Majborough: Profile, Record, Age & Best Races

Majborough is heading for his second Cheltenham Festival in 2025 and looks to have the Arkle at his mercy following some high-profile defections.

The unbeaten chaser looked visually imposing when scoring at the Dublin Racing Festival in February and is looking to make it 2-2 around Prestbury Park.

Name: Majborough

Age: 5

Weight: 11st 10lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Winnings: £224,450

Cheltenham Festival wins: 1

Majborough race stats

Runs	1st	2nd	3rd
5	4	0	1

Majborough Age

Majborough is a five-year-old gelding by Martinborough and is a half-brother to French 2m5f chase winner Jani Perse.

Majborough Weight

On his most recent start in the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown, Majborough carried 11st 10lb.

Majborough Record

Majborough made a winning start in his career in a valuable hurdles race at Auteuil in April 2023, after which he was bought by JP McManus.

It was some 307 days before he debuted for new trainer Willie Mullins, going in at the deep end as he finished a promising third in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February 2024 behind stablemate Kargese.

That experience wasn't lost on him and Majborough duly reversed the form as he won the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival a month later in the hands of Mark Walsh, the retained rider to McManus.

He skipped the rest of the spring and made his fencing bow when defeating stablemate Tullyhill in a beginners' contest at Fairyhouse in December.

After that competent win, he was 8/11 for the Irish Arkle back at the DRF and he was utterly dominant in front, despite some less than perfect jumping early on, as he won by nine lengths from Touch Me Not, thus stamping his ticket for a return to the Cheltenham Festival.

Majborough Next Race

His next race will be the Arkle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival and he's rated as the favourite to bag that two-mile Grade 1 event after the main danger, Nicky Henderson's Sir Gino, was ruled out through injury.

Majborough Owner and Cost

Majborough is owned by JP McManus, the Irish businessman being one of the best-known and most respected figures in the sport.

McManus has enjoyed success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Synchronised and has more wins at the Cheltenham Festival as an owner than anyone else.

He has recorded well over 4,000 winners as an owner and the great Istabraq is amongst his most famous performers, having won three Champion Hurdles.

McManus' association with 20-times champion jockey AP McCoy was iconic and together they won the Aintree National in 2010 with Don't Push It, trained by Jonjo O'Neill.

The Limerick native also owned Minella Times, the Henry De Bromhead-trained scorer on whom Rachael Blackmore made world headlines winning the Grand National in 2021.

He bought Majborough in a private sale from France.

Majborough Trainer

The all-conquering Willie Mullins trains Majborough, as the Irishman continues to rewrite the pages of National Hunt history with his extraordinary achievements.

Mullins has won an incredible 103 races at the Cheltenham Festival, making him the most successful trainer of all-time at the Cotswolds extravaganza.

Amongst his haul are five Champion Hurdles, four Gold Cups, two Queen Mother Champion Chases and a pair of Stayers' Hurdles.

In 2024, he became the first Irish-based handler since Vincent O'Brien 70 years previously to be crowned champion jumps trainer in Britain.

Majborough Official Rating

Majborough is rated 162 over fences by the BHA, having reached 150 as a juvenile hurdler last season.

His peak Racing Post Rating (RPR) was 164 in the Irish Arkle in 2024.

Majborough Prize Money

Majborough has already won £224,450 in prize money in his fledgling career, with his best paydays being the €90,000 he gained for winning at the Dublin Racing Festival in 2023 and 2024.

Majborough News

While some scorned his jumping in the Irish Arkle, his trainer was happy and said it had to be viewed in context, as well as for the learning experience it would have provided on just his second run over fences.

"I was watching it live with my binoculars and the whole way down the back there were 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the crowd, but it looked very different head-on to side-on. He got a bit close to a few fences but he did everything right when he did," Mullins reflected.

"I didn't mind his jumping, I thought it was great he was learning on the job. He hasn't genuflected and he didn't have any real scares.

"I thought his jumping was fine. Then, when he wanted one at the third-last, bang, he flew it. I'm happy with his jumping and I'm happy he learned a lot."