Can Willie Mullins defend his crown as Cheltenham Festival’s Top Trainer?
While the Cheltenham Festival, widely known as the Greatest Show on Turf, is an event which sees the world’s finest racehorses go to battle over four incredible days, it’s also an opportunity for the trainers to display the fruits of all their hard labour.
The Top Trainer award at the Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious accolades in the sport, and this year’s market looks fascinating.
2019’s winner, Willie Mullins, who is the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history in terms of winners saddled, is the favourite to scoop his seventh Top Trainer award, and is priced as short as 8/11 in the market.
Punters seem to agree with the bookies on this one, with 29% of all bets in the market being placed on the Irishman to claim another Top Trainer award.
With the likes of Al Boum Photo, Benie Des Dieux and Appreciate It in his stable, Mullins is the worthy favourite for being the Top Trainer at Cheltenham once again.
At just 42, Gordon Elliott is perhaps still seen as the new kid on the block, although his rise to stardom as a trainer has been rapid – highlighted by winning the Top Trainer award at the 2017 and 2018 Cheltenham Festival.
Elliott is the 3/1 second-favourite in this market, although considering he has Tiger Roll, Delta Work and Envoi Allen among others at his disposal, this price could ultimately prove great value.
Though Mullins has been the most-backed trainer in the market over the past week, Elliott has received the highest number of bets over the last 24 hours – 32% in total.
The shortest-priced Englishman to win the Top Trainer award at the Cheltenham Festival is Nicky Henderson who is 7/2 in most places.
Henderson last won the award in 2012, although his chances shouldn’t be overlooked, particularly because the well-backed Altior and Champ will be running for him. He could get his Festival off to a flyer in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, where Shishkin is the current 5/2 favourite.
Elsewhere in the market, the previously-prolific Paul Nicholls—who has been Cheltenham Festival’s Top Trainer on six occasions (though his most recent triumph was back in 2009)—is way out at 50/1 in the market.
Nicholls knows what it takes to succeed at the Festival, and while Mullins, Elliott and Henderson have dominated this award for the past decade, the 57-year-old could still perhaps be a dark horse.
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