The 2023 Cheltenham Festival represented what had become business as usual for Irish-trained runners, with the visitors winning the Prestbury Cup 18-10, exactly the same scoreline as in 2022. Willie Mullins, with six winners, including Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, was leading trainer for the fifth year running and his stable jockey, Paul Townend, with five winners, was leading jockey for the second year running.
Galopin Des Champs had looked a desperately unlucky loser when falling at the final fence in the Turner Novices' Chase in 2022, when holding an unassailable 12-length lead, but justified favouritism in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in taking style, coming home seven lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, Bravemansgame.
The connections of Honeysuckle, who won the Champion Hurdle in both 2021 and 2022, decluned a hat-trick in the two-mile hurdling championship and ran the mare, by then a nine-year-old, in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle over half a mile further. Honeysuckle had won that race on her Cheltenham Festival debut back in 2020 and, what proved to be a fitting swansong, did so again under regular jockey Rachael Blackmore.
In the absence of Honeysuckle, Constitution Hill – the impressive winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival and 5-5 under Rules at that stage – appeared to have a relatively straightforward task in the Champion Hurdle, as reflected by his prohibitive 4/11 starting price. He never gave his supporters and anxious moment, travelling strongly throughout, crusing into the lead at the third-last flight and drawing clear in the closing stages for another impressive, 9-length win from his only serious market rival, State Man.
The other 'feature' races, that is, the Ryanair Chase and the Stayers' Hurdle, both went the way of Irish-trained horses. Envoi Allen, trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden by Rachael Blackmore, kept on well to oust even-money favourite in the former, while Sire Du Berlais, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Mark Walsh, rediscovered his best form to spring a 33/1 surprise in the latter.
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