Alice Plunkett’s Guide To The British Jump Racing Season
By
20 minutes ago
Five must-visit events in the 2025/26 season, according to the former jockey and eventer
ITV’s popular horse racing series Champions: Full Gallop takes us behind the scenes of one of the nation’s most popular sports, from the £500,000 David Power Jockeys’ Cup to the iconic Cheltenham Festival. Back for series 2, the stakes are just as high as the nation’s very best jockeys battle it out, with trophies, reputations and millions of pounds on the line. Flashing back to the 2024/25 season, fan favourites including Harry Cobden, Sean Bowen, Harry and Dan Skelton, and Paul Nicholls will all star, as will teenage sensation Freddie Gingell.
And on the commentating side, broadcaster and riding extraordinaire Alice Plunkett is on the scene, giving viewers an unparalleled insight into the action. ‘Southshore production company and Flutter have done an amazing job creating the second series of Champions: Full Gallop,’ Alice tells C&TH. ‘I’m personally passionate about the people, the horses and the stories in racing, and I think this show communicates the stories brilliantly.
‘There is no other sport that is so broad and exciting, whether it’s trainers, owners, punters – everybody looks at a race in a different way, and I think they’ve captured that in the series,’ Alice adds. ‘In this season particularly, the Freddie Gingell story: he had such a great start in his career through his mum Kim, who sadly passed away very quickly, but Freddie continues to proudly carry on her legacy.
Freddie Gingell celebrates a win in the 2024 Paddy Power Gold Cup in Champions: Full Gallop. (© South Shore/ITV)
‘What continues to shine throughout the series is the amazing family emotion and connection that the horses provide,’ Alice adds. With series 2 streaming now on ITVX, we can’t wait for a binge-watch to look back on the 2024/25 season and all of its highlights – both on the course and behind the scenes. ‘I would have to say the Champion Hurdle would be my ultimate highlight from the previous season,’ Alice reminisces. ‘It was a race that presented drama and excitement. As it unfolded you just could not believe what was happening in front of you. It was the most extraordinary race and the winner in the end was very much deserved.’
While we may be looking backwards at the 2024/25 season, we are also looking forwards to 2025/26 – and so is Alice. ‘I’ve been busy with my four children over the summer and now I can’t wait for the jump racing to get going,’ she tells us. ‘My season kicks off at the Cheltenham Showcase with ITV, and I couldn’t be more excited.’
Whether you’re new to the sport or looking to make the most of the season, we picked Alice’s brain for the insider’s guide to the British jump racing season. These are the top races to see (and be seen at) in 2025/26.
Alice on set with camera man Damo Watson (© Dan Abraham)
Alice Plunkett’s Guide To The British Jumps Season 2025/26
Where better to start than the beginning? ‘The jump racing season officially begins at Chepstow in October,’ Alice says. ‘From that point onwards, the months leading up to Christmas are peppered with fantastic events to get everyone in the spirit. From the New Year we have the Cheltenham Festival on the horizon in March, Aintree and the Grand National in April and then the season finale at Sandown [at the end of April].’
What can we expect going into 2025/26? It’s simple: ‘More drama and the joint shared emotion of the crowds, jockeys, owners, trainers and punters at home,’ Alice says.
The Cheltenham Festival
Taking place every March, The Cheltenham Festival marks the start of the social season, bringing around 260,000 spectators to The Jockey Club for ‘a fantastic four days,’ Alice says. The racing itself is high stakes: reputations are lost and made while limelights are basked in and stolen. Off the course, expect live music, shopping and plenty of food and drink options. ‘A gem of Cheltenham is the Guinness Village,’ Alice recommends. ‘That’s where to go if you want to feel the buzz of Cheltenham and hear live music and have fun!’
‘Fashion-wise I love to wear brands like Fairfax & Favor and Holland Cooper that feel smart and stylish but appropriate for British weather,’ Alice adds.
Next On: 10–13 March 2026 at Cheltenham Racecourse (Evesham Rd, Cheltenham GL50 4SH).
Stay: There’s no Cheltenham hotel more stylish than Jade Holland Cooper’s own No. 131, spread across three Georgian townhouses. no131.com
The Grand National
Another one of the nation’s most prestigious jump events, ‘Aintree is phenomenal,’ Alice says, home to the annual Grand National. ‘Walking around, you pick up the Liverpool vibe and the pride that the city feels for the festival. It’s a smaller course so you can cover lots of ground and explore and feel really part of it all.’
This is one of the season’s most historic events, dating back to 1839. On the racing side, expect high-stakes, all-to-play-for showings across three days, including the world’s greatest Steeplechase. And on the social side, there’s plenty of fun to be had. ‘There’s always live music in the big tents below the paddock and that seems to be the place to go after racing,’ Alice says. ‘And I’d make sure that I go with Chris Hughes: he’s my access-all-areas pass and knowledgeable colleague.’
Next On: 9–11 April 2026 at Aintree Racecourse (Ormskirk Rd, Aintree, Liverpool L9 5AS).
