Ben Linfoot dishes out his awards of the week after the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, before finishing with a tip for 2027.
Horse of the Week – Gaelic Warrior 🏆
This time last year Gaelic Warrior was absent from the Cheltenham Festival as Willie Mullins was nursing him back to form ahead of Aintree. That win in Liverpool proved a turning point for a horse that had been beaten in the three races he had competed in since he won the Arkle, but, as it turns out, all he needed was a trip. Here he was one of those Gold Cup winners that outclassed his rivals. He did them for cruising speed and in running eight lengths clear of Jango Baie in a deep field, he has cemented his legacy in the best possible way. Still only eight, he could be back for more next year in a bid to make more Festival history, to go along with his Fred Winter defeat off a mark of 129 (how?!), his Baring Bingham second, his Arkle win and now this. As he cruised up on the shoulder of The Jukebox Man rounding the turn for home we knew. If he jumped the last two, it was simply a case of how far. This time, in the famous pink Rich Ricci silks, there was to be no late drama.
Jockey of the Week – Paul Townend 🏆
I know he rides the best horses from the best stable and the markets tell you he should be top jockey. But Paul Townend is so much more than that. He’s the first jockey to win the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup treble in the same year. He’s now the most successful Gold Cup jockey in history, too. King Rasko Grey could’ve been a tricky ride up in trip in the Turners, and he was a shade keen early, but Townend quickly settled him in front, then took a lead off Skylight Hustle and I’ll Sort That, sticking to the inside, before producing his challenge two out like a peak Ruby Walsh. He judged the Champion Chase pace to perfection on Il Etait Temps. Brilliant on Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup. He even almost got Ballyburn home. Leading jockey for the week with four winners, while avoiding the majority of the handicaps, there’s no finer man for the top job in the sport. Five Gold Cups.
Trainer of the Week – Willie Mullins 🏆
Some questioned if this would be as dominant a Festival for Willie Mullins. He had eight winners. The Champion Hurdle with Lossiemouth, the Champion Chase with Il Etait Temps and Cheltenham Gold Cup with Gaelic Warrior. Novice wins for Kargese, King Rasko Grey and Kitzbuhel show the future remains bright. The BHA might be looking at another Triumph Hurdle rule change after he simply shrugged his shoulders at not being able to unleash a hurdling newcomer and won it with an unknown French import instead, in Apolon De Charnie. Always tinkering, he put first-time cheekpieces on Lossiemouth ahead of her Champion Hurdle romp and whipped the hood off Il Etaits Temps for his Champion Chase redemption. Okay, he wants the ground perfect and Fact To File not running was a shame, but there’s no getting away from it. The man is a magician.
Race of the Week – Champion Hurdle 🏆
The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup was brilliant, but it nearly always is, and it was great to see the Unibet Champion Hurdle deliver on day one. The previous year was unsatisfactory with Constitution Hill and State Man falling, while Brighterdaysahead wasn’t herself, and it felt like the division needed a clean race and a deserving champion. Especially after the Constitution Hill saga. In Lossiemouth, delivering her fourth successive Festival win, it got one. She travelled like a speedy two-miler in the first-time cheekpieces and she devoured the hill, pulling away from old rival Brighterdaysahead by over six lengths with The New Lion back in third. Like Gaelic Warrior in the same ownership, she’s younger than you think at only seven, and after this surely the debates over her Festival target are put to bed, at least for a couple of years, all being well.
Ride of the Week – Harry Cobden on Kitzbuhel 🏆
Several contenders here but Harry Cobden gets my vote for his finely-judged ride from the front on Kitzbuhel in the Brown Advisory. He got the fractions absolutely spot on and got his horse into a perfect jumping rhythm, all while taking his record for Willie Mullins to five from 13 at 38% (in the UK) something that will have been a factor in him getting the JP McManus job. And the most impressive aspect of this ride? That it came minutes after things going against him aboard No Drama This End in the previous race. For all his physical skills, he more than has a mentality to match.
