Cheltenham in numbers: course form, handicap marks and Geraghty's domination

There is no secret formula to finding winners at the Cheltenham Festival and plenty of trends and stats come out of the woodwork in the weeks before jump racing's most important four days.

However, it is always worth looking back to see the figures that truly mattered. Did course form prove pivotal again? What about the impact of the Dublin Racing festival? And just how difficult was it for anyone not called Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott or Nicky Henderson?

All Cheltenham meetings are unmissable

Course form was important. Five meetings take place at Cheltenham before the festival and clues were available at each of them.

Trials Day has long punched well above its weight by doing exactly what it says on the tin and it was the case again, particularly in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Simply The Betts and Imperial Aura finished first and second in the 2m4½f handicap in January and were well-backed favourites who had punters rejoicing on the Tuesday and Thursday of the festival.

It was also anticipated the Cleeve Hurdle would provide the winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle, but Paisley Park could not replicate his memorable festival triumph of 2019, albeit with several excuses coming to light. Instead, it was Cleeve third Lisnagar Oscar who improved to upset the odds and strike at 50-1.

2020 Cheltenham Festival winners from other Cheltenham meetings

1 October – The Conditional
3 November – Dame De Compagnie, Politologue, Put The Kettle On
4 December – Dame De Compagnie, Easysland, Imperial Aura, Indefatigable
1 New Year's Day – Champ
3 Trials Day – Imperial Aura, Lisnagar Oscar, Simply The Betts

The December meeting provided four festival winners, with Coral Cup and Martin Pipe winners Dame De Compagnie and Indefatigable finishing first and second in a mares' handicap hurdle.

Imperial Aura and 17-length Cross Country winner Easysland both ran at the December meeting, while Ultima hero The Conditional won a 3m1f handicap chase at Cheltenham’s Showcase fixture in October.

Dame De Compagnie and Indefatigable finished first and second at the December meetingCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Dame De Compagnie also featured at the November meeting, traditionally the busiest outside of the festival at Prestbury Park.

She finished an eyecatching fifth in the Greatwood Hurdle – hindsight is a wonderful thing – and both winners of the Arkle and the Champion Chase were on show too.

Put The Kettle On won a Grade 2 trial for the Racing Post-sponsored novice chase, while Politologue was a respectable second in the Shloer Chase when trying to give weight away to Defi Du Seuil.

Even the first day of 2020 had clues, with those able to forgive Champ’s heavy fall in the Dipper Novices’ Chase rewarded with a pulsating RSA Novices’ Chase win, for all that it seemed unlikely jumping the last fence.

Festival winners back for more

Al Boum Photo became the first horse to successfully retain the Gold Cup since Best Mate and was one of four winners to record their second festival victory.

Last year's Champion Bumper winner Envoi Allen proved his credentials of Irish banker spot on when winning the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle – the only odds-on winner of the week – while his stablemate Samcro, the 2018 Ballymore winner, returned to something near his best in the Marsh Novices' Chase.

Al Boum Photo: one of four repeat festival winners this yearCredit: Michael Steele

Sire Du Berlais, another horse trained by Elliott, became the third horse to win back-to-back Pertemps Finals.

Champ, Min and Politologue had all filled the runner-up spot at previous festivals but went one better this season.

Opportunities few and far between as Geraghty and Townend dominate

Barry Geraghty had 11 rides at the Cheltenham Festival this week. He won with five of them. The 40-year-old, who has had his fair share of injury heartache in the last few years, started his Cotswolds haul with Epatante in the Champion Hurdle and added the wins of Champ, Dame De Compagnie, Sire Du Berlais and Saint Roi.

Backing each of Geraghty's mounts yielded a £20.50 profit to a £1 level stake, while a fine Friday helped Paul Townend register a similar figure of £20.33.

Astonishing: Barry Geraghty won with five of his 11 rides at the Cheltenham Festival, including the Champion Hurdle (pictured)Credit: Edward Whitaker

Townend's five winners included Al Boum Photo's Gold Cup defence as the finale of a Friday treble, while Ireland's champion jockey was at his best to win a thrilling Ryanair Chase on Min on Thursday.

Davy Russell is also no stranger to Cheltenham success and recorded three winners, but French rider Jonathan Plouganou, amateur Rob James, conditional Rex Dingle and Adam Wedge were jockeys who achieved a maiden festival victory, the latter causing a 50-1 surprise on Lisnagar Oscar in the Stayers' Hurdle.

Mullins, Elliott, Henderson . . . more of the same

It was quite a good week for Elliott, Mullins and Henderson, but few others may express a similar sentiment.

The big three accounted for 18 of the 28 winners, compared to tallies of 11 last year, 17 in 2018 and 15 in 2017. They were the top three trainers and 2016 was the last time anyone else made the frame.

Willie Mullins (left) was top trainer at the Cheltenham FestivalCredit: Dan Mullan

Henry de Bromhead and Paul Nicholls are regular festival winners, but Lisnagar Oscar and Imperial Aura provided Rebecca Curtis and Kim Bailey with a return to the Cheltenham limelight.

For all that the dominance of the big three poses a threat to the lustre of the festival, David Bridgwater, David Cottin, Harry Whittington and Paul Webber will all look back fondly on the week when they claimed their breakthrough success at the meeting as a trainer.

Handicap mark debate to rage on

Irish runners routinely see their rating changed by the BHA handicappers when the Cheltenham Festival weights are revealed.

There are often protests of an injustice from trainers, but the results paint a different picture. Five handicaps went to Britain and five to Ireland, a figure that may well flatter the home runners given Elliott's Column Of Fire fell when challenging strongly at the last in the Martin Pipe.

Between 2016 and 2020, Irish runners have won 26 of the 50 handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival.

Which track was frequented most by Cheltenham winners?

Despite course form at Cheltenham proving of huge benefit, Fairyhouse was the track frequented most by subsequent festival winners this season.

Honeysuckle, Envoi Allen and Samcro were among ten festival winners to appear at the track during this campaign, with Cheltenham next best on 11.

Honeysuckle was the only horse to win at both the Dublin Racing festival and Cheltenham Festival this seasonCredit: Caroline Norris

There were eight appearances by Cheltenham winners at Leopardstown; this includes four runners at the Dublin Racing festival. Irish Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle was the only horse to win at both meetings this season, with Min and Concertista placing during the high-class weekend of racing in February.

Not accounting for racecourses in France or point-to-point circuits, this week's Cheltenham Festival winners have appeared at 19 tracks in Ireland and 13 in Britain.

Read more on the Cheltenham Festival:

Al Boum Photo joins the exalted as Mullins and Townend enjoy golden afternoon

Henderson left crestfallen by Santini's agonising Gold Cup second

Mullins snatches festival trainers' title from Elliott with fantastic four-timer

Mullins offers sympathies to Moore team after Burning Victory picks up pieces

Members can read the latest exclusive interviews, news analysis and comment available from 6pm daily on racingpost.com