Stay: Embrace the Liverpool magic and check in to the Hard Days Night Hotel in the aptly named Beatles Quarter, the world’s only Beatles-inspired hotel and one of northern England’s hidden gems. millenniumhotels.com
Jockey Harry Cobden walking the track at Cheltenham Racecourse, ahead of the November Meeting in Champions: Full Gallop. (© South Shore/ITV)
Cheltenham’s November Meeting
Back to the Cotswolds we go: Cheltenham’s three-day November Meeting ‘feels special’, Alice says, ‘because it feels like we’re really getting going with the jumps season and the winter fashion has begun’. Running Friday to Sunday, expect an electric atmosphere, plus talented jockeys taking centre stage.
But it’s our beloved British countryside in the spotlight on the opening day, otherwise known as Countryside Day, which celebrates rural life and all of its manyfold traditions while the races get underway on the course, all backdropped by the stunning Cotswold hills. Super Saturday sees the racing (and afterparty celebrations) peak while Carnival Sunday is all about community spirit.
Next On: 14–16 November 2025 at Cheltenham Racecourse (Evesham Rd, Cheltenham GL50 4SH).
Stay: Ellenborough Park is a countryside lover’s dream, and just moments away from Cheltenham Racecourse. ellenboroughpark.com
Tingle Creek Festival
Jump racing? For Christmas? ‘Festive fixtures are perfect for family days out and getting everyone in the spirit,’ Alice says. She picks out the annual pre-Christmas Tingle Creek Festival at Sandown and the Boxing Day Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton as her favourites. The former offers two days jam-packed with jump racing action, culminating in the famous Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase. And with plenty of festive food and free-flowing drinks on offer, it’s a unique way to celebrate Christmas in style.
Next On: 5–6 December 2025 at Sandown Park Racecourse (Portsmouth Rd, Esher KT10 9AJ).
Stay: Treat yourself to a festive night at the utterly spectacular Beaverbrook, just a 25 minute car ride from Sandown and bedecked with glorious Christmas decorations (including an ice skating rink) come December. beaverbrook.co.uk
Trainer Nicky Henderson with jockey Nico de Boinville ahead of the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle in Champions: Full Gallop. (© South Shore/ITV)
Ladbrokes Christmas Festival
Last on the agenda every year should be the Christmas Festival, keeping the festivities going at Kempton park every Boxing Day and 27 December. Twelve top quality races are spread over the two-day meeting, including the world-famous Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. It’s the perfect way to keep the festive fun going and stave off reality for a little while longer.
Next On: 26–27 December 2025 at Kempton Park Racecourse (Staines Rd E, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 5AQ).
Stay: Extend the festive escapism at the ivy-clad Pennyhill Park, one of Surrey’s top spa hotels just a 25 minute car ride away from Kempton Park. exclusive.co.uk
ITV Racing Presenters Chris Hughes and Alice Plunkett at Cheltenham Festival 2024. (© Hattie Austin)
Who Is Alice Plunkett?
Alice Plunkett is a presenter for ITV Racing, bringing her experience as a former eventer and National Hunt jockey to the table. Boasting a varied career, Alice is the only woman to have ridden at both the Grand National and Badminton Horse Trials – but when I ask her about this she says: ‘Oh gosh, that’s all a long time ago!’
‘I was lucky enough to start off point-to-pointing on a horse that my Grandad had bred,’ the horserider explains. ‘Before he died, he said, “I can see this horse’s white face coming up the hill at Cheltenham or landing over beaches”. And extraordinarily the stars aligned in that there was a chance to ride him at Aintree when I was just 19 years old.’ The horse was Bold King’s Hussar, and Alice’s Aintree debut in 1993 was just the fifth time she had ever ridden on a racecourse. ‘I’m so grateful to my grandad and to the horse as they gave me an experience I’d never forget,’ Alice says. ‘And for my parents for allowing me to take on the challenge!’ She would go on to compete on the flat and over hurdles and fences, riding winners across each.
‘Badminton Horse Trials came later and took place in 2000,’ Alice adds. ‘The trials presented different challenges in getting qualified and the necessary experience to tackle arguably the biggest course in the world.
‘I never set out to be the only woman, but I just always enjoyed the challenge of horses, whether that was young ones and learning the ropes with them or whether it’s reaching the top stages at eventing or racing,’ Alice says.
Patrick Mullins speaks to Alice Plunkett after winning The Randox Grand National. (© Matthew Wright)
Rising Female Jockeys To Look Out For In 2025/26
Alice Plunkett may not have intended to fly the flag for women riders, but it’s a happy consequence of her storied career. But Alice herself looks to Irish former National Hunt Jockey Rachael Blackmore for inspiration: ‘What she accomplished is beyond words and for young girls the pathway has been laid,’ Alice says. In 2021, Rachael became the very first female jockey to win the Grand National in the race’s 182-year history. ‘We’ll never again say “this is the first female jockey to win the National or the Champion Hurdle or the Stayers Hurdle”,’ Alice notes. ‘Rachael set the bar and has shown what’s possible. Long may it continue.’
As for up-and-comers on Alice’s radar, ‘Charlotte Jones is a really good rider,’ she says. ‘She’s proved herself in the north and I really hope she starts to get more opportunities from the biggest names. She’s a very good rider and a very bright, interesting person who has really taken the opportunities that have come her way. I’ve put her up on ITV as one to follow in previous years, but I think 2025/26 could be her breakthrough season.
‘I’d also keep an eye on Lilly Pinchin, riding for Charlie Longston,’ Alice adds. ‘She is also doing really well – certainly one to watch.’
All episodes of Champions: Full Gallop are streaming now on ITVX.
