Cheltenham 2017: Wednesday’s Trends
Get the all-important trends for Ladies Day at the Festival. We cover the vital facts and figures ahead of every race.
Day 2 – Wednesday 15th March
13:30 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle
- 29 of the last 31 winners started in the first five in the betting (the favourite has won 10 of the last 26 runnings)
- 6 of the last 18 winners recorded a top-six finish in a Grade 1 bumper
- No winner has been aged 8+ since 1974
14:10 RSA Chase
- 9 of the last 10 winners were seven-year-olds (only 3 winners since 1978 have been aged under seven)
- 16 of the last 17 winners had run at least three times over fences
- Only 1 winner since 1962 had not run during the same calendar year
- No winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase has won, from 19 to try
- 5 of the last 7 winners contested the previous season’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- Willie Mullins has trained 4 winners and 3 runners-up
14:50 Coral Cup
- 9 of the last 12 winners were second-season hurdlers
- 13 of the 23 winners won last time out
- The last 8 winners had run no more than four times earlier in the season (and six winners in total had run no more than just twice earlier in the season)
- Irish-trained horses have won 8 of the 23 runnings (5 of their last 6 winners had not run since early January)
- Only 2 of the last 16 winners had one more than one handicap
- Horses aged 10+ are 2-29 to place since 1999
15:30 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase
- The last 15 winners of the previous season’s Arkle have won (7) or finished placed (8)
- 15 of the last 17 winners started at no bigger than 5/1
- 11 of the last 16 winners contested the Tingle Creek Chase earlier in the season
- Only 1 winner aged over ten since 1977
- 14 of the last 15 winners had won a Grade 1 race before
- 20 of the last 32 winners had won at the Cheltenham Festival before
16:10 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
- 35 of the last 37 winners of races over this cross country course had run in a cross country race before
- Enda Bolger has trained the winner of 19 of the 50 races run over the cross country chase course
- Only 4 of the 50 races run over the cross country chase course were aged younger than eight
- Ten years have passed since the favourite won on the day (last year’s favourite was promoted to first after the winner was disqualified in the summer)
- 7 of the 12 winners of this race ran in the handicap over the cross country chase course run earlier in the season (in January this season)
- The P.P. Hogan Chase at Punchestown has featured 4 winners of this prize from its 11 runnings
16:50 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
- 12 of the 13 winners had run in February or March
- 8 of the last 12 winners had run the bare minimum of three times over hurdles in order to qualify
- 24 of the last 36 win-and-placed horses were bred in France
- Paul Nicholls-trained French-breds have won 3 times and placed on 6 other occasions
- 3 winners entered the race with the highest official rating from the Flat
- Fillies won 4 of the first 8 runnings
17:30 Weatherbys Champion Bumper
- Ireland lead GB 17-7 of which Willie Mullins has trained 8 winners and supplied last season’s second, third and fourth
- 5 of the last 14 winners top rated on official BHA figures
- The last 13 winners also won last time out
- 9 second-favourites have won whereas the favourite has finished runner-up on 9 occasions
- 16 of the 24 winners started in the first six in the betting
- 6 winners ran at the Leopardstown Christmas Meeting
