Cheltenham Festival 2020 Top Trainers
We’ve already given you a complete guide to the Cheltenham Festival 2020. Now it’s time to dig deeper! First off, we’re looking at the top trainers this year.
The Cheltenham festival is creeping upon us and it’s time to take a look at the top trainers at Cheltenham over the past few years and which trainers are worth following at the 2020 Cheltenham festival. A quick look at the statistics will show you that Irish trainers have dominated the Cheltenham Trainers table for the past seven years with Gordon Elliott (2) and Willie Mullins (5) claiming the coveted top trainer title.
Prior to that, the home contingent had a fine record with Paul Nicholls winning the Cheltenham top trainer title seven times since 2017 and Nicky Henderson claiming it three times. There has been a clear trend of late with the Irish trainers in particular training six winners or more en route to winning the title while their British predecessors only needed three and four victories to become the top trainer at Cheltenham.
Which trainers to watch out for at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival?
Old Reliables
The master of Closutton is leading most trainer at Cheltenham by top trainers titles and obviously winners. The list of 65 Cheltenham festival winners is ever-growing with Faugheen, Klassical Dream, Al Boum Photo, Penhill all recent winners and lest us not forget about Annie Powers bookie-saving fall.
Willie, without doubt, will be sending over another big team to Prestbury Park in an attempt to win another Cheltenham top trainer title with last season’s Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo the pick of his possible runners as he bids to defend the blue riband event. That being said I think Carefully Selected who runs in the National Hunt Chase could be his biggest chance of a winner with the former Champion bumper-placed horse, winning a Grade 3 nicely at Punchestown in January and could be well-treated.
Melon has finished runner-up at the festival for the past three seasons and is due a change in fortune when he lines up in the Arkle. He seems to be a different horse in the spring and on the better ground so looks like a decent each-way price given his course form. Other leading hopes include the evergreen and former Champion hurdler Faugheen in the Marsh Novices’ Chase and Kemboy could give his stablemate the most to think of in the Gold Cup.
As mentioned, Gordon has topped the Cheltenham Trainers table on two previous occasions and I’m sure more glory awaits him at the 2020 festival. The most exciting horse in his care must be Envoi Allen who’s unbeaten in seven career starts including last season’s Champion bumper and a brace of Grade 1 novice hurdles this season. He seems to have everything you’d want in a racehorse and will take all the beating in the Ballymore.
He’s obviously got a very strong team owned by the Gigginstwon House operation and on paper, their three leading chances appear to be with Abcadabras in the festival opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Battleoverdoyen in the RSA Chase and Tiger Roll who’s bidding for a third straight Cross country race en-route to a third Grand National.
Henry always sends over a select team to the Cheltenham festival and has done very well with them with two winners lat season with Minella Indo landing the Albert Bartlett at odds of 50/1 last season along with stablemate A Plus Tard running away with the Close Brothers Novices’ Chase. He was also responsible for the festival favourite Sizing Europe.
Both of his 2019 festival winners are set to return in 2020 with Minella Indo a leading fancy for the RSA Chase and A Plus Tard also holds strong claims in an open looking Ryanair Chase. Possibly the most exciting horse in De Bromheads yard is Honeysuckle who holds entries in the Champion Hurdle and Mares Hurdle where she’d be a big fancy in either one.
The Ditcheat handler may not quite have the firepower he once did when training Kauto Star, Big Bucks and Long Run but he’s had a resurgence in recent season and is a player in the Grade 1’s once again.
Frodon returned to form at Kempton in January when winning the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase and must have a big chance of defending his Ryanair Chase crown. Stablemate Cyrname took the scalp of Altior earlier in the season but finished well behind Clan Des Obeaux in the King George over Christmas. That being said should he line up at Cheltenham for the first time he could go well over Ryanair trip. The aforementioned Clan Des Obeaux looks ready-made for the Gold Cup following his runaway King George victory. The Gold Cup might have cone a season to early for him last year and he could reverse placings with Al Boum Photo. The final horse of note for Nicholls is Danny Whizzbang who looks set to run in the National Hunt Chase. The lightly-raced son of Getaway was slightly disappointing behind Slate House in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase but there is more to come from him.
Henderson is second only to Willie Mullins when it comes to training Cheltenham winners with the Seven Barrows handler training no fewer than 64 Cheltenham festival winners with the likes of Sprinter Sacre, Binocular and the fragile Simonsig amongst them.
Looking at the 2020 Cheltenham festival, Henderson has some leading contenders in many of the major/ Championship races. He’s got the current Champion Hurdle favourite Epatante who jump to the top of the market with an empathic victory in the Christmas Hurdle where she was backed like losing was out of the question. Then, of course, he has stable star Altior who looks most likely to go for the Champion Chase after disappointing behind Cyrname at Ascot. All doesn’t seem well with the twenty-time winner and I wouldn’t be shocked if we don’t see him at the festival.
Others to note from the stable at the 2020 Cheltenham festival include Champ in the RSA Chase but he needs to jump better having come to grief in the Dipper at Cheltenham and Marie’s Rock who’s vying for favouritism in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle following an easy listed victory at Taunton when last seen.
Young Pretender
The training career of Joseph O’Brien just continues on the up and up with the fledgeling trainer already having trained winners at the Breeders’ Cup, Melbourne Cup and he’s also got a Cheltenham festival winner to his name. Like his father, Joseph’s horses always seem to be in good form and he’s putting together a nice team of horses for the 2020 festival.
The two horses of most interest for me are Fakir D’oudairies in the Arkle, who put in an incredible jumping performance from the front to land the Drinmore in early December. He’s since been defeated by Notebook but I think Cheltenham should suit his running style and at the current prices, he’s real each-way value.
The other horse that piques my interest is Early Doors who looks set to run in the Kim Muir. He landed a bit of a “touch” when flying home to win the Martin Pipe last season and although he’s yet to win over fences, all eyes will be on the festival, with this race looking the ideal opportunity.
Other intriguing entries from the Owing Hill trainer include Cerberus in the Triumph Hurdle and Front View in the Supreme.
Dark Trainer
Another trainer that has risen to prominence in recent seasons is Gavin Cromwell who seems to go from strength to strength. It was the classy Jer’s Girl who initially put him on people’s radars and he also landed the Welsh National with the dour stayer Raz De Maree in 2018 but it was the smooth success of Espoir D’Allen in the Champion Hurdle that really announced Cromwell on the big stage.
Unfortunately for the Meath based trainer his stable star suffered a freak injury last year and passed away. Even though he may not have anything of that calibre this year he has two live handicap hopefuls for the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.
Darver Star has gone up over forty pounds in the handicap with five victories and a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Royal Bond at Fairyhouse. He currently holds an entry in the Champion Hurdle but he could also line up in the Coral Cup
Another horse in the care of Cromwell that holds leading claims of victory at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival is Ilikedwayurthinkin who was a dual winner at the Galway festival last season and was a real eye-catcher when finishing a close-up fifth at Leopardstown over Christmas and must have a big chance in the Martin Pipe.
