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Jonjo O’Neill Jr was aboard the winner of the 100/1 shock of Triumph Hurdle Friday and joined Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan in episode 20 of Unbridled to talk about his heroic of the festival and gave a glimpse of his great national aspirations.
O’Neill Jr returned to the winners at the Cheltenham Festival for the first time since the landing of Pipe Martin on the first doors in 2019, with an impressive exhibition aboard the Ultra-Progressive Jagwar for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero in the trust plaque in the trust plaque Thursday.
O’Neill Jr has become something like JP Mcmanus Green and Gold Silks at The Big Occasions, in partnership regularly for the field towards the latest stages of his career and, more recently, has developed a partnership with Grand National Espulful Iroko.
Addressing Matt and Paddy, O’Neill Jr discussed Jagwar’s rapid improvement and how he was not sure that Karaktar’s son faces the sharp increase as well as his position on the market had suggested.
“Since he won the first day in Wetherby, I really didn’t know how much he was going to progress, but he has with each race. (First in) Bangor-on-dee, then he ran well when he was wrong to uttox and he was obviously good in Cheltenham, but I always felt that he had to improve a stone to win on Thursday, and when he did.”
Brennan wanted to praise O’Neill Jr saying that the education he gave to the horse helped him learn enough to deal with the nature of a race at the Cheltenham Festival.
He said, “If you want to look at where this race, for me, was won, it was at Wetherby and Bangor. What he learned at the time made him (ready) for Cheltenham.”
O’Neill Jr replied: “He was a slow burner, he was not a good jumper of an obstacle, I would not say that he was natural on a fence, but he was very passionate about obstacles and he just took a little spirit.
“Josh and Ollie did a very good job because I cannot imagine that he is a simple tour at home for Ben Smith who goes up every day. He was like a big raw teenager and fortunately, he mentally cut with each race, but I am surprised by how much he has progressed.”
Jagwar was sent 3/1 favorite for the contest and for all that he was not the most crowned to the last, that did not prevent the pair from missing wins ready with nearly three lengths to the thesis of the composition formed of Gavin Cromwell on the line.
With only five journeys at the this year festival, you will not find a lot of jockeys with a much better strike rate than O’Neill Jr, when he doubled his count for the week aboard Poniros – the winner of the shock 100/1 of the Triumph Hurdle the day of the Gold Cup.
With everything that was a little better than expected, Chapman asked what was going on in the head throughout the competition.
O’Neill Jr said: “We trapped first and I thought:” I just hope that this thing can work “and he jumped first as an old handicapper and I said:” Oh, we are going to go well “.
“He was a little new in the coming but very safe.
“I was not really paying attention to those in front, I could see that all the leading fantasies were ahead and when we started to descend the hill, I looked at a few others for Willie and they were walking, trying to keep their position and I was still hindering.
“I thought that if we jump the last second, they will probably move away from us, but I was delighted that he runs a very nice race for the first time.
“They just didn’t take us away as much as I thought, and I just felt that I was driving. I thought I was going to the last I had a sniff, and I think that his flat experience made a big difference. When he overcome the last, he knew how to run, what I thought counted for a lot.”
Chapman alluded to the fact that any trip to Willie Mullins must be a privilege but to obtain the call for a trip in the triumph was much more special for the rider.
“I was really lucky with the way it worked, obviously Willie had 11 in the race, and he was going to use all his Irish jockeys and then there were two spare pieces for (Harry) Cobden and myself.
“I have gone up several times for Willie in the past, but nothing in a race like triumph and it’s just an offer that you cannot refuse.”
Poniros became the highest winner of a highest prize in a race at the Cheltenham Festival, corresponding to the success of the Norton’s Coin Gold Cup in 1990 and Hipparque’s victory in the Grand Annual of 1954.
The Cheltenham 2025 Festival becoming a distant memory, attentions are now turning to Aintree where O’Neill Jr should join Iroko in the Grand National of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
“He progressed well with each race, I thought that his race in Kelso was really good because the ground was a little alive for him and Gray Dawning, of his day, is a grade horse an appropriate, as a preparation for the National, we are very happy and he has a good weight.
“It is a really competitive renewal; I know that a couple is out but it is always a very strong race. Saying, I still would not want to exchange it.”
