Cheltenham Festival handicaps could be dominated by Ireland after record entry

There may be more than a few Irish trainers who don't see eye to eye with the BHA handicappers when it comes to assessing their horses at Cheltenham, but that has not prevented a record 340 entries across the ten festival handicaps.

The overall entry of 928 is the highest since 2017 but it is the proportion of those potential runners trained in Ireland that catches the eye, helped no doubt by a decent haul of 16 handicap winners across the last three festivals.

Gordon Elliott has accounted for no fewer than five handicap winners over the last three years and Glenloe, whose sole entry is in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup that closes day three, is one of two well-backed JP McManus horses across the handicaps with Coral.

"Glenloe is the shortest priced favourite at 5-1 for the Kim Muir, while Phoenix Way has also been very popular for the Pertemps and is currently the 6-1 market leader," said Coral spokesman Harry Aitkenhead.

Glenloe has attracted plenty of support for the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Caroline Norris

The markets for the handicaps will receive another shake-up next Wednesday when the weights are announced, but the early signs are that bookmakers are taking few chances with the Kim Bailey-trained pair Vinndication and Imperial Aura, who head the betting in two races on the opening day of the festival, the Ultima Handicap Chase and the Northern Trust Novices' Handicap Chase.

The breakdown by race reveals that the very last prize to be handed out on the Friday of the festival, the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle for Conditional Jockeys, has attracted the biggest interest with 156 horses entered, eight more than have been put in the Coral Cup.

By contrast there are only 53 candidates for Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, also run on the Friday.

The number of handicap entries from Ireland has risen by 86 per cent since 2011, with Elliott responsible for 59 individual horses engaged this year, while perennial title rival Willie Mullins has another 38.

Cheltenham Festival entries

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