Cheltenham Festival Prestbury Cup - Great Britain vs Ireland

The Cheltenham Festival is the greatest racing week of the year with unmatched hype and interest around the four fantastic days of National Hunt action in the Cotswolds.

It’s the coming together of the best talents from Britain and Ireland to compete for the most sought-after prizes in the sport and it has long served as a source of national pride for these two competitive neighbours.

Since 2014, the battle for supremacy at the Cheltenham Festival has become ‘official’ with Great Britain and Ireland competing for the Prestbury Cup. Here’s our guide to the Anglo-Irish battle and who might star for the respective teams in 2026.

What Is The Prestbury Cup?

The Cheltenham Festival has long since been established as the place where the best talents in Britain and Ireland converge in the spring to compete for racing’s most coveted prizes.

Since 2014, that rivalry has been captured by the Prestbury Cup – named after Prestbury Park, where Cheltenham racecourse is located.

There are 28 races at the Cheltenham Festival across four days and the Prestbury Cup is awarded to the nation that scores the most winners.

There are no countbacks or tie-breakers, if they end on the same score it is duly declared a tie and this has happened once back in 2019.

Great Britain Best Horses

The home team will hope to make a fast start on day one as the likes of Old Park Star in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Lulamba in the Arkle are major contenders for Nicky Henderson – the most successful British trainer in Festival history.

The likes of Dan Skelton, set to be Britain’s champion trainer this season, has top contender The New Lion in the Champion Hurdle, while Ben Pauling will be hoping King George winner The Jukebox Man can shine in the Gold Cup.

Meanwhile, Paul Nicholls has compared his unbeaten novice hurdler No Drama This End favourably with the mighty Denman ahead of a crack at the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.

Ireland Best Horses

Ireland’s hopes are skippered by the indomitable Willie Mullins, the trainer responsible for a stunning 113 Cheltenham Festival winners in his career and the man crowned top trainer at the Festival 12 times.

Mullins’ hopes in 2026 include Kopek Des Bordes in the Arkle, Majborough in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, Bambino Fever in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Dinoblue in the Mares’ Chase – each of whom of are likely to be favourite.

He also has top names like Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior – whose Festival targets are yet to be decided – and two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs aiming to reclaim that crown jewel.

Gordon Elliott is no stranger to Cotswolds success and will hope Brighterdaysahead can land the Champion Hurdle while Teahupoo aims for a second Stayers’ Hurdle.

Henry de Bromhead and Gavin Cromwell have landed three of the last five Gold Cups between them and are other top Irish trainers to be noted.

Prestbury Cup Past Winners

Ireland has dominated the Prestbury Cup over the last decade, with nine wins and one draw in 2019. The UK won the first two editions in 2014 and 2015 but haven’t emerged on top since.

In years where the total number of winners doesn’t tally to 28, the difference is attributable to French-trained winners – the last of which came in 2020 when Easysland won the Cross Country race.

The 2021 Festival, which was held behind closed doors, saw a landslide Irish success with a staggering 23 winners – six of which famously came from Rachael Blackmore as she was crowned leading rider at the festival.