The pinnacle of jumps racing is almost here and top Irish trainer Gordon Elliott will fancy his chances throughout the week – but how many Cheltenham Festival winners has he trained heading into the 2024 meeting?
Gordon Elliott Has Trained 37 Cheltenham Festival Winners
There are only four trainers in the history of the Cheltenham Festival who have trained more winners than Gordon Elliott.
Willie Mullins leads the way with 94, Nicky Henderson trails with 73, Paul Nicholls has recorded 48 and Fulke Walwyn (1946-86) sits in fourth with 40.
Elliott occupies fifth on 37 winners and with a stroke of luck, there is every chance he could move into fourth at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
Gordon Elliott’s First Cheltenham Festival Winner Was Chicago Grey In 2011
The Gordon Elliott Cheltenham Festival story started back in 2011, when his Chicago Grey won the National Hunt Chase – a race he’s now won four times in total.
Flaxen Flare gave Elliott his second Cheltenham Festival winner in 2013 when getting up to claim the Fred Winter – now known as the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Since then, Gordon Elliott has had plenty of big race success at the Festival including a Gold Cup in 2016 with Don Cossack alongside a Supreme, a Baring Bingham, a Stayers’, a Brown Advisory, two Triumphs and two Champion Bumpers.
Gordon Elliott Trained Three Cheltenham Festival Winners In 2023
Gordon Elliott is as big as 12/1 with the best UK horse racing betting sites to be the 2024 Cheltenham top trainer again but it will prove very difficult to catch Willie Mullins.
Elliott has been the top handler at the meeting on two occasions in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018.
Gordon Elliott 2023 Cheltenham Festival Winners
- Jazzy Matty – Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- Delta Work – Cross Country Chase
- Sire Du Berlais – Stayers’ Hurdle
Jazzy Matty is not expected to feature again this time around, but Delta Work and Sire Du Berlais will be back in action at the Cheltenham Festival 2024.
Gordon Elliott Has Been The Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer Two Times
Trainer Gordon Elliott has also been the Cheltenham Festival top trainer twice – coming in back-to-back years which is an impressive feat in the Willie Mullins era.
The first top trainer award at the meeting came in 2017, when six winners landed the prize for him.
His biggest haul in one meeting to date was in 2018 when Gordon Elliott sent eight winners over the 28 races. This works out that the top Irish trainer won 29% of the Cheltenham races that year.
Years Gordon Elliott Has Been Top Cheltenham Festival Trainer
- 2018: Gordon Elliott (8)
- 2017: Gordon Elliott (6)
Gordon Elliott Main Runners at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival
With four winners, Gordon Elliott would become the fourth most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival of all time – what are his best chances?
- Firefox – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- Found A Fifty – Arkle Novices’ Chase
- The Goffer – Ultima Handicap Chase
- Irish Point – Champion Hurdle / Stayers’ Hurdle
- Salvador Ziggy – National Hunt Chase
- Delta Work – Cross Country Chase
- Conflated – Cross Country Chase
- Galvin – Cross Country Chase
- Coko Beach – Cross Country Chase
- Jalon D’oudairies – Champion Bumper
- Romeo Coolio – Champion Bumper
- Teahupoo – Stayers’ Hurdle
- Sire Du Berlais – Stayers’ Hurdle
- Brighterdaysahead – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
- King Of Kingsfield – County Hurdle
- Gerri Colombe – Gold Cup
- Better Days Ahead – Martin Pipe
Note: All figures correct as 28th Feb 2024
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Source - sportlens.com