Consecutive Cheltenham Wins: Which Horses Have Won a Race in Multiple Festivals?

In the world of jump racing, there is nothing as all encompassing as the Cheltenham Festival. The Grand National is often described as ‘the World’s Greatest Steeplechase’, but that is the main event of the week, with the rest of the days being mostly enjoyed by the locals of Liverpool and the surrounding areas. The Festival, meanwhile, is one of racing’s most watched meetings, being seen as the pinnacle of the jump racing season by the majority of punters and racing fans, to say nothing of owners, jockeys and trainers.

The horses that take part in the races during Festival week have often been primed for the job of winning that race. For a lot of the runners that manage it, it will be one of the most prestigious accomplishments they have during their racing career. Success at Cheltenham isn’t easy to come by, so it is not a surprise that the horses that achieve it more than once can go down in history. Indeed, a quick look around the racecourse will show you references to the most successful horses at Prestbury Park. Winning in consecutive Festivals isn’t easy, so which horses have managed it?

Back-to-Back Winners

There are a good few horses that have won more than one race at the Cheltenham Festival. Though it isn’t easy to do, it has happened a number of times over the years. That is impressive in itself, but what we’re talking about here is horses that have managed to win races in consecutive years. Sometimes, that will be the same race. When a horse wins the Gold Cup, for example, they’re unlikely to run in anything else in the future. Sometimes, though, it will be a case of winning one race one year and another the year after.

That is because the reality of events at Cheltenham is that there is a path that most horses will be put on during their career. They will progress from hurdles to steeplechases as they grow older, stronger and more experienced. As a result, it is not unheard of for a horse to win a hurdle event one year and then a steeplechase the next. Whether this is as impressive as winning the same race in consecutive years is something that you will have to decided for yourself. Here, we’re interested in when it’s happened.

Consecutive Winners Of The Same Race

The first place to start is by looking at the individual races that have taken place at the Cheltenham Festival over the years. For the purposes of simplicity, we’re going to limit this to the 28 events that are run during the Festival at the time of writing. Though there may have been other events that horses have won in consecutive years, the fact that they are no longer run means that they are not as relevant to the modern day horse fan as those that are still part of the Cheltenham Festival calendar as things currently stand.

Obviously there are some races, such as the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, that don’t allow for horses to win the event more than once. The nature of the race is such that the horse has to have little experience in order to be called a novice. In such instances, rather than looking at them in depth, we’re just going to ignore them altogether as it isn’t possible for there to be successive winners. These races are listed below.

• Tuesday – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Arkle Chase, Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, National Hunt Chase
• Wednesday – Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle, Broadway Novices’ Chase, Champion Bumper
• Thursday – Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
• Friday – Triumph Hurdle, Spa Novices’ Hurdle,

Equally, there are other races in which a horse could have won it in consecutive years but, for whatever reason, that has never happened. These races are the Coral Cup (Tuesday), County Handicap Hurdle (Friday), Liberthine Mares’ Chase (Friday) and the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle (Friday).

Festival Trophy Handicap Chase

Run over three miles and one furlong, the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase was originally known as the National Hunt Handicap Chase. It is seen as a good precursor for the Grand National, with horses that do well in it often being entered into the Aintree event. Royal Tan, Teen Spirit, West Tip, Rough Quest and Seagram have all done exactly that. At the time of writing, there are four horses that have won the race in consecutive years since 1946. They are as follows:

Champion Hurdle

A Grade 1 event that is the feature race of the opening day of the Festival, the Champion Hurdle is run over two miles and half a furlong. It is the most prestigious hurdling event in the horse racing calendar, sitting as the final leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling. Some of the best hurdlers in the history of jump racing have won the race over the years, with five of them doing so over three consecutive years. There were also some that managed to win it twice in succession, which is equally worthy of a mention:

David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle

One of the younger events of the Festival, having been established in 2008, it was a Grade 2 offering before being upgraded to Grade 1 in 2015. Aimed specifically at mares, no one could have predicted just how consistently it would be dominated by a team of three when it was run for the first time. Ruby Walsh rode the Willie Mullins trained Quevega to success on six consecutive occasions.

