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. With prizes like the Gold Cup up for grabs, there are also other trophies that are contested over the races, one of the lesser-known ones being the Prestbury Cup! Here at OddsMonkey, we are going to do a deep dive into the Prestbury Cup, explaining what the trophy is, the history of the trophy, and other elements that affect the Cheltenham festival races over the week of racing action!
What Is The Prestbury Cup?
The Prestbury Cup is a competition that crowns the winner of the annual battle 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 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 less 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! Just like other horse racing ceremonies, 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 over the course of the competition, with the arrival of the Prestbury Cup coming with unprecedented Irish success. After the first two years in 2014 and 2015, Britain had won the first two, yet at the time of writing, they have not been able to secure the trophy outright on the past 9 occasions!
Since 2016, Ireland has won every single Prestbury Cup. In 2019, both sides had 14 wins to their name, meaning the trophy was shared between the two sides. Yet, throughout the other 8 occasions, Ireland has come out on top.
The most dominant performance from one side was in 2021, when Ireland was able to win a whopping 23 races, with Britain only coming out with 5 winners over the four days.
With the last win for Britain coming 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
Just like plenty of other competitions, the Prestbury Cup can be wagered on with many different bookmakers, making it possible to choose between 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 2025 edition of the Prestbury Cup, Paddy Power is offering 1/10 when it comes to the Irish side taking the trophy once again, whilst Great Britain sits at 8/1. Users are also able to place a stake on the tournament ending in a tie, which is listed at 14/1. For those bettors who are more familiar with decimal odds, OddsMonkey has an in-house odds converter which can show what different odds mean compared to the different formats.
Horse Racing Betting At OddsMonkey
The Prestbury Cup is only one of the many different betting markets which surround horse racing and is known as one of the niche markets. 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 you can use to make the most of your bankroll. Whether it be different ways of betting, such as Lucky 15 bets or accumulators, or discovering the process of value betting, OddsMonkey is full of fantastic tips and guides.
Alongside these different informative pieces, OddsMonkey is also the hub of matched betting, which is a technique that can be used to lock in profits and gradually increase your bankroll. If you are interested, you can read more about it in our horse racing matched betting guide, which can be found on-site!
