“Champion Hurdle” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Carine06
The 2021 Cheltenham Festival was one that Irish racing fans, trainers and owners will never forget.
With 23 wins from the 28 races that took place, it was complete dominance, and now we are heading towards the 2022 festival, and they are looking to do the same again.
In three of the four Championship races that take place at the meeting, Ireland holds the favourites, plus many of the main contenders in those races. The feature of the entire meeting, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, is a prime example of Irish dominance in the betting markets. The latest racing betting shows Ireland have the 10/3 favourite in A Plus Tard, and also, the first four in the betting are all trained in Ireland.
Away from the big four races, Ireland have many novice chasers and hurdlers to bring over for the meeting, stars of the future who are taking their first steps into the big time. Then there are the handicaps, races that Ireland often dominate, and usually have multiple challengers in each of these races that are worthy of attention.
Beating their total of 23 wins from last year would mean that Ireland will have to win on average, six out of the seven races each day. That seems incredibly difficult, and something that cannot be done, but when you look at the team they are bringing, they look sure to get close to it.
Irish Names to Look Out For at the 2022 Festival
There are too many serious Irish contenders to name them all, but some names stand out as being more interesting than others, and they begin on the opening day with Honeysuckle. An excellent Champion Hurdle winner in 2021, the likeable mare dominated the field and came away from them in great style.
Now she bids to become a two-time Champion Hurdle winner and will arrive as one of the Irish bankers of the week.
Honeysuckle tops 23 entries for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Sharjah, Appreciate It, Epatante and Zanahiyr other key names pic.twitter.com/F7xJZC1onV
— PA Racing (@PAracing) January 11, 2022
If there is a horse capable of raising the roof with a victory at Cheltenham this year then it is without a doubt Tiger Roll. A Cheltenham and Grand National legend, he rolled back the years to win the Cross Country last season and comes back looking for more this time around.
Wednesday could prove to be a big Irish day, with Galopin Des Champs, Sir Gerhard and American Mike all set to run on that day too, and all currently favourites to win their respective races.
Allaho and Flooring Porter head the challenge on Thursday, with Allaho looking to back up his win in the Ryanair Chase 12 months ago. Rounding off the meeting, Gold Cup day will see Ireland hold a very strong hand in the feature race, but plenty of interest elsewhere. Led by Pied Piper, Concertista and Billaway, this looks to be another very strong day for Irish challengers, as the pressure continues to come from them.
Beating 23 winners may be tough, but Ireland seem to be set perfectly for many winners at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
Jack Timms is an independent writer with 8 years experience in writing sports articles for various magazines and newspapers. Most of his work is on horse racing or football, and he has written for magazines such as Thoroughbred Racing and Luxuria Lifestyle. Jack lives in York with his dog, Poppins.
