Home team fights back at the festival - but champions are nowhere to be seen

The changing face of the Cheltenham Festival and a jumping year to remember

Bowing out on a high: Sam Waley-Cohen savours the moment after his Grand National success aboard Noble YeatsCredit: Christopher Furlong

If definitive proof were needed that the Cheltenham Festival is out of kilter with the jumps season as a whole, then this year surely closed the case.

It's not just the mania that seems to grip the jumping world from October onwards, or the delirium that accompanies the now traditional GB v Ireland mismatch. What became apparent in 2022 is that domination at Prestbury Park and championship-winning excellence in Britain are two very different things.

Paul Nicholls landed the trainers' crown for the 13th time with a prize-money haul that fell a whisker short of £3 million, yet he managed not one festival winner.

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Peter ThomasSenior features writer

Published on 9 May 2022inIn Focus

Last updated 18:04, 9 May 2022

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