CHELTENHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) — England have high hopes of ending Ireland’s dominance at the Cheltenham Festival, jumps racing’s most prestigious meeting, which could climax with English football icon Harry Redknapp winning the blue-riband Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

The meeting that Redknapp refers to as the “World Cup” of racing gets underway on Tuesday and with more than 200,000 raucous spectators expected, many of them Irish.

While it is in the lap of the gods whether the bookmakers or the punters cash in, the local economy is guaranteed to receive a significant boost.

The four-day showpiece is worth an estimated £274 million (US$370 million) to the region, according to an economic impact study conducted by the University of Gloucestershire in 2023.

There will be many a great story but in terms of garnering much-needed positive headlines for a sport whose profile pales in comparison to football, a victory for The Jukebox Man owned by Redknapp would be priceless.

“I have been playing the race over in my dreams at night; I can see him coming to the last in the lead in the Gold Cup. Please God, [I hope] it comes true,” Redknapp told The Sun last month.

It says a lot about how the Irish have dominated the meeting in the past decade that should The Jukebox Man prevail he would be the first home-trained winner since Native River in 2018.

That is also the last time the hosts swept the three most iconic races — the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase.

It’s been quite a journey for Redknapp, who guided Portsmouth to 2008 FA Cup glory, from watching his late grandmother run illegal bets in the 1950s to having a fancy for jumps racing’s most celebrated prize.

He admits his “nan”, as he calls her, would scarcely believe her eyes.

“You know she had 10 kids; lived in the East End of London; survived, like them all, through the war,” he told AFP last month.

“She wouldn’t believe that I was hobnobbing with all these people and owning a horse that’s running in the Gold Cup.”

– ‘Spices it up’ –

Ending the Irish run of Gold Cup wins would be quite a result, but getting the better of them in terms of overall winners presents quite a challenge.

The last time England came out on top in the Prestbury Cup was in 2015 — though they tied 14-14 in 2019.

However, for English training great Nicky Henderson there is no doubt the gap is closing.

Henderson has plenty of chances to add to his 75 Festival winners. Chief among them is Jango Baie, who is vying for Gold Cup favouritism with The Jukebox Man.

“I think the English squad is definitely stronger than previous years so I hope between us we can raise a bit of a fight,” said the 75-year-old.

“I think we can.”

While topping the table is a matter of national pride, for the trainers, owners and jockeys their ambitions revolve solely around their horses taking the honours.

Two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Henry de Bromhead, who has 20 runners this week bidding to add to his 25 Festival winners, says the rivalry adds to the atmosphere.

“Sure, it spices it up,” the 53-year-old Irishman told AFP.

“It makes it a bit of fun as well.

“We are all, though, just trying to have winners ourselves.”

De Bromhead, who along with Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell, will lead the Irish challenge, formed a formidable partnership with jockey Rachael Blackmore.

They teamed up to win two Champion Hurdles, a Gold Cup, and a Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Bob Olinger provided them with one last Festival hurrah together in 2025, a surprise winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle.

While Bob Olinger — the Old Warrior as De Bromhead calls him — returns, Blackmore does not after she retired last year.

Blackmore says retirement has suited her, except for one thing.

“Winning,” she told the Daily Mail on Sunday.

“It’s the feeling of winning — you can’t replace it.”