You can always rely on the Irish to lay on a cracking racing festival. From the seven-day marathon of the Galway Festival in summer to the Punchestown Festival towards the end of the National Hunt campaign, the Emerald Isle never disappoints.
Next on the menu is the two-day Dublin Racing Festival, which lights up the lives of racing fans with a barrage of Grade 1 contests (eight in total) over the first weekend in February.
Whilst a fine event in its own right, much of the talk in the aftermath of the Leopardstown event will centre around how well the winners will fare at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Does a win at the Dublin Racing Festival signal that Prestbury Park heroics are on the horizon?
Here, we look back at the past five editions of the eight Grade 1 events and highlight how the winners have performed one month on at the biggest Festival of the racing year.
Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle
- 2024 Winner: Dancing City – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 7th in Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- 2023 Winner: Good Land – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 4th in Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
- 2022 Winner: Minella Cocooner – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- 2021 Winner: Gaillard Du Mesnil – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in Ballymore Novices Hurdle
- 2020 Winner: Latest Exhibition – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: 0 wins, three top three finishes.
Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle
- 2024 Winner: Kargese – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 2023 Winner: Gala Marceau – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 2022 Winner: Vauban – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 2021 Winner: Quilixios – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON JCB Triumph Hurdle
- 2020 Winner: A Wave Of The Sea – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 7th in JCB Triumph Hurdle
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: two wins, four top three finishes.
Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase
- 2024 Winner: Il Etait Temps – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 3rd in Arkle Challenge Trophy
- 2023 Winner: El Fabiolo – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Arkle Challenge Trophy
- 2022 Winner: Blue Lord – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 3rd in Arkle Challenge Trophy
- 2021 Winner: Energumene – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Did Not Run
- 2020 Winner: Notebook – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 6th in Arkle Challenge Trophy
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: one win, three top three finishes.
Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup
- 2024 Winner: Galopin Des Champs – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 2023 Winner: Galopin Champs – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 2022 Winner: Conflated – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Fell in Ryanair Chase
- 2021 Winner: Kemboy – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 9th in Cheltenham Gold Cup
- 2020 Winner: Delta Work – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 5th in Cheltenham Gold Cup
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: two wins, two top three finishes.
Ladbrokes Novice Chase
- 2024 Winner: Fact To File – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
- 2023 Winner: Mighty Potter – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 3rd in Turners Novices’ Chase
- 2022 Winner: Galopin Des Champs – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Fell in Turners Novices’ Chase
- 2021 Winner: Monkfish – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
- 2020 Winner: Faugheen – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 3rd in Marsh Novices’ Chase
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: two wins, four top three finishes.
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
- 2024 Winner: Ballyburn – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle
- 2023 Winner: Il Etait Temps – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 5th in Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 2022 Winner: Sir Gerhard – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
- 2021 Winner: Appreciate It – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
- 2020 Winner: Asterion Forlonge – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 4th in Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: three wins, three top three finishes.
Ladbrokes Dublin Chase
- 2024 Winner: El Fabiolo – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Pulled Up in Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 2023 Winner: Gentleman De Mee – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Did Not Run
- 2022 Winner: Chacun Pour Soi – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Unseated Rider in Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 2021 Winner: Chacun Pour Soi – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 3rd in Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 2020 Winner: Chacun Pour Soi – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Did Not Run
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: 0 wins, one top three finish.
Irish Champion Hurdle
- 2024 Winner: State Man – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Champion Hurdle
- 2023 Winner: State Man – Cheltenham Festival Performance: 2nd in Champion Hurdle
- 2022 Winner: Honeysuckle – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Champion Hurdle
- 2021 Winner: Honeysuckle – Cheltenham Festival Performance: WON Champion Hurdle
- 2020 Winner: Honeysuckle – Cheltenham Festival Performance: Won Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
Record of winners at Cheltenham Festival: four wins, five top three finishes.
Excluding the three winners who did not compete at the Cheltenham Festival, 14 of 37 winners (37.83%) followed up at Cheltenham, whilst 25 of 37 (67.57%) at least managed to finish in the first three at Prestbury Park in March. So all in all, it is clear that what happens in Dublin is very informative for those betting on Cheltenham.