ENGLISH TEXTS
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By Emmanuel Roussel
While the final prep races have not yet been run , Jacob Pritchard-Webb has undertaken the delicate task of selecting a top 3 of trainers , jockeys , and horses who are expected to make an impact at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival . The story will unfold on the legendary track from March 11 to 14 .
TRAINERS
Willie Mullins The man who has dominated the Cheltenham over the past 10 years . He won his 100 th race at the festival last year and did the champion hurdle and gold cup double . He has been leading trainer at the festival a record 11 times and in 2022 trained a record 10 winners across the fourday meeting , in a year that saw him crowned champion trainer in Britain as well as in Ireland for a 17 th time .
Dan Skelton Currently leading the trainer ’ s championship for 24 / 25 he hit back at the Irish dominance of the festival with four winners last years . A understudy to Paul Nichols he has fast grown to become one of Britain ’ s biggest trainers . He ’ ll have a strong team this year including last year ’ s Ryanair winner Protektorat and new kid on the block The New Lion recently bought by JP Mcmanus .
Nicky Henderson A 6 time champion trainer in Britain and behind Mullins with 73 winners at the Festival Nicky Henderson is Britain ’ s most successful trainer at the meeting .. Leading trainer of the champion hurdle with 8 wins he will have Constitution Hill going for a 9 th win . A virus meant he barely had any runners last year but will be preparing a strong team including Sir Gino and Lulamba .
JOCKEYS
Paul Townend Was 2 nd to Ruby Walsh before becoming 1 st jockey to Willie Mullins . The man now for the big occasion and last year broken a new record winning the champion hurdle on Stateman , his fourth gold cup on Galopin des Champs and his first grand national on I Am Maximus all in the same year .
Harry Skelton Brother to trainer Dan Skelton anda former champion jockey in the20 / 21 season winning 152 races . Rode all of Dans winners at thefestival last year and will be a manon a mission to keep theIrishatbay especially when partneringfavorites like Langer Dan andProtektorat . His biggest win wouldbe the Champion chase onPolitilogue for Paul Nichols .
Nico de Boinville Nico is stable jockey to Nicky Henderson and has ridden more Grade one winners then any British jump jockey currently active . He burst on to the scene when winning the gold cup on Coneygree in 2015 and hasn ’ t looked back , winning three champion chases on legends such as Sprinter Sacre and Altior twice .
HORSES
Galopin des Champs Bred in France by the less known stallion Timos , Galopin des Champs , debuted at Auteuil for Arnaud Chaille-Chaille before being sold to the Mullins team and owner Mrs
Andrey Turley in November 2020 . His first win was in a handicap hurdle at the Cheltenham festival and hasn ’ t looked back winning ten grade 1s including two gold cups and reaching a peak rating of 180 .
Langer Dan Bred in Ireland by Ocovango who now stands at Alne Park studwhich is run by Dan and Grace Skelton he was a € 12,000 foal and won his debut juvenile hurdle at Ludlow as a three-year-old . Hethen met Galopin des Champs on his first festival win but has since then won a grade 3 at Aintree andmost famously became a two-time winner of the coral cup handicap hurdle before going on to place in grade 1 hurdle at Aintree .
Constitution Hill Bred by Sally Noott by Blue Bresil he was sold as a three-year-old store to Warren Ewingand Barry Geraghty for € 16,500 . After suffering his only defeat in a point to point at four-year-old he was bought byNicky Henderson for £ 120,000 . Since then , he has never lost a race and won a supreme and a champion hurdle at theCheltenham festival and reached a peak rating of 175 .
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By Jacob Pritchard-Webb
BEST HORSES IN THE UK AND IRELAND THAT STARTED THEIR CAREERS IN FRANCE
The history of the Cheltenham festival began in 1860 at Market Harborough
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