Gaelic Warrior jumps the last fence in splendid isolation

Ian Ogg reflects on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

By Ian Ogg

Horse Racing

Sun March 15, 2026 · 4h ago

Ian Ogg reflects on the four days of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and highlights some possible points of interest.

Use your head

It is not a new concept but the benefits of headgear were once again well advertised at the Cheltenham Festival and the point is worth reiterating.

Lossiemouth garnered the most headlines with the application of cheekpieces designed to help her travel better at two mile champion pace and connections were rewarded with a brilliant display from the popular grey, but she was far from the only one.

Venetia Williams swapped Martator's cheekpieces for blinkers to help him recapture his spark and they, along with his lowest mark in over a year, helped him to a 66/1 success in the Grand Annual denying last year's winner Jazzy Matty who was re-fitted with cheekpieces for the first time in three starts. For good measure, fourth home Release The Beast wore a hood for the first time.

Runaway Plate winner Madara was another for whom cheekpieces were back on for the first time this season. He was followed home by Will The Wise and Moon d'Orange who were, respectively, fitted with a first time tongue tie and visor. The latter is trained by John McConnell who also saddled Olympic Man to be fifth at 125/1 in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir in newly applied cheekpieces.

Third in that contest was Monbeg Genius, returning to form for Jonjo & AJ O'Neill in first time blinkers, also racing from his lowest mark since a close third to Corach Rambler in the 2023 renewal of the Ultima. The Jackdaws Castle team went a couple of places better with Johnnywho (first time cheekpieces) who landed the Tuesday handicap which brought back memories of Holywell who won the Pertemps in first time blinkers and returned to win the Ultima the following year when that headgear replaced the cheekpieces he'd worn for the previous five starts.

There were also near misses for Final Demand and Boycetown in tongue ties while Ballyburn ran his best race for some time in a hood and may well have won the Stayers' Hurdle granted better fortune. Sticktotheplan (wind op and tongue tie), Joyeuse (cheekpieces), Inothewayurthinkin (cheekpieces) and Act Of Authority (cheekpieces) were others to go close.

Obviously it's not a cast-iron guarantee with the headgear (cheekpieces for both) failing to resolve Jeriko Du Reponet's jumping problems in the Kim Muir or Wade Out's enthusiasm as he became detached in the National Hunt Chase before consenting to run on into sixth to his trainer's exasperation.

Phil Turner picks out some of the key takeaways from Cheltenham

Handicapped to the hilt

The release of the weights is eagerly awaited and recent success for the British trainers in the handicaps have, for a while now, sparked accusations that attempts to address the balance have gone too far in favour of the home team. Some of that can be put down to discrepancies in the respective approaches of the officials but it wouldn't have taken too much for the week to have had a very different look to it.

Search For Glory (40/1) may well have won the Ultima but for unseating at the last. Madara was followed across the line by six Irish runners. Union Station fared best of the Irish runners in the National Hunt Chase but Backmersackme was sent off the 3/1 favourite and his performance can't be put down to his mark as he never looked happy.

The theme continued with the BetMGM Cup seeing Irish runners finish second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh. They dominated the Cross Country and again saddled the second through to the sixth in the Grand Annual; you get the picture.

Finally, much has been made of Willie Mullins having never won a handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival but that record surely won't last a great deal longer.

Road For Home (9/1) narrowly failed to land a gamble in the Kim Muir while the meeting's leading trainer saw Gold Dancer (25/1), King Alexander (20/1) and Kiss Will (11/1) finish second, fourth and fifth in the novices' handicap where Dr Eggman (66/1) and Where's My Jet (25/1) were also-rans. O'Moore Park (22/1) backed up last year's good run when sixth in the Plate but was his only handicap chase runner on Tuesday while Western Diego (25/1) was the sole representative in the Grand Annual.

It's just a matter of time.

Johnny's Jury storms up the hill in the Albert Bartlett

It's a hard place to win

You'll have heard those words uttered on a number of occasions in both victory and defeat over the last week.

Gordon Elliott hasn't had the returns he'd have wished for over the last two Festivals, the O'Neill family had been 'waiting six years' for a winner and two came along while the once familiar Festival runners from the Twiston-Davies yard were notable only in relative absence.

Kudos then to Adam Nicol and Faye Bramley whose juveniles performed with great credit but their wait for a Festival winner goes on unlike Jamie Snowden.

Nicky Henderson's former assistant has proved time and again that he has the attributes to challenge at the top with the right horses but that doesn't seem to be even half the battle. Training at Folly House in Lambourn from a base with capacity of around 50, Snowden sent out his first Festival winner in 2014 when Present View won the novices' handicap chase.

You Wear It Well and Johnny's Jury have taken his tally to three while there have been numerous other good performances and big-race victories elsewhere.

Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls also deserve a mention. It is 31 years since Bailey sent out Alderbrook and Master Oats to win the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup in the same season and, as for so many, the victories are harder to come by, but White Noise (40/1) gave a timely reminder of their talents as the pair try and build the quality in their stable.

The utopia of the best equine talent being spread across a wider range of stables is as likely to happen as a cohesive and universally popular starting system but at least the likes of Snowden and Bailey and Nicholls have done their part.

Something borrowed

I have borrowed Ben Linfoot's second hand advice to finish with a tip.

There could be some mileage - at least as far as trading out goes - with getting Ma Shantou onside at 50/1 for the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

Ma Shantou finished last (beaten 51 lengths) with Emma Lavelle offering 'no excuses' on Sky Sports Racing, adding: "We were expecting a really good showing but it just didn't happen. He jumped great, travelled well but when Harry [Cobden] pressed the button to say go and quicken with them, he quickened for 10 strides and that was it.

"He seems bouncy and happy at home but it will all come out in the wash I'm sure. Was he not good enough? Was the ground lively enough? Did he leave his race in the Cleeve?

"That will probably be him for the season. I would imagine we'll come out for the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury and if that works, brilliant, we know what the route is, and if it doesn't we might go and jump a fence with him."

Ma Shantou is not the biggest and while that in itself won't prevent him from jumping a fence, it might make life more difficult and the Stayers' Hurdle is often regarded, arguably, as a consolation prize for horses that don't take to chasing [Ballyburn the latest exhibit].

It's often not the strongest of divisions and the first three home were aged 11, 8 and 11, and Teahupoo will be 10 next year. Ma Shantou is only seven and may just have been over the top after a relatively busy season that saw him advance his mark from 129 to 154 through the course of five runs.

There's often little depth to the better staying contests in Britain and it would only take a good run from Ma Shantou at Newbury and / or Ascot to persuade connections to commit to the staying hurdle route and for his price to contract accordingly.

Whether to stick or twist is a decision that can be left until March when the line-up becomes that little bit clearer.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.