A recent study has found that horses bred in Ireland, trained in Britain and ridden by an Irish jockey are more often than not the winners at the Cheltenham Festival.
Each winner at the event since 2000 was looked at closely to see how they were bred, where they were trained and what type of jockey rode them at the racecourse.
British-based trainers were found to be 40% more favourable to win than Irish ones, according to GG.co.uk
Chris Graham, a spokesman from GG.co.uk said: ” “With the competition between Great Britain and Ireland fiercer than ever, we felt it was high time that someone kept a comprehensive multi-layered running score between the nations at the Cheltenham Festival.”
Research gave points to both Great Britain and Ireland based on their overall performances and it was found that the British-trained horses have won more than £20 million prize money since 2000.
However, as Graham reveals, the Irish jockeys have regularly had the upper hand in races.
He said: ” While the Brit-based horses have had the upper hand over the 21st century, the gap is closing and when you dig deeper into jockey and breeding data you get a real understanding of the Irish dominance this century.
On top of that, with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott having shared the top trainer title at the last seven Festivals, Ireland could pull away further from their big rivals in the years ahead.”
Alongside this, horses bred in Ireland have won more than 250 races, a percentage of 55%.
So, if you are taking a punt at the Cheltenham Festival this year, here are the three horses likely to double your earnings according the GG.co.uk
• Call Me Lord (Trainer: Nicky Henderson | Potential race: Champion Hurdle | Likely Jockey: Daryl Jacob )
A smart young horse – Call Me Lord wins the https://t.co/NtWKWpu0Nd Handicap Hurdle pic.twitter.com/ZJfABADEBU
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) January 6, 2018
• Sir Psycho (Trainer: Paul Nicholls | Potential race: Triumph Hurdle | Likely Jockey: Bryan Carver)
In the famous silks which have starred the likes of Dodging Bullets & Quel Destin, SIR PSYCHO justifies favouritism with an impressive 9 length triumph at @wincantonraces, for @PFNicholls and @CobdenHarry!🏇🔴💚
— Timeform Live (@TimeformLive) October 27, 2019
(🎥@RacingTV)pic.twitter.com/QyGIVKl6tH
• Highest Sun (Trainer: Colin Tizzard | Potential race: Marsh Novices Chase | Likely Jockey: Robbie Power)
#TheEyeCatcher: Highest Sun was no match for Didtheyleaveuoutto and Thomas Darby at Ascot, but ran promisingly to finish third on his British debut.
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 23, 2018
He should improve and looks one to follow. Add the four-year-old into your Racing UK tracker here >>>https://t.co/CsOGOk00AY pic.twitter.com/wNrSjbBOP3
