Results Cheltenham Fri, 14th Mar, 2025

Poniros powers to 100-1 shock in Triumph Hurdle

He’s by Golden Horn and I think he’s going to make a very good sire. He’s the sort of horse you’re looking for, but I didn’t expect that. We were hoping he’d run well and be a nice horse for next year, so he’s ahead of schedule. We bought him in October, we just schooled him and then gave him a break. We thought we’d better drag him in from the field and get him ready for Cheltenham, so that’s what we did, but I didn’t expect any more than a nice run. We’d a lot of horses in the race and they all came here with the same plan and I couldn’t believe it when I saw him flying through.

Kargese claims County crown for Mullins and Townend

We felt she was strong and this generation were well handicapped, so that’s why we took a chance and came here. We’ve had three of the first four so we may have got that right. She was too keen at Ascot but I needed to get a run into her and it’s very hard to come here without a run. All last season I knew I wouldn’t want her for the autumn and we’d give her a chance in the spring. She is so hard on herself in her racing, so we said we’d concentrate on this time of year. She will go over a longer trip in time but for now she would be too hard on herself and the jockey. We’ll celebrate here today and then decide. Normally I go to Punchestown but I might have a look to see if there is something for her in either Aintree or Ayr.

Fourth time lucky for Dinoblue at Cheltenham

She ran a great race last year, it didn’t work out for her then and today it did work out for her. I’m sorry for Allegorie De Vassy, she’s run a cracker of a race. She was jumping too big and would have preferred a bit of company up front with her, I think.

Jasmin De Vaux bounces back for more Cheltenham success

We’ve done a lot of schooling with him and he’s just so unnatural jumping and Paul said he made a mess of the third-last, but he jumped the last two well when we wanted. We know he has an engine and it’s just about getting him from A to B, and going that bit slower over a longer trip has made the difference – he might jump his fences better than hurdles next year and we might go novice chasing with him. Most of our Champion Bumper winners have been stayers and on his pedigree and class it was worth worth trying the longer race. It probably took me by surprise how well he has come through the field and seeing him sat last there, I was wondering could he come from that far back? But Paul gave him a very confident ride and the frame of mind he is in at the moment, he just makes things happen. Once he got over the third-last I felt confident and definitely after the second-last I felt it was his to lose, but then again that last flight of hurdles, with probably one of the worst jumpers in racing, I guess there was always something to worry about. I thought for half a second when he landed over the last he might have thrown it away, but he did enough up the hill anyway.

Inothewayurthinkin tears up the Gold Cup script

I would like to see it again, I don’t think I took it all in, but it’s an exciting day. I’m absolutely speechless. I was worried about the pace of the race on the better ground, he was only just hanging in there the whole time — he was flat out. He’s a very good horse. Going down to the second-last I thought we had a good chance. What can you say? It’s brilliant, I’m just thrilled. Great thanks to JP and Noreen for having the confidence to supplement him. It’s brilliant, they’re so good to train for. They’re brilliant people.

Elliott has to wait but comes good in Festival finale