Prestbury Cup Guide – UK Vs Ireland At Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest and most popular racing weeks in the entire sport of horse racing, with unmatched hype and interest over four fantastic days of National Hunt Action in the Cotswolds. Along with prizes like the Gold Cup up for grabs, there are various other trophies contested over the races, one of the lesser-known ones being the Prestbury Cup! Here at OddsMonkey, we will take a deep dive into the Prestbury Cup, explaining what the trophy is, its history, and other factors that affect the Cheltenham Festival races during the week of racing action! 

What Is The Prestbury Cup?

The Prestbury Cup is a competition that crowns the winner of the annual competition between British and Irish trainers and jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival. Since its establishment in 2014, it has been awarded to the nation that has produced the most winners at the event every year. 

28 races take place across the Cheltenham Festival, meaning the first side to reach 15 wins is guaranteed to take the trophy home. Yet, as the Cheltenham Festival is a truly global competition, there can be winners from other nations during the competition, meaning it is possible to win the Prestbury Cup with fewer than 15 wins over the four days.

Once the 15 wins have been passed, or it is mathematically impossible for the other side to come back, one of the highest-profile trainers from that country will receive the Prestbury Cup in a special ceremony! Much like other horse racing ceremonies and matched betting opportunities, the Prestbury Cup celebration at Cheltenham Festival is grand and impressive! 

History Of The Prestbury Cup

The history of the Prestbury Cup has not looked so bright for Britain in recent years, with the home nation being unable to secure this cup for quite some time. Britain managed to secure the Prestbury Cup in its formative 2 years at the festival, though as of 2025, it has not been victorious in this competition for 9 years. 

Since 2016, Ireland has won almost every single Prestbury Cup. In 2019, both sides had 14 wins, so the trophy was shared. Yet, throughout the other 8 occasions, Ireland has come out on top. 

The most dominant performance came in 2021, when Ireland won 23 races, with Britain winning only 5 over the four days.

With Britain’s last win in 2015, they had winners such as Cole Harden, The Package, and the movie Coneygree, which won the Gold Cup. Will the British trainers be able to wrestle back more trophies over the next couple of years, or will Ireland carry on their dominance throughout the competition?

Prestbury Cup Odds 

Like many other competitions, the Prestbury Cup can be wagered on with various bookmakers, allowing you to bet on Ireland, Great Britain, or a Tie. 

The reason for their dominance in the Prestbury Cup odds is relatively straightforward, as Willie Mullins, Henry De Bromhead and Gordan Elliott all have incredibly impressive records at Cheltenham. As a result, it will take a lot for Britain, which will likely be led by Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, to overturn the deficit.

In the 2026 edition of the Prestbury Cup, bookmakers are offering around 1/6 when it comes to the Irish side taking the trophy once again, whilst Great Britain sits at 5/1. Users can also place a stake on the tournament ending in a tie, priced at 14/1. For bettors more familiar with decimal odds, OddsMonkey offers an in-house odds converter that shows how different odds translate across formats.

How To Bet On The Prestbury Cup 

Whilst there are only three different options when it comes to how the competition will end, there are plenty of ways that you can use the Prestbury Cup throughout your betting. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ways of Prestbury Cup betting:

1. Outright – The most common way to bet on the Prestbury Cup is by choosing which side is going to win the cup. This allows bettors to place stakes on either Ireland, Britain, or a tie.

2. Handicap Betting – If you want to give one side a headstart, then you can use handicap betting. This means either Ireland or Britain will be given or deducted points before the event starts, meaning even if Britain does not win the Prestbury Cup, the handicap might mean that the bet is true.

In this example, Ireland is deducted 6.5 points, meaning they would have to win the Prestbury Cup by 7 points for the bet to return.

These are the two most popular Prestbury Cup betting options, which are typically found throughout a variety of bookmakers.

Prestbury Cup Betting At OddsMonkey 

The Prestbury Cup is one of the many betting markets surrounding horse racing and is considered a niche market. Horse racing is one of the most popular betting markets for users, with fast-paced action and entertainment being at the forefront of the horse racing experience! 

Here at OddsMonkey, users can learn more about horse racing and the different strategies that they can use to make the most of their bankroll. Whether it’s different betting options, such as Lucky 15s or accumulators, or learning value betting, OddsMonkey offers fantastic tips and guides.

Alongside these informative pieces, OddsMonkey is also the hub for matched betting, a technique used to minimise the risk of losing on sports bets by backing multiple outcomes. If you are interested, you can read more about it in our horse racing matched betting guide, which can be found on-site!