One other horse has won this race on multiple occasions, though not in successive years. Honeysuckle ridden by Rachael Blackmore and trained by Henry de Bromhead won this in 2020 and 2023.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

The feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival was first run in 1959. Taking place over one mile, seven furlongs and 199 yards, the Queen Mother Champion Chase asks the horses to jump over 13 fences. It is considered to be the National Hunt’s leading minimum distance race and was originally known as the National Hunt Two Mile Champion Chase. Though there is one horse that stands out above the race, having won it on three consecutive occasions, there are others that have also own it in back to back years:

Cross Country Chase

One of the most challenging races at the Cheltenham Festival is the Cross Country Chase, which was inaugurated in 2005 when a fourth day was added to the meeting. It was a handicap event on first running before becoming a conditions race in 2016. The most successful horse in its history is Tiger Roll, who has three wins to his name but not all three came in consecutive years. Similarly, Balthazar King won it twice, but there was a year between his two victories, meaning he doesn’t make our list:

Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase

A Premier Handicap event open to horses aged five and over, the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is run over one mile, seven furlongs and 199 yards. The handicap event is not only the oldest race at the Festival, it is also the oldest race in the National Hunt calendar, having taken place for the first time in 1834. Briefly discontinued in the 1860s, it was revived around the turn of the century. The race’s position during Festival week has been moved around a fair bit, but is currently run on the second day.

Pertemps Final

This Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race has been taking place at the Festival since its inauguration in 1974. It has enjoyed numerous sponsors over the years, resulting in its name being different at various times during its existence. In 2018, the event moved from being a Listed race to having its current grading. Run over two miles, seven furlongs and 213 yards, it boasts 12 obstacles for the horses to get over. One horse stands out above the others in terms of success, though others have enjoyed successive victories:

Ryanair Chase

When the Cheltenham Festival was extended to add a fourth day in 2005, there were numerous races added in order to ensure that there were enough events to fill up the days. The Ryanair Chase was one such event, taking place over two miles, four furlongs and 127 yards and asking the horses to jump 17 fences. In spite of its youth, there are two horses that have won the race over consecutive years at the time of writing:

Stayers’ Hurdle

The leading long distance event that the National Hunt offers, the Stayers’ Hurdle is the feature race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. Run over two miles, seven furlongs and 213 yards, it has 12 hurdles for the horses to get over if they want to win. First run in 1912, it was a Weight For Age event during its initial period at the course. Numerous sponsors have been involved in the race over the years, seeing it change names accordingly. One horse stands out above the others in terms of consecutive wins:

Inglis Driver won the event for the first time in 2005, but obviously that isn’t part of our connective wins so we have ignored it here.

Plate Handicap Chase

Run over two miles, four furlongs and 127 yards, the race was established in 1951 in memory of the 2nd Baron Mildmay of Flete. Open to horses aged five and over, there are 17 fences to jump during the course of the race. It has been sponsored by numerous different companies over the years, meaning that it has often been known by different titles depending on when it is that you watched it. At the time of writing, only two horses have won it more than once and one of them, Elfast, didn’t manage it in consecutive years.

Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup

Arguably the race with the most convoluted name in the entire Festival, the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup is run over three miles and two furlongs and asks the horses to jump 21 fences. A handicap race that is opened to horses aged five and over, it was first run in 1946 as the Kim Muir Amateur Riders’ Steeplechase. Fulke Walwyn’s name was added in 1991 as a way of honouring such a successful trainer. It is usually limited to amateur riders, though that wasn’t the case in 2021.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The blue ribband event of the Cheltenham Festival, the Gold Cup is considered to be one of the most important races in jump racing. It was first run in 1924 and soon became the feature race of the entire meeting, growing to become the country’s most valuable non – handicap chase. Run over three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards, it is open to horses aged five and over and has a number of weight limitations attached. Unsurprisingly, it has had countless sponsors and has been won by the same horse consecutively a few times:

