It’s that time of year again when all the talk in the horse racing world is about the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival. The UK’s premier horse racing festival is a big deal and attracts over 250,000 visitors every year as well as global interest via TV broadcasting.

Notorious sporting heritage

Whether you are a horse racing fan or not, you’ll know about the Cheltenham Festival. It is almost on a par with the Grand National for sporting notoriety. Many people who rarely gamble may even have a bet on the showpiece Gold Cup race, which is held on the Friday.

Most punters don’t bet on the races until the week of the festival when the final runners are declared. But there are some markets that you can wager on before the action gets underway. Early markets for Cheltenham betting today include top trainer, top jockey, Prestbury Cup winner, and the total number of Irish-trained winners.

The Irish dominance

The Prestbury Cup is contested between Ireland and Great Britain and is awarded to the region which trains the most winners. The Prestbury Cup odds 2022 have Ireland as the 1/9 odds-on favorites thanks to their dominance in recent years. Since 2015, the Irish have had the most winners in five out of six festivals and tied the other one. Last year, they landed 23 out of 28 winners, a new record.

Given the Irish dominance, it is no surprise that the top trainer betting odds have three Irishmen at the top of the list. Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, and Henry de Bromhead have had the upper hand at Cheltenham over the last few years.

Training legend

Mullins is the festival’s all-time leading trainer with 78 wins. He had a long wait to win his first Gold Cup before winning back-to-back editions with Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020. His other wins include 11 Champions Bumpers, nine Mares’ Hurdles, seven Supreme Novices’ Hurdles, and four Champions Hurdles.

Notorious sporting heritage

Whether you are a horse racing fan or not, you’ll know about the Cheltenham Festival. It is almost on a par with the Grand National for sporting notoriety. Many people who rarely gamble may even have a bet on the showpiece Gold Cup race, which is held on the Friday.

Most punters don’t bet on the races until the week of the festival when the final runners are declared. But there are some markets that you can wager on before the action gets underway. Early markets for Cheltenham betting today include top trainer, top jockey, Prestbury Cup winner, and the total number of Irish-trained winners.

The Irish dominance

The Prestbury Cup is contested between Ireland and Great Britain and is awarded to the region which trains the most winners. The Prestbury Cup odds 2022 have Ireland as the 1/9 odds-on favorites thanks to their dominance in recent years. Since 2015, the Irish have had the most winners in five out of six festivals and tied the other one. Last year, they landed 23 out of 28 winners, a new record.

Given the Irish dominance, it is no surprise that the top trainer betting odds have three Irishmen at the top of the list. Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, and Henry de Bromhead have had the upper hand at Cheltenham over the last few years.

Training legend

Mullins is the festival’s all-time leading trainer with 78 wins. He had a long wait to win his first Gold Cup before winning back-to-back editions with Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020. His other wins include 11 Champions Bumpers, nine Mares’ Hurdles, seven Supreme Novices’ Hurdles, and four Champions Hurdles.

Unsurprisingly, Blackmore also hails from Ireland. In the last 13 years, 12 of the top jockeys were Irish. Englishman Nico de Boinville was the exception in 2019, with just three winners.

As you can see, the Cheltenham Festivals is a happy hunting ground for Irish trainers and jockeys. The event attracts a significant number of Irish racegoers as a result. Add in the fact that St Patricks’ day also falls during the festival, and it is no wonder the Irish are claiming the festival as their own.

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