Cheltenham Festival Trials Day: Five trends from the Betfair Cotswold Chase

• Five trends from the Betfair Cotswold Chase 

• Trainer, jockey and age of horse analysis

• Betfair Cotswold Chase 2026 is 14:25 on Saturday

• Get the latest Betfair racing odds here

• Click here for more racing betting tips

Festival Trials Day is the final meeting at Cheltenham before the Festival (Tuesday 10th- Friday 13th March). Run in late January at the home of jump racing, it provides an important insight into form and performance ahead of the Festival.

We've analysed the data from the Betfair Cotswold Chase over the years to bring you five trends which provide insight into past (and potentially future) winners.

14:25 Betfair Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) - Facts & Figures

The Betfair Cotswold Chase, first run in 1980 with a total prize fund of £5,125, is a trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. After gaining Grade Two status for the first time in 1999, the race continues to be one of the highlights of Festival Trials Day and offers a total prize fund of £125,000. Let's take a look at the trends which have emerged over the past 45 years:

1) Most Successful Trainer

Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls has been the most successful trainer in the history of the Betfair Cotswold Chase, recording five victories so far and consistently using the race as a stepping stone for top-class staying chasers. 

His first successes came with See More Business (pictured below), who was victorious twice in 1998 and 2001, before going on to Cheltenham Gold Cup glory in 1999, underlining the strong link between Trials Day form and Festival success.  

Nicholls later added further wins with Taranis in 2010 and Neptune Collonges in 2011, the latter again highlighting the calibre of horse typically targeted at this contest. 

More recently, Frodon's front-running victory in 2019 reinforced Nicholls' ability to prepare proven Cheltenham performers for this race, cementing his reputation as the standout trainer in the event's history. 

2) Most Successful Jockey

AP McCoy and Richard Johnson remain the most successful riders in the history of the race, each recording three victories and underlining their long-standing association with top-class staying chasers.

McCoy struck with Cyfor Malta (1999) before adding further wins with Exotic Dancer (2007) and Neptune Collonges (2011), showcasing his consistency at the highest level across more than a decade. Johnson's successes came with Behrajan (2003), Smad Place (2016) and Native River (2021), highlighting his ability to deliver in the race across different eras.

Among current jockeys, Nico de Boinville has emerged as the most successful, recording two recent victories on Santini in 2020 and Chantry House in 2022, and continuing the trend of elite riders playing a key role in the race's outcome.

3) Favourites in Focus

Grey Dawning is 4/91.44 to win Saturday's big race but backers beware - favourites have a mixed record in the Betfair Cotswold Chase, winning 10 of the 43 runnings, a strike rate of just over 23 per cent. While that shows the market leader can certainly prevail, it also highlights that this is not a race dominated by short-priced horses.

The contest has often rewarded proven staying chasers rather than outright favourites, with conditions, tactics and timing within the season all playing a significant role. As a result, the Cotswold Chase has regularly provided opportunities for well-supported challengers to outperform expectations, making it a race where looking beyond the favourite has frequently been worthwhile.

4) The Age Factor

Age has played a notable role in the history of the Betfair Cotswold Chase, with winners typically falling into a well-defined bracket. The race has been most kind to horses aged eight and nine, who account for the largest share of winners, suggesting that peak maturity and proven stamina are key factors at this stage of the season.

A breakdown of the winners by age is as follows:
6yo - 1
7yo - 9
8yo - 13
9yo - 10
10yo - 6
11yo - 4

As you can see, at the extremes, success has been rarer. Six-year-old Cyfor Malta remains the youngest winner, scoring in 1999, while the oldest winners have all been aged 11, with See More Business (2001), Grey Abbey (2005), See You Sometime (2006) and Native River (2021) showing that experience can still prevail over youth. Overall, the age profile highlights the Cotswold Chase as a race that generally favours seasoned chasers in their prime, rather than emerging youngsters or veterans.

5) Set up for Success

The Betfair Cotswold Chase has often proved an excellent stepping stone to Cheltenham Gold Cup success, with several winners going on to win chasing's Blue Riband.

The Peter Easterby-trained Little Owl set the early benchmark when winning the race in 1981 before completing the double later that season, a feat matched by Master Oats in 1995 for Kim Bailey. See More Business further underlined the strong link between the two contests, winning the Cotswold Chase in 1998 and 2001 either side of his Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph in 1999, while Looks Like Trouble followed up his Trials Day success with Gold Cup glory in 2000.

More recently, Native River added his name to the list, winning the rearranged 2021 running at Sandown Park having already captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2018. Even defeat in the Cotswold Chase has not ruled out future success, with the legendary Dawn Run falling in the race before returning to Cheltenham to land a memorable Gold Cup in 1986. That victory secured her place in history as the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Betfair Cotswold Chase is taking place at 14:25 on Saturday at The Cheltenham Festival Trials Day. 

Now read Alan Dudman's antepost preview for Cheltenham Trials Day 2026