With the Cheltenham Festival now just a couple of weeks away, we’re starting to take a closer look at the names that are likely to make an impact this time around. You can read about the 10 horses that we think you should keep an eye on elsewhere on the site. On this page we’re going to be taking a closer look at the trainers that will be hoping to see their charges emerge victorious.
We’ll be having a think about the horses that are most likely to give the biggest trainers a win during the week, as well as the ones that they’ll be hoping can spring a surprise. Are they targeting specific races and hoping to be stood on the winner’s podium after the horses have crossed the finish line? We’ll do our best to answer those questions here.
Top 10 Cheltenham Festival Trainers
As with the horses, we’re not going to be writing about the trainers in any specific order. Instead we’ll just be looking at the names that you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for, flagging up both the well-known and the not so well-known ones that will be hoping for success at Prestbury Park.
Willie Mullins
Whilst we are looking at the trainers in random order, where else could we start but with Willie Mullins? The Irishman began working as a trainer in 1988 and heads into this year’s Cheltenham Festival as its most successful trainer of all time. Part of that came thanks to his training of eight winners back in 2015, which is a record that Gordon Elliott matched up to in 2018.
The fact that he’s been named Top Trainer in six out of the previous ten Festivals suggests that he knows what he’s doing. Part of his plan involves having a number of entrants into the big races and this year is no exception. Al Boum Photo will be hoping to retain the Gold Cup after winning it in 2019, with Kemboy another entrant into the showpiece event for Mullins.
Big entrants for Mullins include the likes of Chacun Pour Soi and Cilaos Emery in the Champion Chase as well as Min in the Ryanair Chase. If you want a name that isn’t one of the glaringly obvious ones, though, then you might want to consider Carefully Selected in the National Hunt Chase. It’s also worth thinking about Melon, who has been runner-up three years running.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: Carlow, Ireland
- Training Since: 1988
Nicky Henderson
If we weren’t going to start with Willie Mullins then we could easily have chosen to do so with Nicky Henderson, given he’s the trainer that is giving Mullins his closest run for the title of the Cheltenham Festival’s most successful trainer. He was last named the Top Trainer in 2012, so he’ll be keen to reclaim that title if he’s able to get his charges into order.
He’s certainly got some well-known competitors to his name, with Altior, Santini and Buveur D’Air all under his command. They’ll be hoping to make waves in the Champion Chase, Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle respectively. Buveur D’Air might have his work cut out in the Champion Hurdle given that another Henderson offering, Epatante, is a favourite for it.
Two other names on the Henderson roster are Marie’s Rock, who will be out to impress in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle. Inexperience on the big stage, hence the novice race entry, but she won easily at Taunton on the 30th of December. Champ boasts more experience, but fell in the Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day so will hope to do better in the RSA Chase.
- Nationality: British
- Location Of Stables: Seven Barrows, Berkshire
- Training Since: 1978
Paul Nicholls
Between 2004 and 2009 Paul Nicholls won the Top Trainer title five times, only missing out to Howard Johnson in 2005. He hasn’t won it since then, however, as something of a ‘changing of the guard’ has taken place at the Festival. Whilst he’s unlikely to return to the top of the pile this time around, he’s certainly got a few interesting entrants to look out for.
Whilst he definitely lacks the strength in depth of the likes of Mullins and Henderson, Nicholls has still got a few tricks up his sleeve. He is the trainer of Frodon, after all, who won the Ryanair Chase last year and has been getting in the mood thanks to his win at Kempton in the Silviniaco Conti Chase back in January. He’s not a banker, but he’s a talented horse on his day.
Cyrname is a horse that isn’t spoken about much, perhaps because it’s hard to say, but got the better of the much-vaunted Altior earlier in the season. Nicholls is also the man responsible for Clan Des Obeaux, who won the Grade 1 King George VI Chase on Boxing Day and is many people’s dark horse for the Gold Cup.
- Nationality: British
- Location Of Stables: Ditcheat, Somerset
- Training Since: 1991
Gavin Cromwell
A farrier by trade, Gavin Cromwell didn’t take out his trainer’s licence until 2005 and had to wait two years until his first winner. It wasn’t until Espoir D’Allen won in the Champion Hurdle last year that broke his Cheltenham Festival virginity. He’d already begun to make a name for himself thanks to his 2018 Welsh Grand National Success with Raz De Maree.
He’s not exactly going to be troubling the folk looking to be named Top Trainer, but he’s definitely worth tracking given his rise to prominence over the past couple of years. Darver Star is one of his hopefuls, having finished third in the Grade 1 Royal Bond at Firehouse at the start of December and then improved on that to end up second in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the start of Feb
Look out for Darver Star in the Coral Cup if Cromwell decides against entering him in the Champion Hurdle. It’s also worth watching the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle where the entertainingly named Ilikedwayurthinkin will be hoping to do well. He’s only raced twice so far this season but impressed at Leopardstown at the end of December.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: County Meath, Ireland
- Training Since: 2005
Gordon Elliott
Perhaps the most fancied trainer after Mullins and Henderson, the County Meath-based Irishman was just 29 when he trained Silver Birch to a Grand National win in 2007. More than a decade later and his love affair with that race continued when he watched Davy Russell guide Tiger Roll to back-to-back National wins, becoming the first horse since Red Rum to manage the feat.
He enjoyed two winners as a jockey at Cheltenham and has carried on in the same vein since becoming a trainer. He’s multi-talented too, having trainer winners on the flat as well as over jumps. His first win at Prestbury Park as a trainer came courtesy of Chicago Grey, who won the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup back in 2011.
