The 2026 Cheltenham Festival: super stats and facts for day two

Andy Stephens takes a closer look at hot favourites in the Champion Chase and studies Willie Mullins' record in the Champion Bumper plus much more.  Click here for Free Cheltenham bets.

The New Lion stopped the rot for Challow Hurdle winners when triumphing last year. 

Before he completed the double, the record of Challow winners in this race stood at zero from 20, with Stage Star Bravemansgame and Hermes Allen being the past three to come up short. That trio were all trained by Paul Nicholls, who this time is responsible for the well-fancied No Drama This End who, you guessed it, won the Challow last time. If at first, you don’t succeed . . . 

Before The New Lion came along, the last Challow winner to win at the Festival in the same season was the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Wichita Lineman, who went on to win the Albert Bartlett in 2007. He would also land the Ultima two years later, too, under an inspired AP McCoy. 

Naming horses after Glenn Campbell songs has been a good tactic. Wichita Lineman reached No 7 in the UK charts for him in 1969, while Rhinestone Cowboy peaked at 38 in 1975. The equine Rhinestone Cowboy, also trained by O’Neill, reached the frame in three Festival races between 2002 and 2007. Look out for Galveston, a useful stayer on the Flat for Aidan O’Brien, should he ever be switched to Jumps. 

This century, there have been only five Brown Advisory victors to return to the winner’s enclosure with an unblemished record over the larger obstacles – Denman, Don Poli, Monkfish, L’Homme Presse and The Real Whacker. 

Denman would also remain unbeaten the next season, with the highlight being his defeat of Kauto Star the 2008 Gold Cup. 

The last horse to complete the Brown Advisory-Gold Cup double was Bobs Worth in 2013. Fact To File, who won the 2024 renewal, might belatedly have something to say about that this time. 

There were zero British-trained runners in the race last year, so Ireland had a "walkover". It must have been the first time the home team had not been represented (even more remarkable given the Turners had been scrapped). 

It was only in 2019 that Britain had ten challengers. Thankfully, the home team will be back this time. 

What used to be the Coral Cup is now the Cup, until another sponsor steps in. 

Novices have a poor record but lightly raced, second-season hurdlers tend to thrive. Jimmy Du Seuil was a prime example when winning last year as he was having his first start outside novice company. 

Since 2000, only six winners have run more than ten times over hurdles. The message is clear: seek out unexposed runners in the Cup. 

This is a race Ireland have dominated with Philip Hobbs the only British trainer to have saddled the winner. He won with Balthazar King in 2012 and 2014. 

Martin Keighley was also responsible for the first past the post in 2016 in Any Currency, but the 13-year-old gelding was disqualified five months later when it was revealed he had tested positive for a prohibited substance. The luckless Keighley, who has also twice had the runner-up, was cleared of any wrongdoing. 

There have been 122 British-trained runners, with Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, Ben Pauling, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Alan King, David Pipe, Jonjo O’Neill, Venetia Williams, Kim Bailey, Sam Thomas, Colin Tizzard, Nicky Richards and Tom George among those to have beaten runners. Nicholls had 16 runners in the race between 2005 and 2016 but has since looked the other way. 

Ireland have had 16 winners, while France have had one from 26 runners. Sweden also came to the party one year. Sixteen of the 20 winners had run at the track earlier in the season. 

Thirty-two obstacles must be negotiated but this is not the jumping test some might imagine. There have been 297 runners but only seven runners have ever fallen, including two in the first running. All 16 runners completed in 2010. 

There have been 13 odds-on favourites this century but just three have won. Master Minded delivered at 4-11 in 2009, as did Altior at the same price a decade later. In between Sprinter Sacre (2013) breezed home at 1-4. 

But on numerous occasions horses seemingly destined to be crowned king have fluffed their lines, giving us a stark reminder that no Festival races are a formality. 

Perhaps the most notable was Douvan (2017) who trailed home seventh at 2-9. He had looked invincible beforehand, having won his previous 14 races, but never recovered after making an early blunder. 

El Fabiolo (2024) went off the same price after seven wins on the spin but was pulled up after a calamitous error at the fifth. 

The others have been: Moscow Flyer (unseated rider at 5-6 in 2004); Master Minded (fourth at 4-5 in 2010); Sizing Europe (second at 4-5 in 2012); Un De Sceaux (second at  4-6 in 2016); Defi Du Seuil (fourth at 2-5 in 2020); Chacun Pour Soi (third at 8-13 in 2021);  Shishkin (pulled up at 5-6 in 2022); and Jonbon (second at 5-6 in 2025). 

Douvan and Jonbon are brothers, but probably avoid any chat about the race at family gatherings. 

Another notable beaten favourite in the race was Kauto Star, who fell early in the 2006 renewal before going on to win two editions of the Gold Cup plus five King Georges. 

In the past 34 years, ten winners had landed the Arkle Chase 12 months earlier. They have been: Remittance Man (1992), Klairon Davis (1996), Moscow Flyer (2003), Azertyuiop (2004), Voy Por Ustedes (2007), Sizing Europe (2011), Sprinter Sacre (2013), Altior (2018) and Put The Kettle On (2021). The SPs have included 10-1, 9-1 and 17-2, so it’s been a profitable route to follow, but Jango Baie will not be improving the record this time as he’s heading for the Gold Cup. 

Only one horse older than 10 (Moscow Flyer) has won since 1978. That does not augur well for Captain Guinness. 

The race has been run in memory of Nicky Henderson’s late father since 2005. With the help of other Jockey Club members, Johnny Henderson raised £260,000 to purchase Cheltenham (as Racecourse Holdings Trust) and safeguard it from property developers. 

Nicky struck with Greenhope (20-1) in 2006 and enjoyed a 1-2 in the 2012 renewal when Bellvano (also 20-1) and beat Tanks For That. 

Overall, Henderson has had 39 runners in the race since 2005, with 34 of those being between 2005 and 2014. He’s not had a runner in it since Theinval, running in the race for a third time, finished fifth at 50-1 in 2020. 

Eleven of the past 15 winners have had an official rating of between 138 and 147. During the same time, 16 horses in that band have finished second or third. 

Since 2005, just four runners rated 150 higher have finished in the first three. 

Global Citizen was a rare older horse to prevail in 2022 - only the third winner since 1998 to be ten or older – but was not typical of his age group, given he was having only his sixth start over fences. 

Willie Mullins has had the winner 14 times since it was first run in 1992 – plus plenty of near-misses – and rode his 1996 conqueror, Wither Or Which, himself. 

However, punters looking to cash in on his dominance should note the market often gets his runners wrong. 

Facile Vega, Jasmin De Vaux and Bambino Fever have been recent “first strings” to deliver but five of his previous six winners were returned at 12-1 (Cousin Vinny), 16-1 (Champagne Fever), 25-1 (Briar Hill), 25-1 (Relegate) and 11-1 (Ferny Hollow). 

The shortest-priced Mullins runners in those races finished sixth, third, eighth, fifth and second. So, don’t rely on the market telling you accurately who the best of the Mullins brigade might be. 

Perhaps the most beloved of Mullins’ Bumper winners has been Champagne Fever, who had such as The New One, Jezki and Many Clouds behind when winning in 2012.

The grey returned a year later to beat My Tent Or Yours in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle before being edged out in the 2014 Arkle. He was also well fancied for the 2015 Champion Chase but was a late non-runner after being bitten on the lip by a stablemate when travelling over from Ireland.