has won it in 2018, 2019, and 2021 – could he land it again this year?

Grand Annual Chase

The Grand Annual is the oldest race at the Cheltenham Festival and is a handicap chase run over 2 miles and half a furlong.

Paul Nicholls tops the charts with four winners in the race, but Jonjo O’Neill won it in 2021 with Sky Pirate, who will defend his title again this year.

 

Champion Bumper

The only race at the Cheltenham Festival run on the flat, the Champion Bumper is a fast and furious end to day two and trainer Willie Mullins has taken the race 11 times, including in 2021 with Sir Gerhard.

With no obstacles to be jumped, flat jockeys regularly ride in the race, and it was won in 2002 by flat jockey Jamie Spencer on Pizarro.

Thursday – Day Three

 

Turners Novices’ Chase

A novice chase run over 2 and a half miles, the Turners is one of the newest races at the Cheltenham Festival.

UK trained horses have only won the race three times since its inception in 2011, but they have won two of the last three runnings, with the Nicky Henderson trained Chantry House taking success in 2021.

Pertemps Final

The Pertemps is a handicap hurdle run over 3 miles with horses only eligible to race if they have placed in the top 6 of specific qualifying races throughout the season.

Irish trainers horses have dominated the Pertemps at recent Festivals – winning the last six, with last year’s race being won by Mrs Milner under jockey Bryan Cooper.

Ryanair Chase

Run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs, the Ryanair is a chase that is an alternative to the Champion Chase and Gold Cup for high-class chasers.

Allaho, trained by Henry de Bromhead, won the 2021 Ryanair, and he’s a short-priced favourite to follow again this time around.

Stayers’ Hurdle

The Stayers’ Hurdle is the feature race of day three, and the clue is in the name – it’s a hurdle race over the 3-mile trip.

The Gavin Cromwell trained Flooring Porter took the win last year for yet another success for Ireland, and he’ll be back this time around to try to follow up.

Festival Plate

The Plate is a handicap chase run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs that regularly throws up big priced winners but last year saw a short-priced favourite do the business.

The Shunter won for owner JP McManus having been well supported into 9/4f.

Mares’ Novices Hurdle

Introduced in 2016, this race is for female novice hurdlers and is run over 2 miles with eight hurdles jumped.

Willie Mullins won the first five runnings of the race, but 2021 saw the Hendry de Bromhead trained Telmesomethinggirl winning for the same owners as Honeysuckle.

 

Kim Muir Challenge Cup

Another race for amateur jockeys only, the Kim Muir, is a handicap chase run over 3 miles and 2 furlongs and is the finale of day three at the Festival.

Irish amateur jockey Jamie Codd has won the race a record four times in 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2016.

Friday – Day Four

Triumph Hurdle

The Triumph kicks off Gold Cup day and is the premier novice hurdles race for four-year-old juveniles in the UK and Ireland.

In recent years, top-class horses such as Defi du Seuil and Tiger Roll have won it, and Quilixios won last year’s Triumph for Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore, who both had a Festival to remember.

County Hurdle

The County is a fast and furious betting minefield – it’s run over 2 miles with eight hurdles to be negotiated.

Over the years, the County has thrown up some huge priced winners, such as Wicklow Brave at 25/1 in 2015, Mohaayed at 33/1 in 2018, and last year’s winner Belfast Banter who landed a shock victory at 33/1.

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Another relatively new race, the Albert Bartlett, was introduced in 2005 and is a novice hurdles race run over 3 miles, with Vanillier winning the race in 2021 – yet another Irish trained winner.

One of the most iconic winners of the race was Brindisi Breeze in 2012 – the horse and jockey Campbell Gillies both sadly lost their lives in the months following the race.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The big one and the premier race of the national hunt season.

Run over 3 miles and 2 furlongs, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the Everest of the jumps racing scene – legends of the sport such as Arkle, Best Mate, and Kauto Star have all lifted the gold trophy.

Minella Indo landed the big one last year and will be back to defend his Gold Cup title in what’s set to be a top-class renewal.

 

Foxhunters Chase

The Foxhunters has been dubbed the ‘amateur Gold Cup’ – it’s run over the same course and distance as the Gold Cup, but only amateur jockeys are allowed to ride.

Paul Nicholls has saddled the winner of the race four times, but it was the Will Biddick trained Porlock Bay who took the win in 2021 by the shortest of margins from the favourite Billaway.

Mares’ Chase

The newest race at the Cheltenham Festival, the Mares’ Chase, is run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs and is exclusively for female horses.

It was run for the first time in 2021, and Colreevy landed the victory for trainer Willie Mullins.

Martin Pipe Conditional

The finale of the Cheltenham Festival, the Martin Pipe, is a handicap hurdle run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs with only conditional jockeys allowed to ride.

The potentially high-class Galopin Des Champs won the race last year – cruising home to success from the Langer Dan.

 


 

You could earn up to £100 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.

Recent Posts