J. P. McManus is the most successful owner in the history of the Cheltenham Festival. John Ingles assesses his key runners there this year.
Jonbon
Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
Jonbon has been one of his owner’s highest-profile horses ever since he also became the most expensive horse McManus, or any one else for that matter, had ever bought from the pointing field when snapped up for £570,000 in November 2020. The Supreme will be the first acid test of whether or not that’s money well spent, but it’s looking good so far with Jonbon boasting an unbeaten record in a bumper and three novice hurdles for Nicky Henderson.
None of Jonbon’s hurdle races have been truly-run affairs, and that was a factor in him not winning particularly impressively in a Grade 2 at Haydock last time, but he was giving weight away all round there and he’s proven himself a nimble jumper who could well improve a good deal in a well-run Supreme, a contest his full brother Douvan won in 2015.
Ciel de Neige
Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase, Grand Annual Challenge Cup
Ciel de Neige might have a bit to find with some of the top two-mile novices in Tuesday’s Arkle but he’d be one of his owner’s best chances of the week of winning one of the Festival’s handicaps if taking up the option of the Grand Annual the following day. He’s a veteran of three Festivals already, finishing third in the Fred Winter in 2019, but had still to win a race for Willie Mullins when well fancied for the following season’s County Hurdle.
But having only won once prior to this season, Ciel de Neige goes into this year’s Festival after four wins from his last five starts and is now unbeaten in three outings over fences. Ciel de Neige has shown smart form the last twice, running out an easy winner with headgear back on at Punchestown last time, and will be an interesting runner in handicap company with further improvement to come.
Sporting John
Pertemps Network Final, Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
McManus has the top two in the handicap for the Pertemps Final, with Sire du Berlais, winner of the race twice already, and the Philip Hobbs-trained Sporting John who’s three years younger. Both are also vying for favouritism. The lightly raced Sporting John had a try over fences last season, winning the Scilly Isles at Sandown, but was behind when falling heavily in the Brown Advisory at last year’s Festival and has been happier back over hurdles this term.
He made a successful return under top weight in a listed handicap at Cheltenham’s November meeting and had Sire du Berlais back in fourth when smoothly winning a Warwick qualifier for the Pertemps Final last time with a performance from a BHA mark of 151 which wouldn’t make him look out of place in the Stayers’ Hurdle instead.
Champ
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
For the Stayers’ Hurdle, though, the Nicky Henderson-trained Champ could well be McManus’ trump card. He too has made a successful return to hurdles this season after a spell over fences which looked like taking him to the very top over the larger obstacles at one time. His dramatic victory over Minella Indo and Allaho in the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase at the 2020 Festival reads even better now than it did at the time but he had a season to forget last term and was pulled up early on in the Gold Cup.
Treated for a back problem since then, Champ made a winning reappearance in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in December when getting the better of leading Stayers’ Hurdle candidates Thyme Hill and Paisley Park but was outstayed by the latter when odds on for the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham last time.
Dinoblue
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
Dinoblue might be the least experienced in her owner’s huge Festival team but she’s also one of the shortest-priced at no bigger than 3/1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. A half-sister to Blue Sari, who finished runner-up in the 2019 Champion Bumper for the same connections, Dinoblue was a well-backed even-money shot for her debut in a mares’ maiden hurdle at Clonmel early in the New Year.
She looked as good a prospect as any in the mares’ novice hurdle division this season, impressing with her jumping and the way she travelled before drawing clear with minimal assistance to beat stablemate La Prima Donna by fifteen lengths. Dinoblue is not yet the finished article, so can only progress and must have a good chance of becoming Willie Mullins’s sixth winner from seven runnings of the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Elimay
Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase
Elimay went very close to winning the inaugural edition of the Mares’ Chase at last year’s Festival and it would be no surprise to see her go one better in the same race this year. She was a short-priced favourite twelve months ago and ran well but found her now retired stablemate Colreevy half a length too good in the closing stages.
Mullins has plotted a similar path for her this season as she won the listed Opera Hat Mares Chase at Naas in February for the second year running and completed what amounted to little more than a schooling session last month, going with zest in front, jumping accurately and drawing clear on the run-in to win hard held. She wore cheekpieces and a tongue strap for the first time at Naas and heads back to the Festival with a leading chance again.
