Horse Racing

Why the Irish rule the Cheltenham Festival

Jonathan Doidgejon doidge3 February 2022
Cheltenham off the agenda for German hope Estacas

Cheltenham off the agenda for German hope Estacas

The figures make stark reading for supporters of British jump racing. At the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, 23 of the 28 winners were trained in Ireland. Planet Sport’s Jonathan Doidge considers why.

In glorious, rose-tinted days of yore, the Cheltenham Festival was the place where Britain simply turned up and confirmed its excellence as a National Hunt nation and reminded us of its dominance over Ireland.

Despite producing some of the great horses, including the likes of Arkle, Flyingbolt, Captain Christy, Istabraq, Hurricane Fly and Tiger Roll to win big Cheltenham prizes, for many years, the balance of power remained firmly with the British over the course of three or four days.

Betting on who would win the Prestbury Cup would barely have been worth undertaking. However, since 2013, things have changed. Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead dominate. The Cheltenham Festival has become an Irish benefit.

Well publicised cuts to prize money in British racing since austerity measures were introduced over a decade ago have hit the sport hard.

It must now be a far less attractive proposition for a prospective owner to wade in with thousands of pounds to buy a horse, and then hundreds more per week to keep one in training, when there is so little recompense for success.

The Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic was another unforeseen reason for the dearth in prize money. Spectators were not allowed through the turnstiles for any British race meeting between mid-March 2020 and 17 May 2021. That was 14-months where, somehow, the industry was attempting to keep going without any gate revenue.

Back in 2017, changes to the Horserace Betting Levy (HBL) were designed to bolster British racing's revenue streams. This is now done by charging any business, British or overseas, 10% of their gross profits from racing, above the first £500,000 they make, to support the sport and the equine industry.

However, the effect of this has been negated by the pandemic. In December 2020, former BHA chief executive Nick Rust called for the Government to bring forward the HBL review from its intended date of 2024 to take place as soon as possible to offset issues caused by the pandemic.

During all of that period prize money in Ireland has begun to outstrip that in Britain.

There are still some big prizes in England that stand up against anything, as you might expect given the presence on the calendar of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National, but you only have to look at what is on offer on an 'ordinary' day's racing in both nations to understand the current position.

Owners looking towards Ireland

Owners have therefore been more keen on sending their horses to race, or be trained in Ireland. Perhaps more pertinently, with Cheltenham Festival dominance in mind, the major owners with the real clout are now more prevalent on the Irish racing scene than in Britain.

The Riccis, Gigginstown House Stud and now even Cheveley Park have become increasingly involved and having horses trained on the Emerald Isle. The racing colours of that triumvirate have mopped up some major prizes in recent years.

Among the big hitters, an exception is perhaps JP McManus, who has maintained an interest in and been a major supporter of jump racing on both sides of the Irish Sea and had Cheltenham winners for both Britain and Ireland.
The counter argument holds that this is merely cyclical and that by an evening out process of nature, Britain will train more Festival winners again in the future and Ireland will have lean years by comparison. However, relying on a theoretical cycle is a dangerously complacent stance to take.
Unless British prize money increases and it can attract owners capable of buying the better horses and having them trained here, the nation will continue to give best to its friendly rivals from across the water.

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