Cheltenham Festival: Leading owners

By John Ingles, Thursday 02 March 2023

Posted in: Cheltenham Festival Tips

John Ingles profiles five leading owners and highlights their key runners at the Cheltenham Festival.

J. P. McManus

The green and gold hoops of J. P. McManus have been carried to victory at the Cheltenham Festival for more than 40 years, with the owner’s first winner at the meeting dating back to Mister Donovan’s win in the Sun Alliance Hurdle (now the Ballymore). McManus was leading owner at the Festival in 2019, and again in 2020 with a remarkable seven winners, while another two last year takes his record total to 69. McManus also holds the record for the most wins in the Champion Hurdle, with nine victories, while Synchronised gave him his sole success in the Gold Cup in 2012.

The McManus team is headed this year by the Nicky Henderson-trained Jonbon, a leading contender for the Sporting Life Arkle, whose only career defeat came when runner-up to stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The owner’s most recent Champion Hurdle winner Epatante looks set to be supplemented for the Mares’ Hurdle in which she’d be a leading contender, while Impervious gives McManus a good chance of winning the Mares’ Chase again after Elimay’s victory last year.

The Willie Mullins-trained pair Gentleman de Mee and Janidil give McManus contenders for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase respectively, while his squad has been strengthened by the purchase of leading Champion Bumper hope A Dream To Share since his win at the Dublin Racing Festival. As usual, McManus is sure to be well represented in the Festival’s handicaps with Tekao (Boodles), Dinoblue (Grand Annual), So Scottish (Plate) and Filey Bay (County Hurdle) heading the ante-post betting in their respective races.

Simon Munir & Isaac Souede

The ‘double green’ colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede have been a familiar sight in Britain for some time now and Munir had his first Festival winner in 2010 as sole owner when the Nicky Henderson-trained Soldatino won the Triumph Hurdle. Henderson also trained the 2012 Fred Winter winner Une Artiste and a second Triumph winner, Peace And Co, in 2015.

However, the owners’ most recent winners, Footpad in the 2018 Arkle and Concertista in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, were trained by Willie Mullins, and its his stable which is mainly responsible for what looks a particularly strong Festival team for Munir and Souede this year. El Fabiolo is narrowly favourite to give connections another victory in the Sporting Life Arkle, while impressive Navan winner It’s For Me heads the Champion Bumper betting in which the mare Fun Fun Fun is also a leading contender after her win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Also unbeaten is the exciting novice hurdler Impair Et Passe who would have to be on the shortlist for whichever race is chosen for him. Last year’s Arkle third Blue Lord suffered only his second defeat over fences last time but has only Shishkin ahead of him in the Ryanair Chase betting, while the likes of Night And Day in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Hunters Yarn (who is entered in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the County Hurdle) are others with live hopes. Besides those with Mullins, the owners’ Nusret, trained by Joseph O’Brien, put himself in the picture for the Boodles when winning the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton recently.

Marie Donnelly

After some near-misses with Melon, four times a runner-up at the Festival, the black and yellow check colours of Marie Donnelly and husband Joe were successful for the first time at the meeting in 2019 and in the biggest race of all, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Al Boum Photo pulled off a repeat win 12 months later, while the owners have also struck at the last couple of Festivals with Shishkin in the 2021 Sporting Life Arkle and State Man in last year’s County Hurdle, trained by Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins respectively.

Shishkin and State Man head the Donnellys’ Festival team this time. Shishkin, also successful in the 2020 Supreme, was a big disappointment when having to be pulled up early on in last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase but has returned to his best recently and is now trading as the odds-on favourite for the Ryanair Chase. As for State Man, he has established himself as Ireland’s top two-mile hurdler and Constitution Hill’s main adversary in the Champion Hurdle.

The Donnellys have another short-priced favourite with Gaillard du Mesnil, third in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase last year and more likely to contest the longer National Hunt Novices’ Chase this team. A strong hand for the owners in the staying novice chase division also includes Ramillies and City Chief. Haut En Couleurs is prominent in the betting for a couple of Festival handicaps, the Coral Cup over hurdles and the Plate over fences, while a change of ownership since last season has added  Mares’ Hurdle contender Brandy Love to the Donnellys’ strong Festival team. 

Susannah Ricci

One of the most successful owner-trainer partnerships at the Cheltenham Festival, particularly in the last decade or so, has been that between Rich & Susannah Ricci and Willie Mullins. Their first Festival victory came in 2009 with Mikael d’Haguenet in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, while their 2014 winner of the same race, Faugheen, won the following season’s Champion Hurdle before Annie Power gave them back-to-back successes in the latter race.

The likes of Douvan, Min, Benie des Dieux and Monkfish are other stars to have contributed to the Riccis’ total of 19 Festival winners to date, while Vautour won at three consecutive Festivals in the Supreme Novices, JLT Novices’ Chase and the Ryanair.

The Riccis might have to wait until the final day of the Festival before their best chances of success this year as they have favourites in the Triumph Hurdle, with the filly Lossiemouth, and with the exciting Allegorie de Vassy, who is unbeaten since joining Mullins, in the Mares’ Chase. Vauban, successful for the Riccis in last year’s Triumph, has each-way prospects in the Champion Hurdle this time, while Gaelic Warrior, who only just failed to justify strong support on his debut for connections in last year’s Boodles, will be a leading contender for whichever novice hurdle he contests after three easy wins this season. Chapeau de Soleil was ante-post favourite for the Champion Bumper before he’d even run and remains prominent in the betting for that race although beaten into second on his sole start at Fairyhouse.  

Robcour

Racing under the Robcour banner, Brian Acheson has quickly established himself among Ireland’s leading owners and had his first taste of Festival success as recently as 2021 when the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. The same horse also won the Turners Novices’ Chase at last year’s Festival though was very fortunate to do so when left clear by Galopin des Champs’ fall at the last.

The careers of those two horses have gone in very different directions since, which means that Bob Olinger won’t be representing his owner at this year’s Festival, and while the Robcour team might be smaller than some of the other leading owners, they do have at least a couple of runners with good chances. The unbeaten Gerri Colombe, trained by Gordon Elliott, is a general 7/4 favourite for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase where he looks bound to appreciate the step up to three miles. Stablemate Teahupoo has already shown the benefit of going over longer distances over hurdles this season. He was well beaten in the Champion Hurdle last year but has since taken the scalp of Honeysuckle in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle before winning the Galmoy Hurdle over three miles by a wide margin to put himself very much in the Stayers’ Hurdle picture.

De Bromhead’s Hiddenvalley Lake has claims in an open Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, while stablemate Chris’s Dream, who ran in the 2020 Gold Cup, is a contender for the Hunter Chase this year after winning both his points.