Festival Hunters’ Chase

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Amateur Gold Cup’ on account of the fact that it us run over the same distance as the Festival’s main event, the Festival Hunters’ Chase is limited to amateur jockeys and horses aged five and over. Run over three miles, two furlongs and 70 yards, it has 22 fences and was first run in 1904. Qualification for the race depends on how well horses have performed in previous years in certain types of event and in 2021 it was competed over by professional jockeys as amateurs weren’t allowed at the Festival.

Horses That Have Won at Consecutive Festivals in Different Races

It is fair to say that the horses that have won the same race in consecutive years are the standout examples in the field. It proves a degree of consistency and reliability that not all horses are capable of, performing at the highest level year after year. Whilst winning the same race more than once is good, doing so one year after another is noteworthy. Between the start of the Cheltenham Festival and 2023, only 61 horses were able to win the same race on consecutive occasions, proving just how challenging that is to do.

It also makes the achievement of the likes of Quevega, with her six wins, and Golden Miller, who won the Gold Cup on five occasions, even more impressive. Now, though, we’re looking at whether any horses were able to win one race and then continue their winning streak by success in another a year later. Here’s a look at the ones that we know about:

Constitution Hill

Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill came into his first Cheltenham Festival appearance with much promise having won a Sandown Novices’ hurdle and the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle, also at Sandown, by a combined 26 lengths. Under Nico De Boiville, he didn’t disappoint as the 9/4 joint favourite, beating the course record when winning by 22 lengths.

The following season, the Triple Crown of Hurdling was the aim for Michael Buckley’s star horse. A 12 length win in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle was followed by a 17 length win in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. Staring as the 4/11 favourite in the Champion Hurdle, Constitution Hill was again impeccable, securing the Triple Crown and his second successive festival victory.

Flying Bolt

Officially the second best steeplechaser of all time, only Arkle was rated higher, Flying Bolt lived up to his reputation when it came to the Cheltenham Festival. He enjoyed his first success at Prestbury Park when he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 1964. A year later and he used his knowledge to ride to glory in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1965, before victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase a year later cemented his place in the record books.

Persian War

We already know that Persian War was a brilliant horse thanks to his three successive victories in the Champion Hurdle in 1968, 1969 and 1970. What not everyone will be aware of, though, is that Persian War hot his grounding in the Cheltenham Festival thanks to success in the Triumph Hurdle in 1967. That means that he won four consecutive races at Prestbury Park, being seen by many as the first horse in what is considered to be a golden age, with the likes of Comedy of Errors, Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon following.

Istabraq

Another horse that made his name thanks to three successive wins in the Champion Hurdle, Istabraq followed in Persian War’s footsteps by getting a grounding thanks to a win in another Cheltenham Festival race the year before. That race was the Novices’ Hurdle, known as the Royal & Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle at the time thanks to sponsorship. An Irish horse who was one of the best hurdlers of his generation, Istabraq developed a good relationship with Charlie Swan, who saddled him in all of his races over obstacles.

Pearlyman

Before Pearlyman added his name to the list of horses that won the Queen Mother Champion Chase more than once, he got a grounding for life at Cheltenham thanks to success in the Grand Annual Chase. The British bred horse developed a knack for quickening his pace towards the end of races, which obviously set him in good stead when it came to winning at Prestbury Park. He developed his stamina as he grew, hence being able to win three consecutive races at the Cheltenham Festival starting when he was seven.

Altior

Considering the extent to which Altior was considered by many to be one of the finest jump racing horses in existence, it is maybe not all that surprising that he features on this list. What might be something of a surprise to some is that he won over consecutive races in not just one race, nor two, but in three different events. His first success came in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2016, following that up a year later with victory in the Arkle Challenge Trophy. That set him on a solid path, adding two Queen Mother Champion Chases to his record in 2018 and 2019.

