Which Cheltenham Festival Race Do The Irish Have The Worst Record In?

Irish winners at the Cheltenham Festival are a very common thing these days with the raiders from the Emerald Isle firing in 18 winners at the meeting in 2024 and are long odds-on get the most again in 2025.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Irish do well in MOST of the 28 Cheltenham Festival races each year.

However, there is ONE Cheltenham race that they have a shocking record in – find out below.

The Irish Have A POOR Record In The Ultima Handicap Chase at The Cheltenham Festival

As the tapes go up for the Cheltenham Festival each year for the opening race – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – more often than not punters are cheering home an Irish-trained winner.

They’ve won eight of the last 12 runnings of this Festival curtain raiser, including last year with Slade Steel.

The next race on day one – the Arkle Challenge Trophy – has also been a kind race for the Irish, with Ireland winning 70% of the last 10.

However, over the years this has been where the Irish Cheltenham winners party has been put on hold.

This is because race three on day one of the Festival – the Ultima Handicap Chase – has been a desperate contest for Irish-trained horses.

The Irish Have Won Just TWO Of The Last 56 Runnings Of The Ultima Chase (since 1967)

You must go back to 2006, and the Tony Martin-trained Dun Doire, to find the last Irish-trained winner of the Ultima Handicap Chase – with Ruby Walsh riding.

This win came three years after the JP McManus-owned Youlneverwalkalone won for trainer Christy Roche and jockey Barry Geraghty.

But these remain the ONLY two Irish-trained Ultima Handicap Chase winners since 1967.

Meaning there have been just two Irish winners of this day one Cheltenham Festival race in the last 56 runnings.

In The Last 18 Runnings Of The Ultima Handicap Chase Irish-Trained Horses Are 0-46

Yes, the classy Fastorslow went close when second in 2023 to the former Grand National winner Corach Rambler.

Plus, 12 months ago, in 2024 the well-fancied Meetingofthewaters was third for Willie Mullins and The Goffer fifth for Gordon Elliott.

But this Irish dry spell in the Ultima now stands at 0-from-46 in the last 18 runnings.

Willie Mullins Has NEVER Won The Ultima Handicap Chase

Therefore, with the Ultima being a dire event for the Irish, it’s also no surprise it’s one of the SEVEN Cheltenham Festival races that top trainer Wille Mullins, who has 103 winners at the meeting, has NEVER won.

As mentioned, he went close in 2024 when his Meetingofthewaters ran third to the eventual winner Chianti Classico (watch below).

The Plate Handicap Chase Had Been Another Poor Race For Ireland (but are turning the corner)

Another race that had been a poor Cheltenham Festival contest for the Irish was the Plate Handicap Chase, run in the Thursday (day three).

Prior to 2016, they’d not had a winner since 1982.

However, despite this poor run the Irish have certainly turned a corner here – winning the prize FIVE times in the last nine runnings.

The broke their duck in 2016 with the Colm Murphy-trained Empire Of Dirt, while despite not winning in 2024 (Shakem’Up’arry, Ben Pauling), they also took the race with Road To Respect (2017), The Storyteller (2018), The Shunter (2021) and Seddon (2023).

Irish Cheltenham Festival Winners 2024

Prestbury Cup Winners Since 2014

Ireland and GB also fight it out for the Prestbury Cup – which is an award given to the most trained winners.

Since 2016, Ireland have dominated – with GB drawing in 2019 and last winning the Prestbury Cup in 2015.

Ireland have won the cup for the last three seasons with exactly 18 wins. While in 2021 they remarkably fired in 23 winners from the 28 races which worked out at a 82% Irish strike-rate.

Therefore, it’s no shock to see Ireland as the short-priced favourites with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK to fire in the most Cheltenham Festival winners in 2025.

Which Cheltenham Festival Races Do The Irish Do Well In?

 

In short, pretty much most of the other Cheltenham Festival races away from the Ultima Handicap Chase.

However, with 13 winners in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper on day two (Wednesday) for Willie Mullins – this has been a top contest for the Irish.

As well as Mullins firing in the winners here, his main rival Gordon Elliott has also trained two of the last eight.

While the Irish lead the British in this race 26-7 – giving them a 79% strike-rate.

The last British-trained winner of the Champion Bumper was Ballyandy in 2016, who was trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Of the other Cheltenham race the Irish do well in – the Mares Hurdle is another they’ve got a cracking record in.

Since it was first run in 2008, the Irish have won all-bar-two renewals, with only Whiteoak (Donald McCain), Roksana (Dan Skelton) and Marie’s Rock (2022) stopping it being an Irish cleansweep. With Willie Mullins winning 10 of the 14 Irish-trained winners of the race.