Earlier this month we caught up with none other than legendary racehorse trainer Jonjo O’Neill, to see how the horse racing season is going so far. Jewson has a long established relationship with the famous jockey, through our sponsorship of Jackdaws Castle in Cheltenham.
With over 120 horses stabled at Jackdaws Castle, (where the racehorses are trained) everyone following Jonjo’s fortunes will have their own favourites. During our chat with Jonjo we got the inside scoop on 3 horses for you to keep an eye on…
Shut the Front Door
The first horse we recommend you pay attention to is Shut the Front Door. He didn’t quite get the trip in April’s Grand National, where he finished fifth but he’s come back looking fantastic.
Jonjo commented: “We’ll be looking at the Gold Cup first this season then the Grand National. We’ll see how things go but he could be out this side of Christmas and could go to Wetherby, Haydock or Aintree. Our plans are very fluid”.
Looks as if this horse is set to run some big races, keep a look out to see how things go!
Holywell
The second notable horse is Holywell. This horse was rated the best novice chaser in Britain and Ireland two years ago, and in March, he finished a creditable fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Jonjo said: “He’s a great horse to have in the yard. He ran a cracking race in the Gold Cup and we’ll see how the season goes. Wetherby or Haydock are likely starting points. He doesn’t like extremes of ground.”
Could the best novice chaser do it again? We’ll see what Jonjo plans to do with Holywell in the coming months.
John’s Spirit
Third but not last is John’s Spirit. This horse won the 2013 Paddy Power Gold Cup and was a close second last year.
“He’s in and looking good. He doesn’t get three miles, so we’ll keep him to two and a half and see how his early season goes. He also seems to be better before Christmas than after” commented Jonjo.
After a close win could John’s Spirit bring the goods before the end of the year? He may just surprise you as the dark horse of the group…
If you’re interested in knowing what’s coming up in the racing calendar, we’ve pulled together the fixture list below.
Some of the recommended horses will be running in a few of these so do keep a look out for them!
| Saturday 5th December | Sandown | Tingle Creek Chase |
| Friday 11th December | Cheltenham | International Meeting |
| Saturday 12th December | Cheltenham | International Meeting |
| Saturday 19th December | Ascot | Long Walk Hurdle |
| Saturday 26th December | Kempton | King George VI Chase |
| Sunday 27th December | Chepstow | Welsh National |
For more information on the Jonjo O’Neill and Jackdaws Castle please click here.