Tiger Roll

Tiger Roll will go down in history as being the first horse since Red Rum to win back to back Grand Nationals. His success both times was preceded by victory in the Cross Country Chase during the Cheltenham Festival, with his wins coming in 2018 and 2019. What isn’t known by everyone is the fact that he actually won in three successive Festivals, thanks to his 2017 victory in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup. Add in that he also won the Triumph Hurdle in 2014 and you can see why he’s so loved at Prestbury Park.

Champagne Fever

The Champion Bumper is often considered to be a gentle introduction to the world of the Cheltenham Festival for horses that don’t have a huge amount of experience over jumps. A flat race run under National Hunt rules, Champagne Fever won it in 2012 as a five year old, ridden by Patrick Mullins for Willie Mullins. A year later and horse and trainer were back, this time with Ruby Walsh riding him in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He put the experience of the year before to good use by winning his second successive race at the Festival.

Vautor

If winning in two successive races at the Cheltenham Festival is impressive, a special mention has to be put to one side for glory in three different events in consecutive years. That is exactly what Vautour managed to do, with the bay gelding getting his first taste of success thanks to the 2014 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. Next up came victory in the JLT Novices’ Chase in 2015, before the hat trick was completed courtesy of a win in the Ryanair Chase in 2016. Had he not died tragically in 2016, who knows what he might have gone on to do.

Douvan

Ireland has a long and proud history of winning races at the Cheltenham Festival and Douvan didn’t let his countrymen down when he romped home in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2015. A year later and he was back at Prestbury Park, this time enjoying success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy. Not bad when you think that he was only moved to running chases earlier that year, having been a hurdling specialise before that. Born in France, he was trained in Ireland, allowing the emerald isle to claim him as one of their own.

Remittance Man

An Irish bred horse that was trained in Britain, Remittance Man was considered to be a consistent jump that had a nervous temperament. Not that you’d have known as much if you watched him jumping in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1991, which he won as a seven year old under the guidance of Richard Dunwoody. A year later he was back, this time taking part in the feature race that is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. It was Jamie Osborne riding him, but the result was the same: another win during the Festival.

Klarion Davis

Boasting a name that sounds like it could be that of a Welsh comedian, Klairon Davis was actually born in France and trained in Ireland. He won 20 races out of the 54 that he was entered into, with two of those coming in successive years at the Cheltenham Festival. As with Remittance Man, the first win came in the Arkle Challenge Trophy, for him in 1995, then it was followed up a year later thanks to success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. On both occasions, he was ridden by Francis Woods and trained by Arthur Moore.

Moscow Flyer

Born and trained in Ireland, Moscow Flyer was trained by Jessica Harrington and developed a good working relationship with Barry Geraghty. It was Geraghty that was riding him when he won the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2002, as well as when he enjoyed success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2003. He could have enjoyed consecutive wins in that race and been on this list for that reason, but he missed out on the race in 2004 before coming back to win it for the second time a year later.

Azertyuiop

If there’s one thing that this page is teaching you, it should be that there is a link between winners of the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Azertyuiop won the former in 2003 thanks to a ride by Ruby Walsh and training by Paul Nicholls, whilst success in the later event came in 2004 courtesy of the same combination. If you’re wondering where the name comes from, it is the top row of letters on a French keyboard, having been bred in France by Temara courtesy of Baby Turk.

Voy Por Ustedes

If we told you that one of the races won by Voy Por Ustedes was the Arkle Challenge Trophy, could you guess what the other one was? Success in the Arkle came about in 2006, ridden by Robert Thornton after having been trained by Alan King. A year later and the horse returned to the Cheltenham Festival, this time being entered into the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which he won the 2007 renewal of courtesy of the same pairing of jockey and trainer.

