Who Has Been The Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer Each Year Since 1999?

As we race towards another Cheltenham Festival it’s all set up to be another Willie Mullins show, with a stack of big fancies dotted about over the four days as he bids to win yet another trainers’ title at the meeting.

With that in mind, we look back on the last Cheltenham Festival top trainers since 1999 – plus how many Mullins has won and when the last time the Closutton handler DIDN’T train the most winners at the Festival.

Willie Mullins Been Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer Eleven Times, Including The Last Six Years

According to the best horse racing betting sites in the UK, it’s just a matter of ‘how many’ for trainer Willie Mullins at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

The Irish champion trainer has been the top Cheltenham Festival trainer ELEVEN times in the past and has been the leading stable in all-bar-two of the last 12 years.

With only Gordon Elliott in 2017 and 2018 spoiling the party.

Mullins fired in another nine winners at the meeting in 2024 – which means he won 33% of the 27 races (Cross Country cancelled) – and this followed his six successes in 2023 and ten in 2022.

In total the Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival winners stand at 103 heading into 2025 and no other trainer has won more at this fixture.

Nicky Henderson is next best with 73 successes at the Festival, with Paul Nicholls on 49, Gordon Elliott on 40 and Dan Skelton way back on 10.

The first Cheltenham Festival top trainers title for Willie Mullins came in 2011, when he sent out just four winners.

There are also just SEVEN Festival races that Willie Mullins is yet to win – find out which ones here.

 

Cheltenham Festival Top Trainers (Since 1999)

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DID YOU KNOW? Willie Mullins has had 70 Cheltenham Festival winners in the last 10 years alone.

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Willie Mullins The Big Favourite To Be Top Cheltenham Festival Trainer (Again)

Therefore, it’s no shock that Willie Mullins is the long odds-on favourite with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK to be top Cheltenham Festival trainer again.

Before the tapes have gone up on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, Mullins is as short as 1/5 – meaning a £10 wager will win you just £2 (plus your £10 back).

Next best is Nicky Henderson at 11/2, with Gordon Elliott 12/1, Dan Skelton and Gavin Cromwell both 20/1, Henry De Bromhead 33/1 and former winner Paul Nicholls 50/1.

Paul Nicholls Has Been Top Cheltenham Festival Trainer Six Times, But Not Since 2009

The 14-time Champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls has also been the leading handler at the Cheltenham Festival six times – but not for a while.

It was back in 2009 that Nicholls was last crowned top trainer at the Festival with five winners – one of which was Kauto Star in the Gold Cup, plus the very first of five Stayers’ Hurdle wins for Big Buck’s.

The first time Nicholls won the trainers title at Cheltenham was back in 1999, when he sent out just three winners. But don’t forget the meeting was only staged over three days back then.

In total, Paul Nicholls has trained 49 Cheltenham Festival winners heading into 2025.

Paul Nicholls Cheltenham Top Trainer Years/Wins

Nicky Henderson Has Been Top Cheltenham Festival Trainer NINE Times, With His Most Recent In 2012

12 months ago, the Nicky Henderson horses were under a cloud and the Seven Barrows trainer due a blank at the Festival for the first time since 2008.

However, he’s got his team back on song ahead of 2025, with the likes of Jonbon and Constitution Hill big hopes for Henderson, which is why – according to the best betting sites in the UK – he’s the biggest threat to Mullins in the 2025 trainers’ title race.

In total Henderson has 73 Festival winners, with his first coming in 1985.

While over this time he’s also been top Cheltenham Festival trainer nine times – six times on his own and three times shared.

Nicky Henderson Cheltenham Top Trainer Years/Wins

When Is The 2025 Cheltenham Festival?

This year’s Cheltenham Festival 2025 dates will see the four-day meeting runs from Tuesday 11th March to Friday 14th March.