The 2026 Cheltenham Festival was packed full of drama and with Willie Mullins claiming the Champion Hurdle-Gold Cup double thanks to Lossiemouth and Gaelic Warrior, the Prestbury Cup also went down to the wire.
Unlike trophies handed out after each race, the battle for the Prestbury Cup goes on from the first race until the last, making it one of only a few competitions that is contested place throughout the four days of action and this year it was sealed in the very last race.
- Cheltenham Festival: What to know, dates, races, horses, how to watch, prize money, more
- Cheltenham Gold Cup Day race times, weather, going, odds, favourites, more
Prestbury Cup 2026 result
The Irish claimed the Prestbury Cup after Air Of Entitlement won the Martin Pipe for Henry De Bromhead.
13-15 
What is the Prestbury Cup?
Named after the nearby Gloucester village of Prestbury, the Prestbury Cup is contested between horses and trainers from Great Britain and those from the Republic of Ireland. It was officially launched in 2014.
The good-natured competition is won by the side that finishes the Festival with the most winners. With there being 28 races across the four days, 14 is the magic number for a Prestbury Cup win.
The winners are handed the trophy at the end of the week, although the victor is usually decided before the Festival's last race.
Who are the holders of the Prestbury Cup?
The Irish have dominated at Cheltenham in recent years and 2025 brought more of the same -- Ireland strolled to a 20-8 triumph with Willie Mullins being responsible for 10 winners himself.
To make matters worse for the British trainers, Gavin Cromwell's Inothewayurthinkin took the Gold Cup as Ireland won the final day 8-0 after what was a close-run contest across the first three days of the Festival.
Things were closer in 2026, though.
What are previous winners of the Prestbury Cup?
British trainers had the first taste of success in the opening two official Prestbury Cups, beating Ireland 15-12 in 2014 and 14-13 a year later.
Ireland then bounced back with a hat trick of triumphs from 2016 to 2018 which included a record 19-9 win in 2017.
We saw our first and only Prestbury Cup draw in 2019, with the trophy shared at 14 race wins apiece.
Since then, though, it has been tough for British trainers, with Ireland winning seven consecutive Prestbury Cups -- most convincingly taking the 2021 edition 23-5.
2026: British 13-15 Irish
2025: British 8-20 Irish
2024: British 9-18 Irish (Cross Country chase abandoned in 2024)
2023: British 10-18 Irish
2022: British 10-18 Irish
2021: British 5-23 Irish
2020: British 10-17 Irish
2019: British 14-14 Irish
2018: British 17-11 Irish
2017: British 19-9 Irish
2016: British 15-13 Irish
2015: British 14-13 Irish
2014: British 15-12 Irish