Sizing Europe

If you’re going to place a better on the Queen Mother Champion Chase at any point in the future, it might be worth looking to see how the contenders got on in the Arkle Challenge Trophy the year before. Sizing Europe followed in the footsteps of many others by winning the Arkle in 2010 and then following it up with success in the Queen Mother in 2011. On both occasions, the horse was ridden by Andrew Lynch and had been trained by Henry de Bromhead, who would himself later train back to back Gold Cup winners.

Sprinter Sacre

It is becoming something of a constant refrain now to talk about horses winning one race and then the other, so at least Sprinter Sacre had the decency to mix things up a little bit. He won the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2012 and then the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2013, so in that sense he’s the same as all of the others. What sets him out, though, is that he returned to win the Queen Mother again in 2016. Not consecutive victories, but interesting and noteworthy all the same.

Put The Kettle On

At the time of writing, Put The Kettle On is the most recent horse to win our now famed double. She is also the first female horse to have won the double, enjoying success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2020 before following that up with a win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2021. An Irish racehorse trained by Henry de Bromhead, Put The Kettle On was ridden to success in both of the races we’re concerned with her by Aidan Coleman, giving the One For Luck Racing Syndicate something to cheer about.

Silver Fame

Winning the National Hunt Handicap Chase isn’t easy, given the challenge nature of that event. Nevertheless, Silver Fame managed it in 1950 before returning the following year and enjoying success in the big one, the Gold Cup. At the time, he was the oldest horse to win the race and at the time of writing is one of just two horses to have been successful in it at the age of 12. Ridden by Martin Molony in both races, he was trained for each event by George Beeby.

Four Ten

In 1953, the former point to point horse known as Four Ten was entered into the National Hunt Handicap Chase. Those that do well in that race are often put forward for the Grand National, so when Four Ten won it he was well fancied for the Aintree race. That didn’t materialise, but he did return in 1954 to win the Gold Cup, handing another win to his jockey Tommy Cusack and his trainer John Roberts and ensuring he makes our list of horses to win consecutive events at the Cheltenham Festival.

Limber Hill

As with the Arkle Challenge Trophy and the Queen Mother Champion Chase, there is something of a link between the National Hunt Handicap Chase and the Gold Cup. That is shown by the success of Limber Hill, who won the former race in 1955 before coming back a year later to win the Gold Cup. Interestingly, Limber Hill was trained by Bill Dutton for both events, but changed jockeys. Jimmy Power rode him to success in the Gold Cup, but it was Tim Molony who was guiding him during the Handicap Chase.

Hardy Eustace

Trained in Ireland by Dessie Hughes, Hardy Eustace saw success at Prestbury Park for the first time in 2003. That was in what was then known as the Royal & Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle, with the success being a catalyst for more impressive things a year after. That was when he won the 2004 Champion Hurdle, defending his title in 2005 to see three consecutive wins at the Cheltenham Festival in two different competitions. He was ridden by Conor O’Dwyer and trained by Dessie Hughes for both of the Champion Hurdle wins.

Katchit

An Irish bred horse that was trained in Britain, Katchit didn’t let a confusing personality get in the way of his success. The first win for the horse at the Cheltenham Festival came in 2007 thanks to the Triumph Hurdle, being followed up in 2008 with a win in the Champion Hurdle. As with Voy Por Ustedes, the horse was trained by Alan King and ridden by Robert Thornton for his success in both of the races in question.

Faugheen

When Faugheen won the Irish Champion Hurdle in 2016, he did so in a manner that saw him rated as the best two mile hurdle of the 21st century. That gives you some sense of how talented the horse was, which you might well have known if you’d seen him run in the Novices’ Hurdle in 2014. He enjoyed success in that and then returned to Prestbury Park and won the Champion Hurdle a year later, taking home the crown for 2015 and getting himself onto our list for consecutive wins in different races.

