Which favourites should you take on at the Cheltenham Festival?
Racing returns to Cheltenham on Friday

Timeform's Cheltenham course guide and key stats


Timeform's guide to racing at Cheltenham, featuring the key facts and figures ahead of the two-day Showcase meeting which begins on Friday.


Timeform's Cheltenham course guide

Left handed, undulating. Stiff fences that place a premium on sound jumping. The last half mile is uphill, although the lead changes hands on the run-in less frequently than might be expected. Prominent-racers often fare well on the chase course, especially in races up to 3m. On the New Course, the hurdles track has just two flights in the last six furlongs, resulting in more emphasis on stamina. Jockeys often steer a wide course in the winter months searching for better ground and this can lead to trouble in-running towards the stand rail in the straight.

Get Stuck In: Episode One | Cheltenham Showcase Meeting and Old Roan Chase


Leading active trainers at Cheltenham

Sorted by strike rate since the start of the 2017/18 season

  • John McConnell 17.86% (5-28)
  • Kerry Lee 16.67% (6-36)
  • Henry de Bromhead 15.97% (19-119)
  • Harry Whittington 15.38% (4-26)
  • Michael Scudamore 15.15% (5-33)
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Other points to consider

  • Nicky Henderson has had the most winners in the period under question, sending out 45 from 306 runners at a strike rate of 14.71% that means he only just misses out on the above list. Willie Mullins has had 35 winners from 301 runners, with all bar one of those winners coming at the Festival in March (Stormy Ireland won the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year's Day in 2022).
  • John McConnell's strike rate improves when only focusing on runners at the October meeting since the start of the 2017/18 season - he has had three winners from 11 runners at an impressive strike rate of 27.27%. Two of those winners were achieved in the three-mile novice hurdle with Streets of Doyen and Bardenstown Lad, who both went on to be placed in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, so his representative this year, Rexem, is of obvious interest.
  • Fergal O'Brien has had the most winners at the October meeting in the period under question, sending out seven from 34 at a strike rate of 20.59%. O'Brien's October meeting runners also fare well on the percentage of rivals beaten metric (66%) which suggests they are usually fit and firing at the start of the core jumps season. O'Brien has a notably good record in the bumper that concludes the meeting on Saturday - he has won it three of the last five seasons so his representatives are always worth noting.
  • Gary Moore (2-6) and Harry Whittington (2-7) have both enjoyed some success at this meeting from small squads and their runners also fare well on the percentage of rivals beaten metric.
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Leading active jockeys at Cheltenham

Sorted by strike rate since the start of the 2017/18 season

  • Alex Edwards 19.23% (5-26)
  • Richard Patrick 18.6% (8-43)
  • Paul Townend 18.09% (17-94)
  • Rachael Blackmore 17.72% (14-79)
  • Bryony Frost 17.65% (9-51)

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Other points to consider

  • Alex Edwards has posted the highest strike rate, though four of those five winners came in races for amateur riders.
  • Kielan Woods's heads the list if sorting by level-stake profit (three winners from 34 rides at a LSP of £65.50) but that is largely thanks to the 66/1 success of Croco Bay in the 2019 Grand Annual.
  • Other jockeys who post a level-stake profit at Cheltenham since the start of the 2017/18 season include Nico de Boinville (£26.87), Jack Kennedy (£25.72), Mark Walsh (£20.75) and Rachael Blackmore (£16.64).
  • Sam Twiston-Davies has had the most rides (41) and winners (6) at Cheltenham's October meeting since the start of the 2017/18 season.


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