The Numbers Behind Mullins' Cheltenham Dominance
Willie Mullins holds the record as the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history with 113 winners between 1995 and 2025. His nearest rival, Nicky Henderson, has 75 festival winners. Mullins has been crowned leading trainer at the festival 12 times and is the reigning UK champion trainer as well as a 19-time Irish National Hunt champion.
In 2025, Mullins equalled his own record of 10 winners at a single festival, matching his 2022 haul. His winners last year included Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Lossiemouth in the Mares' Hurdle, Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase, Poniros in the Triumph Hurdle, and Bambino Fever in the Champion Bumper, plus five additional Grade 1 victories.
100 Entries For The 2026 Festival
For the 2026 Cheltenham Festival running from March 10-13, Mullins has entered 100 different horses across the four-day meeting. This is the largest entry from any single trainer and reflects the extraordinary depth of his Closutton operation in County Carlow, which averages over 200 winners annually with prize money exceeding 25 million euros across recent campaigns.
Most remarkably, Mullins has nine entries in the Gold Cup alone, more than any other trainer. His Gold Cup squad is headed by Gaelic Warrior, the 3/1 favourite, along with Galopin Des Champs, Fact To File, and Nick Rockett. Mullins has won the Gold Cup four times previously with Al Boum Photo in 2019 and 2020, and Galopin Des Champs in 2023 and 2024.
Record-Breaking Statistics
Mullins' overall Cheltenham strike rate stands at 13.26%, with 46 wins from 347 runners and a further 91 place finishes giving a 26.2% placed record. His operation maintains strike rates of 25-27% in Ireland throughout the season. Among his most dominant festival records are 14 wins in the Champion Bumper, 11 in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle, and 8 in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
The scale of Irish dominance at Cheltenham has become a talking point in British racing. Irish-trained horses have won nine of the last ten Gold Cups, and across the festival as a whole, the Prestbury Cup, which tracks winners by nationality, has swung heavily towards Ireland in recent years. Check our racecards for full Cheltenham fields.
Key Mullins Runners To Watch
Beyond the Gold Cup, Mullins' leading contenders across the 2026 festival include Lossiemouth as the 2/1 Champion Hurdle favourite, Majborough who is heavily fancied for the Champion Chase, and a host of novice entries. Across Tuesday to Friday, the Closutton team will be represented in virtually every race on the card.
Use our betting calculator to work out potential returns. Check our fast results page for instant outcomes from every race.
