Cheltenham Festival is known to be one of the biggest and most iconic horse racing events throughout the calendar year, attracting all types of horse racing fans from across the globe for four days of incredible horse racing action. With the sun beating down, brilliant traditions across the different days and people from around the world coming to visit the venue, the Cheltenham Festival is one of the most fascinating events in the horse racing calendar.
Whether you are someone who likes to use these events to take advantage of horse racing free bets or if you simply enjoy the thrill of the sport, there are plenty of reasons to watch! With the four days of unmissable horse racing action set in the Cotswolds, there are many different trophies and races that are contested throughout the week, with one of the lesser-known trophies being the Prestbury Cup!
Here, we are going to look through what the Prestbury Cup is, the history of the cup and which side is looking most likely to take the cup home with them after the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
What is the Prestbury Cup?
The Prestbury Cup is an annual event which takes place across the entire Cheltenham Festival every year, meaning it is up for grabs every time the festival takes place. The Prestbury Cup has only been taking place at Cheltenham since 2014, and it is the trophy that is awarded to the side which has the most winners, with the annual battle being between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
With this competition being between trainers and jockeys from the UK and Ireland, the first side that has 15 winners will claim the Prestbury Cup. As there are 28 races at Cheltenham, this means that 15 winners allow for the side to mathematically take home the trophy with no chance of a comeback. As the Cheltenham Festival is a global competition, it is possible for one side to win the trophy with less than 15 winners, as other nations’ jockeys and trainers can win races, yet they are not eligible to win the Prestbury Cup.
Once the 15-win mark has been hit, or it is mathematically impossible for the other side to come back, the trophy ceremony will begin! Just like other horse racing ceremonies at Cheltenham Festival, the Prestbury Cup ceremony is grand and impressive, with one of the highest-profile trainers being awarded the trophy at a special celebration ceremony.
History of the Prestbury Cup
With the Prestbury Cup only being awarded for around the past 10 years, there have not been many competitions in comparison to other Cheltenham Festival events; however, throughout the history of the tournament, the United Kingdom has not had a brilliant time the period of the Prestbury Cup with the trophy competition mostly boasting Irish success! After the first two years of the competition, Britain was victorious in 2014 and 2015, yet from the years 2015 to 2024, they have not been able to secure the trophy once!
Since 2016, Ireland has been able to secure each trophy, yet in 2019, the Prestbury Cup ended in a tie as both sides had the same amount of wins as each other. Throughout the other 8 occasions, Ireland has come up on top.
When looking back throughout history, we can see that the most dominant performance throughout the Prestbury Cup was in 2021, when Ireland won 23 races, and Britain only won 5 throughout the four days. The last time the United Kingdom won the Prestbury Cup was in 2015. They had winners such as Cole Harden, The Package and the Movie Coneygee, who won the Gold Cup that year. Will the British finally be able to take the trophy back, or will the Irish take the trophy back once again?
How will the 2025 Prestbury Cup Play Out?
When looking at the upcoming Prestbury Cup, most experienced and knowledgeable tipsters are expecting Ireland to come away with the trophy. The reason for their dominance is relatively straightforward: Ireland has some of the best trainers in the business, such as Willie Mullins, Henry De Bromhead and Gordan Elliott, and these trainers have some of the very best records at Cheltenham Festival. As a result, Britain will need a lot of effort to take the trophy back, with the United Kingdom side being led by Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, who are both incredibly talented trainers.
With the Irish side being huge favourites for the Prestbury Cup, Britain is looking for a miracle to take the trophy back for the first time in a decade, with a tie being quite unlikely. For the favourite of the 2025 Gold Cup being Galopin Des Champs, we can expect to see an Irish-trained horse take home the Gold Cup, which is one of the most well-recognised races throughout the entire Cheltenham Festival.
