Jagwar won the TrustATrader Handicap Plate in the final ITV race of Thursday afternoon as Jonjo O’Neill Jr won for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerreiro.
In O’Neill Jr’s second win of the Cheltenham festival, he was extremely competitive with the second favourite, Thecompanysergeant.
Masaccio and Mars Harper at 11/1 and 100/1 respectively also placed in the race.
O’Neill Jr payed homage to his late friend Michael O’Sullivan after his second festival win.
He said “I had my first festival win about six years ago, and it felt like a lifetime ago.
“When Mike died I definitely had a different perspective on life, when you have someone with such a beautiful soul like Michael, he touched so many people in 24 years, anyone would have been jealous of that in their entire lifetime.”
🟢🟡 Jagwar delivers in the green & gold! pic.twitter.com/xGwfyWXV9e
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2025
Bob Olinger won the Paddy Powers Stayers’ Hurdle after beating out favourite Teahupoo by a length and a half.
Rachael Blackmore was aboard the 8/1 winner making it her second winner of the day for Henry De Bromhead.
The ten-year-old horse wasn’t given much of a chance due to his age, but the now three-time festival winner knows Prestbury Park well and showed grit and determination to get over the line first.
🥶 That ride from @rachaelblackmor pic.twitter.com/g6TUtNkolg
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2025
On her second win of the day onboard the ten-year-old, Blackmore said: “He was brilliant, he has got so much speed and he was able to use it there today.”
“He is unbeaten around here, he has got luck on his side around here anyway and he is a very good horse.”
Owner, De Bromhead was full of praise for his jockey this afternoon, he said: “Rachael was brilliant on him, we just said if you are going to get beat, get beaten for coming too late. We were very lucky, Home By The Lee was very unlucky. I am just delighted for the horse.”
Race number four was the Ryanair Chase which saw short-priced favourite Fact To File romp home ahead Heart Wood, ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe.
Becoming the first favourite of the day to win, seeing claims as the best run of the meeting with Mark Walsh on board.
With Fact To File and Galopin Des Champs being trained by Willie Mullins, there is the evident talk that he owns “the two best stayers in Europe.”
🟢🟡 Fact To File – different gravy in the Ryanair
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2025
🏇 11 runs
🥇 Six wins
🏆 G1 Ryanair Chase
🏆 G1 Brown Advisory Novices' Chase
🏆 G1 John Durkan Memorial
🚀 Sumptuous at Cheltenham pic.twitter.com/jCRgJ9LPht
Walsh said: “That sort of distance suits him, because you can let him gallop on and let him loose when jumping.
“He never missed a beat today he winged everything, we tried to see if he would make a Gold Cup horse, but we ran into Gallopin Des Champs twice, we tried two different things and it didn’t work, so no point in trying a third time.
Walsh also spoke on the honour that it is to ride for legendary owner JP McManus, he said: “I love it, it’s such a dream to be riding horses like this fella, and I’m in a privileged position to be riding these horses.”
Doddiethegreat won the Pertemps Network Final for Nicky Henderson, the winner went off with a starting price of 25/1 but stayed on well and beat favourite Jeriko Du Reponet.
Henderson will be more than please with that result having trained the winner and the second placed horse.
Doddiethegreat is named after late rugby player Doddie Weir and the winnings that Doddiethegreat has earned from this win will be donated to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which supports people with motor neuron disease.
On the win, jockey, Brian Hughes said: “It has been a while, I was very happy when Mr (Nicky) Henderson’s office rang my agent to ask if I could ride this guy. I rode him at Haydock about a month ago and he ran well.”
The three-time champion jockey has missed Cheltenham recently, he said: “I got a lot of stick for two years of missing the festival. Simple enough I didn’t have anyone good enough to come here. So, with this today and a few tomorrow it gives me a chance. I haven’t had a festival winner for a long time so I can’t get too greedy.”
The second race of the day saw The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in which Caldwell Potter won at a canter at a generous price of 7/1 by at least five or six lengths.
Paul Nicholls captured his 50th ever Cheltenham win with Harry Cobden on board, the grey led the race from the beginning and no real pressure was applied by any of the other horses. It was a poor run from the favourite, Firefox, for Gordon Elliott.
Taking £64,300, Nicholls has chances with Henri The Second and Ginny’s Destiny later on.
Cobden was delighted with the result, as he virtually led the whole race, he said: “He has been very difficult to train, but fair play to Paul (Nicholls) because this horse hasn’t come without its problems.
“They had him 110% today, travelled great, jumped great, I just had to get it right.”
There has been a lot of talk over Caldwell Potter’s price, having cost £740,000 but he lived up to his price tag today.
Cobden said: “We got a bit of stick when this horse came along, obviously because of the the price tag, but he’s proven everyone wrong today. He’s cheap now!”
👏 Class prevails
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 13, 2025
Caldwell Potter delivers at Cheltenham for Cobden & Nicholls pic.twitter.com/cxeAkgMSEV
In the first race of St Patrick’s Thursday Air Of Entitlement won the The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle by a neck.
Rachael Blackmore won for the first time at the festival this year on Air Of Entitlement, a 16/1 shot for Henry De Bromhead whose horses have been going well all week.
This makes it 17 wins for Blackmore at the Cheltenham Festival, after a slow start for here she is finally off the mark with a winner in the first race of St Patrick’s Thursday.
Air Of Entitlement beat out pre-race favourite Sixandahalf, in what was a close finish in which resulted in the Gavin Cromwell horse being pipped at the post.
“It is brilliant, she did it really well and came through the race lovely. I want to dedicate this to my cousin, Robert Blackmore, who passed away at the weekend. His funeral is today so I want to dedicate it to him.” Blackmore said.
On her first win of the festival, Blackmore said: “We have had a quieter two days, I feel like I have been spoilt the last couple of years. Henry (De Bromhead) does such an incredible job bringing them over here for Cheltenham. I am very lucky to be on some of their backs.”
Blackmore is yet to ride Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger this afternoon. On the great days with those horses, she said: “They are both going to love this drying ground.”
