See the Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival rides today on Friday 13th March where he gets the leg up on FIVE horses for Willie Mullins.
Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival Rides Today – Friday 13th March
Seven-time Irish Champion Jockey will have five rides on the fourth day of the Cheltenham Festival where his best chance looks to be Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup.
Triumph Hurdle (1:20pm) – SELMA DE VARY @ 5/1
The opening race of the day sees Townend ride Selma De Vary who makes just her second start for Willie Mullins after running on both the flat and over hurdles in France.
It’s hard to gauge what kind of improvement she might make but it’s safe to say she could be anything.
She caught the eye on Irish debut last time out at the Dublin Racing Festival behind former favourite of this race Narciso Has, so she has to be taken seriously.
County Hurdle (2:00pm) – KARBAU @ 9/2
Well well well, Townend has his ONLY handicap ride of the week today as he partners Karbau in the County Hurdle. Both jockey and trainer have been prolific in this race over the years so this handicap debutant has to have a huge chance.
Townend chose him over the likes of Murcia and Absurde and it could be naive to discount him.
Mares’ Chase (2:40pm) – SPINDLEBERRY @ 5/1
Next up for Townend is Spindleberry in the Mares’ Chase. This eight-year-old was unbeaten over fences before blowing out in the Irish Gold Cup last time out and has every chance of serving it up to the favourite in this one.
Connections, mainly her owners thought of her as a Gold Cup horse earlier on in the season but they stay down the Mares’ route and it’s a very open race.
Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (3:20pm) – DOCTOR STEINBERG @ 11/4
Doctor Steinberg is unbeaten over hurdles and looked impressive when winning at DRF last time out – albeit not a strong race.
Townend retains the partnership today despite Mullins having multiple horses in the race. He’s a keen-racing horse so that could cost him if he uses up too much energy early on, but he’s probably the right favourite.
Gold Cup (4:00pm) – GAELIC WARRIOR @ 7/2
Towend’s final ride of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival comes in the Gold Cup where he gets the leg up on Gaelic Warrior.
There’s a good chance he could of been riding Galopin Des Champs, had he showed up but he doesn’t – so Gaelic Warrior it is.
He has become every so consistent in the last 12 months after being a tough horse to get right in stages of his career, got to be heavily involved given his respected connections.
Note: All of these races will be live on ITV Racing
Combine All Of Paul Townend Cheltenham Festival Rides Today With 3340/1 Acca!
You can combine all five of Townend’s rides on Friday into a huge 3340/1 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.
