See the Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival rides today on Thursday 12th March where he gets the leg up on four horses for Willie Mullins.
Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival Rides Today – Thursday 12th March
Seven-time Irish Champion Jockey will have three rides on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival where his best chance looks to be Bambino Fever in the opening race.
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (1:20pm) – BAMBINO FEVER @ EVS
The opening race of the day sees Townend get the ride on last year’s Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever. There’s no doubt she has a lot of class and she should be the one to beat given her trainer’s good record in the race.
She got off the mark over hurdles last time where a 1/10 shot but that performance was a drastic improvement from her debut over obstacles where she lost at 1/4.
Mares’ Hurdle (2:40pm) – JADE DE GRUGY @ 9/4
Townend also takes the ride on Jade De Grugy who was second behind stablemate Lossiemouth in this race last year.
She could serve it up to the favourite and looks likely to appreciate a return to hurdles where she holds a record of five wins from seven runs in this sphere.
Stayers’ Hurdle (3:20pm) – BALLYBURN @ 11/2
A tricky horse to get right, Townend is aboard Ballyburn in the Stayers’ Hurdle. Ran pretty solid in defeat on his two starts so far this season, has decent form at Cheltenham.
Ballyburn has class in him, but will need the first time hood to get him settled better because if not then he might throw away his chances early on in the race.
Ryanair Chase (4:00pm) – IMPAIRE ET PASSE @ 5/1
Townend’s final ride of the day sees him on Impaire Et Passe, who looks up against it in this.
He returned from a long lay-off when winning last month at Gowran Park and in fairness it was quite a cosy victory. There’s no doubt he’s a top horse still but this could just be a tad too hard for him to bother those above him in the market.
Note: All of these races will be live on ITV Racing
Combine All Of Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival Rides Today With 320/1 Acca!
You can combine all four of Townend’s rides on Thursday into a huge 320/1 acca!
How Many Cheltenham Festival Winners Has Paul Townend Had?
Being connected to the Willie Mullins stable will no doubt bring plenty of success at the Cheltenham Festival and it’s fair to say that Townend has had plenty of it.
Having been the top jockey at the meeting five times in the last six years, those winners contributed to his tally of 41 at the Cheltenham Festival. A successful first two days of the 2026 meeting pushed him into the 40+ mark.
Townend has had great success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with four wins. He’s also found plenty of joy in the County Handicap Hurdle over the years with five winners.
All 38 Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival Winners
- County Handicap Hurdle (5) – Wicklow Brave (2015), Arctic Fire (2017), State Man (2022), Absurde (2024), Kargese (2025)
- Gold Cup (4) – Al Boum Photo (2019, 2020), Galopin Des Champs (2023, 2024)
- Arkle Novices’ Chase (3) – Duc des Genievres (2019), El Fabiolo (2023), Gaelic Warrior (2024)
- Turners Novices’ Hurdle (4) – Sir Gerhard (2022), Impaire Et Passe (2023), Ballyburn (2024), King Rasko Grey (2026)
- Mares’ Hurdle (3) – Glens Melody (2015), Lossiemouth (2024, 2025)
- Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (3) – Penhill (2017), Monkfish (2020), Jasmin De Vaux (2025)
- Triumph Hurdle (3) – Burning Victory (2020), Vauban (2022), Lossiemouth (2023)
- Champion Chase (3) – Energumene (2022, 2023), Il Etait Temps (2026
- Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (2) – Appreciate It (2021), Kopek Des Bordes (2025)
- Ryanair Chase (2) – Min (2020), Allaho (2022)
- Champion Hurdle (2) – State Man (2024), Lossiemouth (2026)
- Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (1) – Monkfish (2021)
- Champion Bumper (1) – Ferny Hollow (2020)
- Stayers’ Hurdle (1) – Penhill (2017)
- Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase (1)* – Irish Cavalier (2015)
- Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (1) – What A Charm (2011)
- Mares’ Chase (1) – Colreevy (2021)
- Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (1) – Laurina (2018)
*Note: Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase is no longer apart of the Cheltenham Festival Racecards.
