Alex is a horse racing enthusiast who first got into the sport when watching Channel 4 Racing on a Saturday afternoon with his Grandad. A Sports Journalism Diploma began a path to working in the horse racing industry.
The home of National Hunt racing, every meeting at Cheltenham gets the spine of every racing fan tingling. The quality is always of the highest order and none more so than during a certain week in March. From October through to April, horses hit the track at Prestbury Park and we’ll have Cheltenham tips for every meeting.
The Showcase Meeting gets the season underway on Friday 26th October. Subsequent Grade 1 winners Sceau Royal, Fox Norton and Black Corton have run at this fixture in the past couple of years so it can prove a great stepping stone for a successful future. You can view our horse racing tips for the Showcase Meeting on site!
Cheltenham Racing Dates
- The Showcase (Friday 26th & Saturday 27th October)
- The November Meeting (Friday 16th, Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th November)
- The International (Friday 14th & Saturday 15th December)
- New Year’s Day (Tuesday 1st January)
- Festival Trials Day (Saturday 26th January)
- The Festival (Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th, Thursday 14th & Friday 15th March)
- The April Meeting (Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th April)
- Race Night (Friday 3rd May)
Key Runners
- Mister Whitaker – Developed into a really progressive handicap chaser last season, capping it off with two wins at the track. He won at the Festival off a mark of 137 and has since been raised to 145. The Betvictor Gold Cup could be a target for him at the November Meeting.
- Kilbricken Storm – Won both his starts at the track last season which included the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival. He looks a relentless galloper and is being sent novice chasing this campaign.
- Wholestone – A real course specialist with eight runs at the track yielding four wins and places in the other four starts. He goes on any ground and given his clear liking for the track, always has to be given the utmost respect.
Key Trainers
- Nicky Henderson – The winning-most trainer at the track over the past five seasons with 36 winners. He boasted an impressive 20% win strike rate at the venue in the 2017/18 campaign and when taking into account the number of stars he has in his stable at present, will likely do well again.
- Gordon Elliott – Becoming a real powerhouse when sending horses over from Ireland, he’s topped the trainers chart at the previous two Festival’s with six and eight winners respectively. An incredible £56.72 profit to £1 stakes last season further advertises the claims his horses have at Cheltenham.
- Paul Nicholls – May not have quite had the fire power over the past couple of years, but his record at Cheltenham speaks for itself. A £29.26 profit to £1 stakes over the past five seasons is his best at any track in that time period.
Key Jockeys
- Barry Geraghty – Had nine winners at the track last season at a 21% strike rate and is also leading jockey over the past five years. Retained rider for leading course owner JP McManus so gets plenty of plum rides.
- Nico de Boinville – Stable jockey for leading trainer Nicky Henderson. An impressive 21% strike rate over the past five season and a £7.28 profit to £1 stakes, he’s the only top five jockey at the track to be in profit for that period.
- Sam Twiston-Davies – Generally rides the track very well, has struggled the past couple of seasons but had 8 & 11 winners in the two years prior. Has gone freelance this campaign so it’s likely he’ll pick up plenty of opportunities.