Winning a race at Cheltenham is the ultimate goal for every trainer across the UK and Ireland, but unfortunately, the dream of a Festival victory only becomes a reality for a small percentage. Horse racing betting sites will have a selection of specials available for the Cheltenham Festival, one of which is betting on who the Cheltenham Festival top trainer will be. 

Willie Mullins has dominated in recent years, being named top trainer for the last five years. He's heavily odds on to make it six in a row, but there are some viable contenders. Here are the latest Cheltenham Festival top trainer odds from UK betting apps:

Willie Mullins

There is no other place to start than with the leading Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer of all time, Willie Mullins. The master Irish trainer has held a monopoly over the top trainer award in recent years, winning nine of the last 11, including a record total of 10 winners two years ago. He has certainly been the trainer to follow when making your wagers at horse racing betting apps.

The Mullins juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down this year, and he will once again be represented by some of the best horses in training today that you should be keeping a keen eye on when making your picks with the best bookmakers.

With the likes of El Fabiolo, Lossiemouth and Galopin Des Champs being part of team Mullins in big races like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, another successful week is once again in the offing for the brilliant Irish trainer.

Gordon Elliott

The only man to stop Willie Mullins’ complete domination in recent years is his fellow Irish trainer, Gordon Elliott. Elliott has been battling his old foe in Ireland for many years now, and the pair have also had some ding-dong battles at Cheltenham.

In 2017 and 2018, Elliott finally managed to take Mullins’ top trainer crown, but since then, he has struggled to find a team of horses good enough to challenge in the Festival's biggest races.

Elliott’s team is a little low on top-quality challengers again in 2024, but he is likely to enjoy some big race wins. He doesn't have a huge number of strong fancies, but the sheer volume of runners should mean he should manage to have a few winners.

Elliott also has a brilliant record of grabbing victories in the week’s most competitive handicap races, which is worth keeping in mind when placing your bets on the best betting apps.

Nicky Henderson

The wily veteran of the training game, Nicky Henderson is Britain’s main hope of ending Ireland’s domination of the top trainer award.

The master of Seven Barrows was the last UK trainer to win the title back in 2012, and although he will struggle to match the sheer number of challengers of his Irish counterparts, Henderson is still in for a big week at Prestbury Park given some of his entries.

Constitution Hill is his banker of the week in the Champion Hurdle, and with a rejuvenated Shishkin and big Champion Chase hope Jonbon also among his list of big chances, it is very likely that Henderson will be adding to his amazing tally of 73 Cheltenham Festival winners.

Cheltenham Top Trainer Tips

Willie Mullins is the obvious pick. He has any amount of fancied runners at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, and it would take a lot of high-profile underperformances for him not to end the week as top trainer. The value play might be Nicky Henderson. He goes into the week with one all-but-certain winner in Sir Gino, which is a nice leg up. Jonbon will be out for revenge on El Fabiolo and has a realistic, if not likely, chance of turning things around. Mullins will be hard to beat, but Nicky Henderson is probably the person who'll push him closest.