Cheltenham Festival 2022

With all remaining legal Covid restrictions lifted in England on February 24, 2022, spectators returned to the Cheltenham Festival with a bang, leading to a record aggregate attendance of 280,627 across the four days and a daily record attendance of 73,875 on Gold Cup Day alone. Pioneering female jockey Rachael Blackmore made headlines, as she had the previous year, winning the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle, trained by Henry de Bromhead, for the second year running and completing the Champion Hurdle/Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, also trained by de Bromhead. After becoming the first woman to win the most prestigious steeplechase on either side of the Irish Sea, Blackmore said, "You can never dream too big; this is something I never thought would be possible."

Elsewhere, Irish dominance continued, although not quite on the same scale as the 23-5 domination of the Prestbury Cup standings in 2021. Irish-trained horses won 18 of the 28 races during the week, the indefatigable Willie Mullins leading the way with a record 10 winners, including Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Allaho in the Ryanair Chase. Navan trainer Gavin Cromwell saddled Flooring Porter to win the Stayers' Hurdle for the second year running, thereby completing a clean sweep for the Irish in the 'feature'.

Not altogether surprisingly, Mullins was leading trainer for the fourth year running, and the ninth time in all, while his stable jockey, Paul Townend, with five winners, was top jockey for the second time in three years. Indeed, both trainer and jockey were unlucky not to add another one to their respective winning tallies when odds-on favourite Galopin Des Champs suffered an agonising last-fence fall in the Turners Novices' Chase when 12 lengths ahead with the race at his mercy. Philosophically – and prophetically, with the benefit of hindsight – Mullins said afterwards, "It's disappointing, but we have a sound jockey and a sound horse and we live to fight another day."

For the home team, Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, made an impressive Cheltenham Festival debut, winning the Supreme Novices' Hurdle by 22 lengths, eased down, from stable companion Jonbon. Subsequent Grand National hero Corach Rambler, trained by Lucinda Russell, won the Ultima Handicap Chase for the second year running, albeit only just, by a head.