Keith Donoghue's best Festival rides in March

Keith Donoghue is a name well known to Cheltenham Festival fans and the Irishman will be aiming to add to his tally of Cotswolds successes this year.

Donoghue famously teamed up with Tiger Roll to land his first winner at the Cheltenham Festival when taking the Cross Country Chase on the Gordon Elliott-trained star in 2018.

Further wins for that partnership followed in 2019 and 2021, while in 2023 Donoghue had the Gigginstown silks on as Delta Work won the Cross Country for the second time, leaving the Co Meath rider tied with Nina Carberry with the most wins in the Festival's most recognisable race.

Donoghue signed off last year's Cheltenham Festival by getting Limerick Lace home in front in the Mares' Chase for Gavin Cromwell, the trainer with whom he has formed a successful alliance, and he now has five wins to his name at the biggest meeting in jumps racing.

We're looking ahead to some of Donoghue's possible Cheltenham contenders this time around.

Only By Night

The mare Only By Night still holds entries in the Arkle and the Mrs Paddy Power Mares' Chase at The Festival and it will be interesting to see where she lines up, with connections of the Cromwell-trained seven-year-old seemingly leaning towards the two-miler on day one.

She is a perfect 3-3 over fences in her career to date, winning a Grade 2 at Cork in December and successfully handling a penalty in the Agatha Christie Mares' Novices' Chase at Exeter in February.

Her jumping has proved to be a real asset so far and, while Majborough casts a long shadow on the Arkle, Only By Night's team are going stick to the mantra of not running scared from one horse, it seems.

Now Is The Hour

Now Is The Hour retains entries in the National Hunt Cup and the Kim Muir.

Though yet to win in four starts over fences, he has shown some promising form and his latest fourth behind the 147-rated Three Card Brag in a beginners' contest over three miles at Navan in January would have to be filed as quite promising.

Wherever he goes at Cheltenham he will be having his stamina further explored and Donoghue will be looking forward to a good spin.

Stumptown

Few rides spotted this season in Britain or Ireland exuded more confidence than Donoghue on Stumptown in the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in December.

They absolutely tanked into that race and the rider was at pains to deliver his partner as late as he possibly could as they eased past Mister Coffey in the final 100 yards.

They will be rated 8lb higher for this Festival Cross Country race, now reverting to being a handicap, but Donoghue's claims of a record-breaking fifth win are obvious.

Sixandahalf

The Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle is the target for Fairyhouse winner Sixandahalf. She was rated 88 on the Flat after finishing third in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh in September.

Donoghue took over for her hurdling bow at the Co Meath venue over 2m2½f in January and she made short work of 13 rivals, including a pair of useful runners representing Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins.

There should be lots more to come from her.

Hello Neighbour

At the Dublin Racing Festival in February it was Hello Neighbour who proved best of the Irish juveniles when winning the Grade 1 Gannon's City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle from Galileo Dome and Lady Vega Allen.

In doing so she provided Cromwell with his first top-level success on home soil in four years.

The Triumph Hurdle is next and it will be another step up, but the Harzand gelding thoroughly deserves his place in the four-year-old feature race.

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