Cheltenham Festival trends
What five Festivals of results say about favourites, prices and the races that punish the market. Trends describe what has happened, not what will happen.
WINNING FAVOURITES45 of 13932% of races
BIGGEST PRICE100/1Poniros, 2025
RACES COVERED1392022 to 2026
Winning starting prices
| Price band | Winners | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Odds-on | 13 | 9% |
| Evens to 2/1 | 17 | 12% |
| 5/2 to 8/1 | 59 | 42% |
| 9/1 to 20/1 | 29 | 21% |
| Bigger than 20/1 | 21 | 15% |
Festival form counts
Course form at the Festival matters more than at most meetings, and our own results show it. These counts only look back to 2022, so the true figures are higher.
| Race | Winners who had already won at the Festival |
|---|---|
| Champion Hurdle | 4 of 5 |
| Mares' Hurdle | 4 of 5 |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | 3 of 5 |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | 2 of 5 |
| Arkle Chase | 1 of 5 |
| Ultima Handicap Chase | 1 of 5 |
| Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | 1 of 5 |
| Cross Country Chase | 1 of 4 |
| Grand Annual Handicap Chase | 1 of 5 |
| Ryanair Chase | 1 of 5 |
Favourites by race
Some races reward the market and others rarely do. The biggest-priced winner on file is shown alongside.
| Race | Winning favourites | Biggest winner |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Novices' Hurdle | 3 of 5 | 9/2 (Marine Nationale) |
| Arkle Chase | 3 of 5 | 7/1 (Kargese) |
| Ultima Handicap Chase | 2 of 5 | 18/1 (Johnnywho) |
| Champion Hurdle | 4 of 5 | 25/1 (Golden Ace) |
| Mares' Hurdle | 4 of 5 | 18/1 (Marie's Rock) |
| Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | 0 of 5 | 18/1 (Jazzy Matty) |
| National Hunt Chase | 2 of 5 | 12/1 (Holloway Queen) |
| Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle | 1 of 5 | 11/1 (King Rasko Grey) |
| Brown Advisory Novices' Chase | 1 of 5 | 20/1 (Lecky Watson) |
| Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle | 1 of 5 | 50/1 (Commander Of Fleet) |
| Queen Mother Champion Chase | 1 of 5 | 17/2 (Captain Guinness) |
| Cross Country Chase | 3 of 4 | 7/1 (Final Orders) |
| Grand Annual Handicap Chase | 0 of 5 | 66/1 (Martator) |
| Champion Bumper | 1 of 5 | 15/2 (The Mourne Rambler) |
| Golden Miller Novices' Chase | 1 of 3 | 15/2 (Stage Star) |
| Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase | 0 of 2 | 9/1 (Meetmebythesea) |
| Pertemps Final | 1 of 5 | 25/1 (Doddiethegreat) |
| Ryanair Chase | 2 of 5 | 17/2 (Protektorat) |
| Stayers' Hurdle | 1 of 5 | 33/1 (Home By The Lee) |
| Plate Handicap Chase | 2 of 5 | 22/1 (Coole Cody) |
| Mares' Novices' Hurdle | 0 of 5 | 40/1 (White Noise) |
| Kim Muir Handicap Chase | 1 of 5 | 40/1 (Chambard) |
| Triumph Hurdle | 2 of 5 | 100/1 (Poniros) |
| County Handicap Hurdle | 2 of 5 | 33/1 (Faivoir) |
| Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle | 0 of 5 | 33/1 (Stellar Story) |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup | 4 of 5 | 15/2 (Inothewayurthinkin) |
| Festival Hunters' Chase | 1 of 5 | 66/1 (Sine Nomine) |
| Mares' Chase | 2 of 5 | 3/1 (Limerick Lace) |
| Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle | 0 of 5 | 12/1 (Banbridge) |
Based on the first four home in each race rather than full fields, so these counts show how often favourites won, not how often they ran.
Compiled and checked by <your name>. Last updated 28 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.