Jumping clinic with international show jumper Laura Kennedy
Saturday 16 November 2024
As the Cheltenham Festival 2024 inches closer, the buzz is about the best horses and the best trainers. - and you can bet on anything. If you're new to the Cheltenham festival, it's not just horses people are interested in putting their money on. Well, technically they are putting their money on the horses - the horses have to win for the trainers to win.
And, as always, there are some incredible horses and even better trainers making their way to the festival.
Who will come out on top? Read on to find out more.
How could we do this article without talking about Willie Mullins? He's one of the most iconic horse trainers and will go down in history - he already is doing. If we had to pick one, based on history, we'd pick Mullins. He's received 10 Leading Trainer awards and won 94 festivals, and his best year was only recently in 2022, with an astonishing ten wins.
And he won his most recent leading trainer award in 2023. So, if you're looking at the odds and want to put on Cheltenham free bets, Willie is probably the trainer you should put your money on.
His star horses include El Fabiolo, State Man, and Galopin Des Champs - the latter two favourites to win big this year. Remember, it's about the horse as much as the trainer.
With a history of four consecutive Leading Trainer titles 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), it'll be interesting to see how well he performs this year.
Gordon Elliott is the next favourite to win in many books. But when you compare the two records, you can see why Mullins comes out on top. Elliot has 37 festival wins, received leading trainer in 2017 and 2018, and had his best year in 2018 with 8 wins. So, although he's done good, he hasn't done Willie Mullins good.
Still, he has good horses that are expected to do well - Found A Fifty, Teahupoo, and Brighterdaysahead. Each horse is a testament to Elliott's undying commitment to excellence. And Elliot was the one to break Mullin's winning streak, so perhaps he's ready to do it again in 2024? Mullins is on a four-year streak, after all. Surely, his reign is due to end?
The Cheltenham Festival is renowned for its unpredictability. You can read all you want about the top trainers, but they're not guaranteed to win. Other trainers are in the pipeline. Well, you can almost guarantee Mullins will, but that's not to say the others don't have the chance. Nicky Henderson seems like a good bet. Despite the setback of not having Constitution Hill, his roster is strong, featuring contenders like Jonbon and Shishkin. He's had 73 wins - his best year was in 2012 with 7 wins.
Henry de Bromhead also entered the conversation. They're serious challengers. Henry de Bromhead has had a string of wins in recent years at the festival. His best year was in 2021, with six wins, and he has a total of 21 wins. He still doesn't come close to the wins of Mullins or Elliot. He's simply another good trainer to watch.
As they say, the horse is only as good as its trainer, and we've discussed some of the top trainers in the world. But to get a complete picture, you'll have to do your research about the horses to see who will come out on top.
Which trainer do you think will come out on top? The festival runs from Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 2:30 PM – Fri, Mar 15, 2024. It won't be long until we find out which trainer will come out on top.
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