Officially registered as the Liberthine Mares’ Chase, the Mrs. Paddy Power Mares’ Chase is a recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival programme, having been established in 2021. The race was, in fact, a replacement for the Centenary Novices’ Chase, which is nowadays run at Sandown Park immediately prior to the Festival.
Currently scheduled as the third race on Gold Cup Day, the Mrs. Paddy Power Mares’ Chase is, as the name suggests, a Grade 2 steeplechase restricted to mares, aged five years and upwards, and run over an extend two-and-a-half miles on the New Course at Prestbury Park. Willie Mullins is leading trainer in the short history of the race, having saddled three of the five winners so far, in the form of
Colreevy (2021), Elimay (2022) and Dinoblue (2025). Mark Walsh, who is the retained rider for leading owner J.P. McManus in Ireland, rode the last-named pair and is the leading jockey so far.
It would be fair to say that just five renewals is hardly the basis for identifying meaningful trends but, while the Mrs. Paddy Power Mares’ Chase has been dominated by the Irish, who have been responsible for all five winners, plus another seven placed horses from 30 runners, Dinoblue was, in fact the first winning favourite. That said, all five winners came from the first three in the betting, all five won last time out and all five officially held handicap ratings of 147 or higher. On the other side of the coin, mares to avoid appear to those who have yet to win at Grade 2 level; thus far, a total of 24 have tried, and failed, to win the Mrs. Paddy Power Mares’ Chase.