MINISTER for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has paid tribute to Ireland’s Cheltenham heroes, hailing the week as a strong showcase of the Irish racing industry.

Britain held a lead in the Prestbury Cup after day one but the final scoreline was 20-8 in favour of the visitors, with Willie Mullins saddling 10 winners over the four days. There were also Festival victories for Gold Cup champion Gavin Cromwell, Henry de Bromhead, Joseph O’Brien, Gordon Elliott, Cian Collins, Paul Nolan, Sam Curling and Barry Connell.

Heydon was on site at Cheltenham this week, meeting a host of industry figures such as Ruby Walsh, A.P. McCoy, Barry Geraghty, Rich Ricci and Suzanne Eade.

“It’s the Olympics of National Hunt racing and a time this week for people who mightn’t always pay attention to tune in,” Heydon told The Irish Field.

"There have been so many human interest stories across the whole week. The Michael O’Sullivan story has obviously been very sad for everyone, but hopefully there has also been comfort to feel how much his memory is respected here.

“Successes for the likes of Rachael Blackmore and Jody Townend have been brilliant. You really feel at home that everyone is proud of this industry. They represent the country so well here at Cheltenham.”

On the nature of the British and Irish rivalry in the Cotswolds, Heydon added: “We get a warm reception when we arrive at Cheltenham each year with our superstar horses. I’m sure they mightn’t possibly want us to win as much as we do, but they still are eager to see the best horses winning - regardless of where they are trained. For example, even though it didn’t materialise, there was definitely an eagerness from the British racegoers I spoke with to give Galopin Des Champs a big reception if he won the Gold Cup. Everyone wants to see the superstars and, thankfully, we have so many of those big horses in Ireland right now.”

Many have pointed to the expense of going racing at Cheltenham, and soaring accommodation prices, as a key factor in the decline in attendances across the four days this year.

Admission to the Club Enclosure on Gold Cup Friday reportedly cost £130, whereas an advance two-day ticket for the 2026 Dublin Racing Festival currently can be bought for €60.

“We pit ourselves against the English here this week and welcome them all back to Punchestown and Fairyhouse later in the spring - those are very accessible meetings and great opportunities for people to see the big horses all over again,” said Heydon.

“Ultimately, this is a showcase for an industry worth in the region of €2.5 billion to our economy, supporting 30,000 jobs - largely in rural parts of Ireland. That’s why government back this industry so much. It’s an industry that delivers real jobs and real economic activity, that’s so important us. This industry is also a large part of who we are as a people; something for our culture to be very proud of.”