Honeysuckle

A bay mare with no white markings, Honeysuckle was bred in England and then trained in Ireland. The combination worked well for Henry de Bromhead, who saw her win the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle in 2020. That race is famous for being one that Quevega won six times, so rather than compete with that she was entered into the Champion Hurdle in 2021, which she duly won. She defended her crown in 2022, but chose to switch back to the Mares’ Hurdle in 2023 and was again triumphant. This meant four festival wins in succession for her, de Bromhead and her jockey, Rachael Blackmore in what was Honeysuckle’s final race before retirement.

Cause Of Causes

We have grown used to seeing some horses win the same race across successive years, as well as knowing of those that have won two different races over the course of two years. What helps Cause of Causes to stand out is that he won three different races in three successive years at the Cheltenham Festival. His first win came in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup in 2015, which was followed up in 2016 by victory in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup. His third win came in 2017, thanks to the Cross Country Chase.

Simonsig

When Simonsig fell at the third fence of the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November of 2016, he broke a leg and tragically had to be put down. It ended a remarkable racing career far too soon, with the horse having won eight of the 13 races that he was entered into. One of those races came in 2012 thanks to success in the Novices’ Hurdle, which was followed up in 2013 by success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy. In both cases, Simonsig was trained to victory by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty.

Envoi Allen

A French bred horse, as the name suggests, Envoi Allen enjoyed his first race in Ireland in a point to point event at Ballinaboola. Trained by Gordon Elliott, the horse was given his first taste of the Cheltenham Festival when he was entered into the Champion Bumper in 2019, which he won. A year later and he was back, this time running in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle of 2020, which he also won.

In 2021, he was moved over to be trained under Henry de Bromhead, falling in the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase. The following year Envoi Allen was third in the Champion Chase. In 2023 he was upped in trip to contest the Ryanair Chase, securing the biggest win of his career by 2¾ lengths.

Arkle

One of the most famous horses in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, Arkle would go on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times between 1964 and 1966, as well as have a race named after him. Before that, though, he gained his experience of life at Prestbury Park when he won the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. He isn’t the only horse to have enjoyed success in the two events, but there is certainly an argument that he is the most famous, as well as the most successful, to manage it.

Garrison Savannah

As if to prove the point that a win in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase can sometimes be the precursor to success in the Gold Cup, that is exactly what happened to Garrison Savannah. He won the former event in 1990, thanks to a ride by Ben de Haan after training by Jenny Pitman. In 1991, Jenny Pitman was still the trainer when he was entered into the Gold Cup, but de Haan had been replaced in the saddle by Mark Pitman. The result, of course, was the same: success. That meant two successive wins in different events.

Florida Pearl

An Irish bred horse that was trained by Willie Mullins, Florida Pearl first tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival courtesy of the Champion Bumper in 1997. Richard Dunwoody was in the saddle for that one, which was his second win after he’d won the inaugural race five years before. In 1998 Dunwoody was back in the saddle in order to try to win the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, which he himself had won the year before with Hanakham. He was successful, giving Florida Pearl successive wins in different races.

Looks Like Trouble

Looks Like Trouble was entered into 18 races between the February of 1997 and June of 2003, winning eight of them. That is a reasonably impressive win ratio, but it is even more noteworthy when you realise that one of those wins came in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in 1999 and the other was in the 2000 Gold Cup. Though he won other races in his career, that is enough for most horses and Looks Like Trouble was no exception.

Denman

Bred in County Cork by Colman O’Flynn, Denman was considered to be one of the main rivals to Kauto Star when it came to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Part of the reason for this was that he had enjoyed success in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in 2007, during which he was ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Paul Nicholls. In 2008 he was entered into the Gold Cup, targeted with the job of stopping Kauto Star from winning successive races. He managed it, winning successive events of his own at the Festival.

Bobs Worth

Bred in Ireland but trained in Britain, Bobs Worth ended up winning an incredibly impressive hat trick during his racing career. Trained in Britain, he was successful in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in 2011 and then followed that up win 2012 with a win in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. For most horses, that would have been more than enough. For Bobs Worth, however, it was merely an appetiser before the main course. His third successive Cheltenham Festival win came in 2013 when he won the Gold Cup.

