Ranking Ireland's best chances of success at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival | MarkMeets | Celebrity News, Music, Movies, TV, London Film Premieres

The 2024-25 National Hunt racing season is about to get underway, and naturally, those who scour the online horse racing betting sites are already looking ahead to the Cheltenham Festival next March.

Such is the nature of the jumps racing campaign these days that all roads lead to Prestbury Park for the prestigious spring meeting, which is often dubbed as horse racing’s Olympics.

Ireland have dominated proceedings at the Festival for a number of years now, with the indomitable Willie Mullins taking home the Leading Trainer award 10 times since 2011 and surpassing the 100-win barrier along the way.

Mullins, Henry de Bromhead, Gordon Elliott, and co. have helped Ireland to four consecutive Prestbury Cup successes, and it looks likely that the trophy for the most successful nation at the Cheltenham Festival will remain in Ireland for another year.

That said, let’s take a look at the four most likely Irish-trained winners at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Galopin Des Champs – Gold Cup

Galopin Des Champs is seeking a third successive Gold Cup victory at the Cheltenham Festival this year, which would see him become the first horse since Best Mate in the early 2000s to score a hat-trick in the feature race.

The eight-year-old has fended off solid opposition in the form of Bravemansgame and Gerri Colombe to land the Gold Cup. However, this year could make for a thrilling contest as his nearest opposition in the betting is stablemate Fact To File.

The fellow Mullins-trained horse was impressive over fences last year, winning three of his four starts — including the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. Galopin Des Champs will be incredibly hard to beat, though.

Brighterdaysahead – Mares’ Chase

Brighterdaysahead looks like she has the potential to be a star for Elliott, and her record to this point in her career speaks for itself — with just one defeat in her seven starts in rules races.

Indeed, that loss was one of the shocks of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, when she was turned over at short odds by Golden Ace in the Grade 2 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle despite many pundits and racing enthusiasts alike believing she was one of the best bets of the week.

The five-year-old bounced back from that loss emphatically in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree the following month and looks set to go chasing this campaign. She’s currently the favourite for the Mares’ Chase at 3/1.

Lossiemouth – Mares’ Hurdle

Popular owner Rich Ricci has had his fair share of top racehorses over the years, with the likes of Douvan and Vroum Vroum Mag winning the hearts of punters, and Lossiemouth looks like she could be another quality thoroughbred.

The five-year-old has won seven of eight starts under rules, with her sole defeat coming against stablemate Gala Marceau on her third start for Mullins in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February 2023.

That loss is truly a thing of the past as Lossiemouth’s run of five victories, four of which have been at Grade 1 level, have proved that was nothing more than a blip.

It will be interesting to see if Ricci takes on the colossal Constitution Hill in the prestigious Champion Hurdle. However, the Mares’ Hurdle seems more likely at the moment, and she should breeze it.

Ballyburn – Turners’ Novice Chase

Ballyburn was one of the most exciting winners at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, leaving Prestbury Park stunned as he streaked to an incredible 13-length victory over Jimmy Du Seuil in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle.

It’s doubtful that Mullins and the horse’s connections will opt to keep it over hurdles this season, with a novice chase campaign before going on to tackle the Gold Cup in 2026 looking like a far more likely route.

Ballyburn will have his options over the bigger obstacles at the Cheltenham Festival, but the Turners’ Novice Chase is currently more probably than the Arkle. Whatever path they decide to go down, the six-year-old will be one of the best-backed horses of the Festival.

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John Day

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