Cheltenham Festival 2025: What we learned during an unforgettable week
THAT KINDA WEEK: Paul Townend falls from State Man as Golden Ace ridden by Lorcan Williams goes on to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy on day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wirecial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Sports are far more interesting when they are unpredictable, and few sports are as unpredictable as National Hunt racing, but the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday took the level of weirdness to new levels. The winter wondering was as follows: Is Constitution Hill healthy? State Man a busted flush? Will Brighterdaysahead turn up? Can Lossiemouth deliver on the meticulous two-year plan to win the race? The answers were as follows; Yes, No, Yes and No.
At least we have a brand new ‘where were you when?’ game to play on boring car journeys. Where were you when Kennedy was shot? When man walked on the moon? When Miley cheated on Biddy with Fidelma on the hay bales? Where were you when State Man and Constitution Hill both fell in the Champion Hurdle?
If the result of the Champion Hurdle wasn’t a painful enough lesson on the folly of betting on short-priced accumulators there was plenty more where that came from. Majborough, Ballyburn, Final Demand, Jonbon, Teahupoo all beaten at very skinny prices. Punters headed for home last night firm in their resolution, yet again, that this week was the last time ever that they would be sucked in by bookies' marketing hype on unbreakable accumulators. So here goes for 2026: The New Lion, Champion Hurdle, 7/1; William Munny, Arkle 10/1; Lecky Watson, Gold Cup 25/1; Ballyburn, Stayers Hurdle, 10/1.
Michael O’Leary improved the profitability of his business through the years by insisting that his planes don’t dither for long on airport tarmac and that his flights generally take off on time. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t have too much sympathy for the pernickety race starter on Thursday when four of the seven races required a second serve.
"The starter here needs a root up his backside," said O'Leary. "It's a bloody nonsense. As long as they're all in a line and all moving forward, it doesn't matter if they're going a little bit faster. It's health and safety gone mad."
The biggest victim of the ‘bloody nonsense' was Patrick Mullins on Maughreen in the day’s opener, the Mare’s Novice Hurdle. His horse was facing towards Birmingham when the tape went up and his chances had disappeared over the horizon in that direction before she’d even managed to raise a gallop.
Firstly, credit where it is due. The management team at Cheltenham has committed to improving the customer experience for racegoers and there were noticeable positive changes. Smiling greeting staff were in position at the entrances, there were helpful support staff positioned throughout the course to answer questions and provide directions for lost visitors. But it will do little to address the structural problem of the full stream cost of attending. On Wednesday only 42,000 paid in, down by thirty percent in three years. Guy Lavender, the new CEO, has promised a root-and-branch review of the full package, beginning soon after racing had concluded yesterday. It will need to be radical or there will be no customers left for those friendly people to attend to.
There was a Michael O’Sullivan-shaped hole in the Festival atmosphere all week and his loss was acknowledged, his memory honoured, and his loved ones supported with a light touch dignity by those in his beloved sport. The opening race was named for him, his image warmly applauded and his name always close to the thoughts of and words of rivals he so recently competed against. Also remembered were Rachael Blackmore’s recently deceased cousin Robert, the prominent owner John Hales, who passed away in January and the former chairman of the BHA, Joe Suamarez Smith.
Even the horses seemed to know the right thing to do. Michael’s two Festival winners from 2023, Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty remarkably won successive races on Wednesday.
If you walk from Cheltenham town centre to the racecourse you pass the front door of the house where the great English composer, Gustav Holst once lived. Holst’s finest work was an orchestral suite call The Planets. The thousands who walked past his old place on their way to the races yesterday were hopeful that the planets would align and that Galopin Des Champs would win his third Gold Cup. The planets, sadly, had other ideas. Inothewayurthinkin was an impressive and authentic winner, and he beat one of the great chasers to win his title, but the mood music had turned a little sombre after the race concluded. Almost like a requiem.