Lord Windermere

There are some races that you need to look out for in order to get a vague idea about what might happen in the future. That is very much the case with the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and the Gold Cup, as proven by Lord Windermere. He won the former event in 2013, thanks to a ride by Davy Russell and training by Jim Culloty. In 2014 he was entered into the Gold Cup, with the same jockey and trainer looking to repeat their success of the year before. The managed exactly that, winning the blue riband event.

Don Poli

Trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Mikey Fogarty, Don Poli enjoyed success in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle in 2014. He won that by over four lengths, so a decision was taken to switch him to fences for the 2015 fences, in which he took part in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. It proved to be an inspired decision, which he won by six lengths and ensured successive wins at Prestbury Park in two different competitions. He also had two different jockeys, with Bryan Cooper coming in for the second event.

Presenting Percy

In 2017, Presenting Percy moved over from Ireland, where he had enjoyed four wins, in order to be entered into the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival. He won it, returning to Prestbury Park in 2018 and running in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. He won that by seven lengths, proving his ability to perform at the Gloucestershire racecourse. That primed him well for the Gold Cup in 2019, with bookmakers installing him as the favourite, only for him to finish in eighth place.

Sir Des Champs

A French bred horse who was trained in Ireland, Sir Des Champs was moved to the emerald isle after winning just one of his five races in France. He enjoyed success at Cheltenham in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, which he won in 2011, before following that up a year later when he won the 2012 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase. That ensured successive wins in different races during the Cheltenham Festival and resulted in him being entered into the Gold Cup in 2013, coming second to Bobs Worth.

Imperial Commander

Imperial Commander won his first ever race, which was a point to point event run at Summerhill in 2005. He then won his first race under rules at Cheltenham in October of the following year, giving him a taste for success at Prestbury Park. In 2009 he returned to the Gloucestershire course and won the Ryanair Chase, defeating Voy Por Ustedes by two lengths. The following year he was entered into the 2010 Gold Cup, with Paddy Brennan riding him to victory over two previous champions in the form of Kauto Star and Denman.

My Way de Solzen

A French bred horse who began his career over there, My Way de Solzen eventually came over to Britain to be trained by Alan King. He entered the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2006, being given odds of 8/1 by the bookmakers. Those odds proved to be long when he won it, giving the owners confidence to enter him into the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2007. Running under the jockey Robert Thornton, he proved to be just as impressive in that and won his second consecutive event at Prestbury Park, this time by five lengths.

Penhill

Bought for 24,000 guineas by James Bethel in 2012, Penhill began life racing on the flat. This gave him a good grounding for what was to come, eventually being entered into the Spa Novices’ Hurdle in 2017 and winning it. What is impressive about his victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2018 is that it came after an absence from the track of nearly 11 months, which explains why he was given odds of 12/1. He defied them, though, giving Paul Townend and Willie Mullins their second successive Cheltenham win in different races.

Rooster Booster

A gelding with a grey coat, Rooster Booster’s look as well as his racing style meant that he was easy to spot on the racecourse. He began his career running in National Hunt flat races before being switched to take part in hurdle races. In 2002 he was entered into the County Handicap Hurdle after training with Philip Hobbs, the ride being taken on by Richard Johnson. Success in that meant that he was put forward for the Champion Hurdle in 2003, with the same pair operating together for a second successive win at the Festival.

Roman Hackle

After getting an introduction to jump racing courtesy of hurdles, his success at that medium meant that Roman Hackle was moved to take part in steeplechase events. It was a wise decision from his connections, enjoying immediate success courtesy of the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in 1939. As with so many other horses, he was entered into the Gold Cup as a result of his success, which he won in 1940. His success in the blue riband event was thanks to training by Owen Anthony and a good ride by Evan Williams.