Cheltenham Festival 2016 Results

For the first time in history, 2016 saw the total prize money at Cheltenham Festival climb above £4 million, a significant milestone especially during a time when the unsteady future of British horse racing was a frequent topic of discussion.

It wasn’t the money that made the headlines though, especially not once Sprinter Sacre achieved his remarkable comeback having been previously side-lined due to a heart condition. After more than a year in recovery, the horse not only battled back to fitness but regained his crown in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a race he first won three years earlier.

It really was a career defining race for the horse, and his trainer, Nicky Henderson.

It was another trainer who won top trainer for the festival though, and, predictably, that trainer was Willie Mullins, with 7 wins. He didn’t know it at the time, but this would be his last year with Gigginstown House Stud, so he would lose a lot of the horses after the split a few months later.

Among the races Mullins won, were the Arkle, the Mares’ Hurdle, the Novices’ Hurdle, and at the top of the list, the Champion Hurdle. This was won by Annie Power, who, although the favourite at 5/2, was still the first mare to win the race in 22 years which caused quite a stir.

It was Ruby Walsh on Annie Power’s back, and he had an excellent festival too, netting 7 wins, a joint record with his 2009 effort. Mullins’ dominance also helped the Irish win another Prestbury Cup, with 15 wins to Britain’s 13.

There were no major surprises in 2016, with a lot of favourites performing as expected and doing the business, partly helped by the weather which was as expected, leaving the going slightly soft for most of the events. This did contribute to a terrible 10 year high in the number of horses that died during the festival though, with the final tally reaching 7, and 3 of them in a single day.

15th March 2016 – Day One (Champion Day)

16th March 2016 – Day Two (Ladies’ Day)

17th March 2016 – Day Three (St. Patrick’s Day)

18th March 2016 – Day Four (Gold Cup Day)