This year he’ll be harbouring hopes of wins in the likes of the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase courtesy of Samcro, the RSA Chase through Battleoverdoyen and whichever race he decides to enter Envoi Allen in. After all, Envoi Allen is unbeaten in the seven starts he’s had so far in his career. That includes the Festival experience he gained in 2018 in the Champion Bumper.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: County Meath, Ireland
- Training Since: 2006
Colin Tizzard
When you’ve got a list of previous winners that includes Cue Card, Thistlecrack and Native River, you’ve earned a degree of respect from the race going public. Colin Tizzard has never been crowned Top Trainer at the Cheltenham Festival, but it would be a surprise if he walked away this time around without at least a couple of winners under his belt.
He’s likely to enter a couple of previously good performance in Lostintranslation and the aforementioned Native River into the Gold Cup, with the former finishing second in the JLT Novices’ Chase last year. Native River won the main event back in 2018, so will be hoping to regain his crown this time around.
If you want to look away from the obvious then Master Debonair could be a good shout in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, having enjoyed two wins and a second-place finish in the three races he’s been entered into so far this season. Thistlecrack has enjoyed something of a mixed run since winning the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day in 2016 but could fancy the Stayers.
- Nationality: British
- Location Of Stables: Sherborne, Dorset
- Training Since: 1998
Henry De Bromhead
Henry De Bromhead isn’t a name that leaps out at most racegoers, largely because he tends to be quite selective in the horse that he sends over to Gloucestershire for the Festival. Minella Indo handed him some success in last year’s Albert Bartlett, also pleasing the punters given the odds of 50/1. There was also a win for A Plus Tard in the Close Brothers Novices’ Chase.
It would be a surprise if those two didn’t return this year, though they’ll be going for different races. The Ryanair Chase looks somewhat open, so it’s likely that that’s the one that A Plus Tard will be pointed at, whilst Minella Indo is many people’s favourite for the RSA Chase. Regardless of the races that De Bromhead asks them to run in, he’ll be fancying his chances.
That’s also very much the case with Honeysuckle, who is well-fancied for the Mares’ Hurdle. That De Bromhead has also entered her into the Champion Hurdle shows just how much belief there is in her ability heading into the Festival. As always, there’s no such thing as a banker in the world of horse racing because of the nature of the races, but Honeysuckle might be it for De Bromhead.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: County Waterford, Ireland
- Training Since: 2000
Jonjo O’Neill
Jonjo O’Neill boasts 26 Cheltenham Festival winners heading into the 2020 renewal, with arguably his most famous win actually coming away from Gloucestershire thanks to Don’t Push It’s 2010 Grand National win. He was a well-respected jockey in his younger days, being named the British Champion Jockey in 1978 and 1980, including a Gold Cup win on the back of Dawn Run.
That experience as a jockey bled through into his training career, with Synchronised winning the Gold Cup for him during the Festival in 2012. He’s returning with another winning horse this year, full of hope that Minella Rocco can impress in the Gold Cup having come so close only to miss out to Sizing John in the main event back in 2017. He’s already got two wins this season.
There’ll also be plenty of hope for Annie Mc, who will be giving it a good go in the Marsh Novices’ Chase. She’s only six but has won 5 of her last 7 outings. That includes in the Grade 2 Mares’ National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle Series Final at Newbury against a competitive field last March. She’s got the winning bug, but this will be her first time at Cheltenham.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Training Since: 1986
Joseph O’Brien
The name ‘O’Brien’ is one that most horse racing fans will recognise, thanks to the remarkable success of Aidan O’Brien over the years. Joseph Patrick O’Brien is his son and was a successful flat racing jockey in his own right before turning to the world of jump racing. Wins in the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby all came in 2012.
He began his training career in 2016 and saw almost immediate success, watching Intricately win the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Over the following two years he added wins in the Melbourne Cup and the Irish Derby to his list of accolades. He’s now hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps in the world of jump racing, with the 2020 Cheltenham Festival in his sights.
It looks as though Early Doors is being geared up to take on the Kim Muir Challenge Cup, having won the Martin Pipe Conditional during the Festival last year. He’s finished second twice in the three races he’s taken part in this season. Fakir D’oudairies is another horse of note, having come fourth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last year he’ll be looking to win the Arkle this time around.
- Nationality: Irish
- Location Of Stables: County Kilkenny, Ireland
- Training Since: 2016
Nigel Twiston-Davies
If you wanted to come up with a stereotypical name for someone that you thought might be associated with horse racing then it’s more than possible that you’d land close to something along the lines of Nigel Twiston-Davies. He’s spent his career very much living up to that promise too, having seen his first winner in 1982 and trained over a thousand winners since then.
Alongside two Grand National winners, Twiston-Davies has also watched a horse under his guidance romp home in the Gold Cup when Imperial Commander was the victor of the 2010 outing. That came a year after the same horse had won the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, proving that he’s got more than a slight taste for winning at Prestbury Park.
This year he’s got a few irons in the Cheltenham fire, with Sir Valentine and Stolen Silver both going entered into a couple of races giving him room for manoeuvre. The same is true of many other horses, though Bristol De Mai is a standout one that he’ll be hoping can bring him another Gold Cup. Plenty of names to follow under Twiston-Davies’ stewardship.
- Nationality: British
- Location Of Stables: Naunton, Gloucestershire
- Training Since: 1981