RacingBetter News
	Wednesday 25th February 2026

Why the UK vs Ireland Rivalry Makes the Cheltenham Festival Unmissable

The Cheltenham Festival has been running since 1911, and in that time it has built a reputation as the pinnacle of jump racing. Four days, 28 races and the best horses from across Britain and Ireland all competing at Prestbury Park every March. For anyone following the sport, it is the week that defines the entire season.

But beyond the racing itself, the decades-long rivalry between British and Irish trainers is what gives Cheltenham a tension that no other race meeting in the world can match.

Keeping an eye on the horse racing odds in the weeks before the Festival gives you a real sense of where the balance of power sits before a single race is run, and more often than not in recent years, it has been sitting firmly on the Irish side.

A love affair that started decades ago

The relationship between Irish racing fans and the Cheltenham Festival is unlike anything else in sport. It goes back decades, rooted in the days when Irish-trained horses would make the crossing to England and, more often than not, come home with the biggest prizes.

It started with Cottage Rake, the horse that won three consecutive Gold Cups between 1948 and 1950 and from that point on, the Irish racing public never looked back. Since then, the Irish have treated Cheltenham less like a foreign trip and more like a homecoming.

The trophy that turns every race into a battle

Since 2014, the rivalry has had something concrete to play for. The Prestbury Cup is handed to whichever nation, Britain or Ireland, produces the most winners across the 28 races at the Festival.

It is a simple enough idea, but what it does to the atmosphere across the week is hard to overstate. Suddenly, every race on the card matters, even the ones that would not normally get a second glance, because every winner shifts the scoreboard and every point counts towards something bigger than the race itself.

Ireland's grip on the Festival

Ireland has dominated the Prestbury Cup since its inception, winning it seven times in the first 10 editions and drawing once in 2019. Great Britain have not won it outright since 2015. In 2025, Ireland finished with 20 wins to Great Britain's 8, sweeping all seven races on the final day.

In 2021, Irish-trained horses won 82 per cent of the races across the whole week. A huge part of that dominance comes down to one man. Willie Mullins has trained over 100 winners at the Festival and was crowned leading trainer for seven consecutive years, making him the most successful trainer in the history of the meeting by some distance.

Who could win the Prestbury Cup in 2026

Ireland head into the 2026 Festival as strong favourites, and on paper, it is hard to argue with that. But Britain are bringing one of their most competitive squads in years. Nicky Henderson has genuine contenders across multiple days, while Dan Skelton has emerged as a real force in the British training ranks.

It will not be easy for the home side, but there is more reason for optimism than there has been in a long time, and the odds heading into race week reflect just how close this one could be.