Cheltenham Festival records

The Cheltenham Festival is the Olympics of jumps racing, the most prestigious four days in the sport's calendar and a week where history is made.

The great and the good of National Hunt racing have left their mark at the 'greatest show on turf' and here is our guide to some Cheltenham Festival records as the countdown to the 2024 renewal continues.

Remember, every race from the 2024 Cheltenham Festival can be viewed via the bet365 live Sports Streaming Service and we will have dedicated tips for Cheltenham from our Racing Post tipsters.

Most successful trainer

Willie Mullins has established himself as the Cheltenham Festival's go-to man in recent times and the Irish supremo heads into this year with a mammoth tally of 94 Festival winners in the Cotswolds.

It seems probable Mullins will go through the century barrier this year, with 5/4 the current price on 10 or more winners for his yard in 2024.

Mullins saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winner in 1995 and has won each of the four Championship races on at least two occasions. The Champion Bumper (12) and the Mares' Hurdle (9) are the races he has won the most.

Mullins has been leading trainer at the meeting 10 times, including the last four years.

Second in the all-time list, and Britain's most successful trainer, is Nicky Henderson with 73 winners.

The Seven Barrows chief is associated with speedy jumps and his record shows nine Champion Hurdles, five Supreme Novices' Hurdles, the Arkle seven times and the Champion Chase on six occasions.

His best year came in 2012 when he had seven winners, while he landed the Gold Cup either side of that in 2011 and 2013 – his only wins in the Blue Riband.

Paul Nicholls (48) and Gordon Elliott (37) are the next best pair on the list of active trainers, with only Fulke Walwyn (40) splitting them.

Most successful jockey

A long-time association with Mullins and Paul Nicholls during an era where the latter was enjoying major Cheltenham success helped Ruby Walsh to become the winning-most jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with a final tally of 59 winners.

Walsh's domination in the Cotswolds was emphasised by the fact he was leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival 11 times from 2004-2017.

The Co Kildare native twice rode seven Festival winners in a single year in 2009 and 2016 and, as yet, that tally remains unmatched.  He won two Gold Cups, three Queen Mother Champion Chases, four Champion Hurdles and five Stayers' Hurdles.

In 2021, Rachael Blackmore created history with six winners at the meeting seeing her become the first female rider to be crowned top jockey at a Cheltenham Festival.

Most wins by any horse

The outstanding mare Quevega wrote her name in Cheltenham Festival folklore by winning six successive Mares' Hurdles from 2009 onwards. She was lightly-raced in her career and, often, made her seasonal appearance at Cheltenham for Mullins and Walsh.

Her tally eclipsed the five successive Cheltenham Gold Cup wins achieved by Golden Miller from 1932-1936.

Their achievements are highlighted by the fact only one other horse – Big Buck's with four Stayers' Hurdles from 2009-2012 – has managed to win any Festival race more than three times.

Prestbury Cup record

Cheltenham has long been established as the meeting place for the best of British and Irish jumping talent to converge and battle for the biggest prizes in the sport.

In recent times, the Anglo-Irish battle for supremacy has been officially acknowledged via the Prestbury Cup. With 28 races across four days, one of the nations has to win 15 or more races on offer during Festival week to be champion (barring the intrusion of a rare French-trained winner!).

Year	British winners	Irish winners	Prestbury Cup winner
2014	15	12	Britain
2015	14	13	Britain
2016	13	15	Ireland
2017	9	19	Ireland
2018	11	17	Ireland
2019	14	14	Draw
2020	10	17	Ireland
2021	5	23	Ireland
2022	10	18	Ireland
2023	10	18	Ireland

Most Champion Hurdle wins

The day one feature race is the Champion Hurdle, a test of the fast and most accurate two-mile hurdlers.

Five horses have won the race three times each. They are:

Hatton's Grace	1949, 1950, 1951
Sir Ken	1952, 1953, 1954
Persian War	1968, 1969, 1970
See You Then	1985, 1986, 1987
Istabraq	1998, 1999, 2000

Three jockeys have won the race four times. They are:

Tim Molony	Hatton's Grace (1951), Sir Ken (1952, 1953, 1954)
Ruby Walsh	Hurricane Fly (2011, 2013), Faugheen (2015), Annie Power (2016)
Barry Geraghty	Punjabi (2009), Jezki (2014), Buveur D'Air (2018), Epatante (2020)

One trainer has won nine Champion Hurdles.

Nicky Henderson

See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur D'Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020), Constitution Hill (2023)

Most Queen Mother Champion Chase wins

On day two at Cheltenham the Queen Mother Champion Chase is the marquee race – another two-mile test, this time offering a daunting challenge over fences.

One horse has won the race three times.

Badsworth Boy

1983, 1984, 1985

Two jockeys have won the race five times. They are:

Pat Taaffe	Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Straight Fort (1970)
Barry Geraghty	Moscow Flyer (2003, 2005), Big Zeb (2010), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013)

Three trainers have won the race six times each. They are:

Tom Dreaper	Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969), Straight Fort (1970)
Nicky Henderson	Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior (2018, 2019)
Paul Nicholls	Call Equiname (1999), Azertyuiop (2004), Master Minded (2008, 2009), Dodging Bullets (2015), Politologue (2020)

Most Stayers' Hurdle wins

The three-mile Stayers' Hurdle is a proper test of stamina and the feature race on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.

The hoofprints of Big Buck's are cast all over race following his domination from 2009 onwards with a record four wins.

Big Buck's

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

One jockey has won the race five times.

Ruby Walsh

Big Buck's (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), Nichols Canyon (2017)

One trainer has won the race four times.

Paul Nicholls

Big Buck's (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)

Most Gold Cup wins

The most sought-after jumps race in the world for many, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing and the culmination of four fantastic days in the Gloucestershire countryside each year.

Three-and-a-quarter miles around Prestbury Park with 22 fences to jump, this is the acid test of stamina and endurance at the highest level.

One horse has won the race five times.

Golden Miller

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936

One jockey has won the race four times.

Pat Taaffe

Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)

One trainer has won the race five times.

Tom Dreaper

Prince Regent (1946), Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.