Plot Job of the Week - Madara 🏆
Dan Skelton had his best team ever for the championship races, but they all fell just short. The New Lion third in the Champion Hurdle, L'Eau du Sud third in the Champion Chase, Kabral Du Mathan fourth in the Stayers', after travelling like the winner, and Grey Dawning fourth in the Gold Cup. They all ran well. But Skelton still went home with two trophies thanks to his bread and butter, the thing that made his name; handicap plot jobs. Supremely West went off 100/30 for the Pertemps and never looked like losing. But earlier in the week Madara took the phrase 'handicap good thing' to new levels as he ran away with the Plate handicap chase by over seven lengths, looking lobbed in off 140 at odds of 3/1 with the cheekpieces back on. After arriving at Skelton's via Sophie Leech's and Keiran Burke's, he had a year off the track after his first two runs for his new yard at Cheltenham, then returned at Wetherby over two miles at Christmas, where the stewards inquired into the running and riding of the six-year-old. Explanations noted, he then 'caught the eye' running on for second at Kempton in February and, off a mark 3lb lower than his post-DRF win peak in 2024, he never looked like getting beat in what is usually one of the most competitive races of the week. (Plot) job done.
Moment of the Week – Queally v De Boinville 🏆
Some shambolic starts have been a talking point this week and the review the BHA announced mid-meeting is not before time, while drama emanated following the start of the Turners when Irish jockey Declan Queally accused Nico de Boinville of abusing him. He said: “Being abused by an English rider in Nico de Boinville, not very nice… it was horrific.” De Boinville retorted with “maybe he should look in the mirror." The BHA adjourned the matter, then Davy Russell popped up as peacemaker the next day and a televised handshake ensued. Fireworks. It’s not the last we’ll hear of it and perhaps the one thing that will stop on the back of the spat is the heat of the moment jockey interviews on the weighing room steps. It might be an incident the TV executives will have relished, but I doubt the participants feel the same way.
Quote of the Week – Patrick Mullins 🏆
“I’m very proud of my father. I've never seen him doubt himself as much as he has this winter and he was getting lots of advice, but he has stuck to his guns.”
Some perspective for all of us as Patrick gives us some insight that even the greats of the game can struggle upstairs when things aren’t quite going to plan.
Headgear switch of the Week – Martator 🏆
We’ve already spoken about Willie’s application of cheekpieces on Lossiemouth and the removal of the hood from Il Etait Temps, plus Skelton's reintroduction of cheekpieces on Madara, but they are not the only tinkerers in town and Venetia Williams deserves credit for her work with Martator in the Grand Annual. It has been a season to forget for Williams but a 66/1 Cheltenham Festival winner papers over a few cracks and Martator’s last-gasp nose success over Jazzy Matty came in first-time blinkers after 15 successive runs in cheekpieces, including defeats in his last nine runs. Timing.
Bowen of the Week – James 🏆
Oh Sean. Now 0/65 at the Festival after another blank including two seconds, two thirds and Haiti Couleurs being pulled up in the Gold Cup, it was a week to forget for the runaway jockeys’ championship leader. It will come. Brother James was 0/20 at this meeting coming into the week and he goes home with two trophies after winning with his final ride on Tuesday on Holloway Queen and his first ride on Wednesday aboard BetMGM Cup gamble Jingko Blue. ‘They’re like London buses, Sean…’
National Hunt Stallion of the Week – Jukebox Jury / Westerner 🏆
Jukebox Jury is no more but his progeny had a great Festival as looked likely at the start of the week. But it wasn’t his Bambino Fever or McLaurey or Skylight Hustle that hit the headlines, it was Holloway Queen, Il Etait Temps and Johnny’s Jury with the wins making him the joint leading sire of the meeting along with Westerner. While Air Of Entitlement sealed the Prestbury Cup for Ireland in the final race of the meeting, he ensured the leading stallion award went to a 3-3 tie as he joined fellow Westerner progeny Supremely West and Wilful into the winners’ enclosure. Well Chosen (Old Park Star and The Mourne Rambler), Camelot (Saratoga and Final Orders), Great Pretender (Lossiemouth and Jingko Blue) and Doctor Dino (Madara and Dinoblue) all finished joint third with two winners apiece.
One for next year of the Week – Koktail Divin 25/1 for the Ryanair 🏆
Finally, finish with a tip. I can’t remember who gave me that advice but we’ll stick to it. This year’s Ryanair Chase went to Heart Wood after the late withdrawal of Fact To File but I’d expect some fresh blood in the race next year and this year’s winning trainer Henry de Bromhead could have a new kid on the block for the contest in Koktail Divin. Only sixth in the Brown Advisory, he’ll have to improve, but it was a very deep renewal of the 3m novice chase and he looked all set to play a leading role when creeping up onto the shoulder of Kitzbuhel on the turn for home. He weakened after the second last, but it was a highly promising effort, 2m5f could be his trip and we know the owners are only interested in having Grade 1 runners. At 25/1, he looks a fun long-term investment. Until next year...
