It’s that time of year again when horse racing insiders, pundits and casual fans turn their collective attention to a town in Gloucestershire, England. That’s right, every year in March, the great and the good of racing convene in Cheltenham for four days of top-flight action. As ever, Irish racing will be well represented. We say it like that because Irish-trained horses have been winning at the Cheltenham Festival since its inception.
A History of Cheltenham Succes
Scroll back through the history books and you’ll see that the second-ever winner of the Gold Cup was from County Sligo. Ballinode, nicknamed the Sligo Mare, won the 1925 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Owned by Christopher Bentley and trained by Frank Morgan, Ballinode became the first mare and the first Irish-trained horse to win the world-renowned National Hunt race.
That win lit the touchpaper and today the festival has become a proving ground for the top Irish runners and, in turn, the Irish racing community. Indeed, the latest Cheltenham 2023 race cards reveal a plethora of prospects from across the Irish isle. From Marine Nationale to Corbetts Cross, there will be plenty of runners sporting Irish silks throughout the festival.
In fact, such is the storied history of Irish horses and trainers at Cheltenham that bookies are offering odds on how many winners from Ireland there will be. These go along with Cheltenham top trainer betting odds for County Kilkenny’s Willie Mullins who is tipped as the 1/8 favourite for 2023. Essentially, in most experts’ eyes, it’s not a case of if Irish-trained horses will have success at Cheltenham, it’s how much success they’ll have.
Top Runners, Riders and Trainers
This confidence comes from, as we’ve said, a history of impressive results. Ever since the first Cheltenham Gold Cup was run in 1924, horses and trainers from Ireland have performed well. After Ballinode in 1925, there was Ireland’s Koko in 1926, then Easter Hero in 1929 and 1930. Then, of course, there’s the legendary Golden Miller, still the most successful horse ever to run at Cheltenham.
Bred at Laurence Geraghty’s yard in County Meath, Golden Miller won five Cheltenham Gold Cups in a row between 1932 and 1936. Not only that, the Basil Briscoe-trained horse won the Gold Cup and the Grand National in the same year (1934). Coming forward in time, we can’t forget about Northern Ireland’s AP McCoy. One of the best to ever do it, McCoy won countless big races, including the Gold Cup.
Without putting too fine a point on it, Ireland has been, and probably always will be, a force at Cheltenham. 2023 looks set to be no different. Willie Mullins is grabbing the headlines along with top prospects such as Marine Nationale. Then there are the outsiders such as Sizing John, who are fancied by former Gold Cup winner and Irishman, Robbie Power. Overall, it’s set to be another big festival and, once again, we can expect to see Ireland’s dominance in racing continue.
Discover more from LoveBelfast
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
