THE old adage goes ‘never look back, the past is the past’ but some things should not be consigned to history and Jonjo O’Neill, the master of Jackdaw’s Castle, has fond memories he revisits from Cheltenham Festivals past.

He will be remembered in racing folklore for his successes on Dawn Run but has enjoyed great success as a trainer and he recalled some recent triumphs.

“2014 turned out to be a brilliant Festival for us. We got on the board early with Holywell and Richie McLernon winning the Baylis and Harding (now the Ultima) Handicap Chase for Mrs Gay Smith. It followed up on the Thursday when Taquin Du Seuil and AP McCoy won the JLT (now the Marsh Novices’ Chase) for Sir Martin Broughton and More Of That and Barry Geraghty landed the Stayers’ Hurdle in a great battle with Annie Power. I never wanted that week to stop!”

The legendary sportsman is hoping that the upcoming Festival will create further memories of nostalgic rapture to reminisce on fondly forever.

In 2021, in his 20th season training, Jonjo is in pursuit of his 27th Festival success. His has been a career of unrelenting achievement littered with landmarks such as Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup success yet past performance does not equal future prosperity in this greatest leveller of a sport as Jonjo will be all too aware.

The O’Neill competitive edge is as keenly honed as ever. “I have always been hugely ambitious and I don’t think that will ever change.” He continues: “Sometimes you have to be realistic with what can be achieved but we have lots of nice young horses in the yard and others now showing their potential so I’m really looking forward to the next few seasons ahead.”

The operation that has functioned prolifically in such exalted company for a long period of time, yet Jonjo and his team recorded their highest winning strike rate in February 2021 for over a decade which is proof, if proof was somehow still needed, that the fabric of the yard might be made of Cotswold stone but it is overseen by a man made of similar strength.

Despite Jonjo’s long tenure at the helm of the sport, the National Hunt season of 2020/2021 is one in which he is experiencing for the first and hopefully last time due to the effects the ongoing pandemic has been having on the sport.

For many, it is a season in which they will not wish to repeat in spite of any success achieved yet Jonjo is pragmatic about the current situation. “Any memories of this Cheltenham Festival are going to feel very different; it is going to be very different but we just have to be grateful that it can go ahead at all. We were hoping that owners would be able to go as Cheltenham is a very special place to be with a runner but sadly that is just not possible.

“It will be strange without the noise from the crowd but I think the horses and jockeys are used to that now. We usually host lots of owners and guests each day too which we sadly won’t be able to do this year. We are all just hoping that we are back to normal for 2022.”

The Cheltenham Festival will survive the pandemic but the future of those four glittering days as we know it may not, at least in the long term as Jonjo considers: “I hope and think that the Cheltenham Festival will be as popular in 10 years’ time as it is now. They have introduced the new mares’ chase this year which is very good.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the Festival become a five-day event with the Gold Cup moving to the Saturday so they would have to find a few more races unless they had six races each day instead of seven.

“Would I like to see a five-day festival? I used to love the three days but understood why it went to four days. I think the quality could suffer if they went to five but again, from a business point of a view, I could see why they would want to!”

Quoted on Jonjo’s website is the phrase ‘making dreams a reality’ and it appears a whole host of dreams new and old are in safe keeping for some time yet. Perhaps a Saturday Cheltenham Festival race to add to the history books.

Five festival fancies

Everything has to go right for us but we go there with a lovely bunch of horses.

Annie Mc

Annie Mc is probably our best hope. She will run in the new mares’ chase on the Friday and deserves to take her chance. She has surprised me a little bit as I thought she would struggle a little more this season stepping up to this class but she keeps winning and will hopefully run a big race.

Soaring Glory

We were delighted with the way he won the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury. That was our target all season so it was very pleasing when that came off. He’s not certain to run but it would be the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Betfair Hurdle winner Soaring Glory should give a good account of himself \ Healy Racing

Sky Pirate

We had planned on going for the Sporting Life Arkle and although things didn’t really work out at Warwick last time, it told us a lot. We will now most likely go to the Grand Annual on the Wednesday with him. It’s a fast run race over two miles which will hopefully suit him best.

Pressure Sensitive

He is two from two in his bumpers this season, winning nicely at Wetherby last month. I have entered him in the Champion Bumper and the intention is to run there. It looks like a very a hot race this year to me!

Arrivederci

We have entered him in the Coral Cup and the plan would be to run there. A fast run race over 2m5f should be ideal for him. He has been very solid this season for us in competitive races.