Tag Archive for: Jonjo O’Neill

Bay back on form with Ascot verdict

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Springwell Bay ran out an easy winner of the Ascot Racecourse Supports Schools Poetry Competition Novices’ Hurdle to get his career back on the right track.

Second in the prestigious Goffs Land Rover Bumper at the Punchestown Festival in 2021, he was subsequently bought for €155,000.

A winner on his first two outings for Jonjo O’Neill, he was beaten into third at Cheltenham in November by John McConnell’s Fennor Cross but looked a different proposition stepped up in trip.

He travelled noticeably strongly in the hands of O’Neill jnr and loomed upsides the favourite Attacca before bursting clear to win by nine lengths.

The trainer said of the 3-1 winner: “He’s been a a little bit difficult, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. When you’ve got patient owners you can take your time.

“He won’t be going to Cheltenham this year. We’ll make sure what he’s like when he gets back, he needs another run. We don’t know what we’ve got yet but we’re hoping he’s nice. He has had little issues, though.

“We’ve always thought he was a nice horse but he hasn’t matured. We fancied him at Cheltenham, but he checked out going to the second last and we were disappointed.

“That’s a big step in the right direction and the extra distance really helped.”

Irish Hill pings the last under Harry Cobden
Irish Hill pings the last under Harry Cobden (Steven Paston/PA)

The Cheltenham Festival could come into the equation for Irish Hill, though, after he justified 100-30 favouritism in the Ascot Racecourse Supports Box4Kids Handicap Hurdle.

Partneredy by Harry Cobden, already on the scoresheet with Oscar Elite in the Reynoldstown, Irish Hill sneaked through on the inside to hit the front two from home and was always doing enough to win by a length and three-quarters from Zoffany Bay, having his first run for 700 days.

Winning trainer Paul Nicholls said: “He could go in either the Coral Cup or the Martin Pipe.

“I thought he won tidily and I’m not sure he was doing a whole lot in front. The third horse (Samarrive) ran a super race too.”

Jonjo O’Neill in no rush with promising Saint Davy

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Unbeaten Saint Davy will continue his education in the next couple of weeks following a setback, Jonjo O’Neill has confirmed.

The Gay Smith-owned gelding took a Carlisle bumper in October and made a winning start to his hurlding career when winning at Chepstow on Welsh National day.

O’Neill said: “Saint Davy is grand. He is in to run somewhere. He is OK. He has had a bit of a setback – his blood was a bit wrong for a while, so we’ve left him alone and now he’s hopefully coming back again.

“He is a big, fine horse – a big, old chaser. You’d hope he would be one for the future. He has a lot to learn and is still a baby.

“He did well to win (at Chepstow) – I didn’t think he’d win to be honest.”

Though he holds entries in both the Ballymore and Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival, O’Neill is reluctant to commit him for either at present.

He added: “It’s possibly too soon. I don’t know is the answer, really. We’ll see how he runs, but he hasn’t got much experience to be fair.

“He is a nice horse for the future and I’m not going to be rushing him. Luckily enough we have patient owners. It will be up to me to see if he goes there or not, but I’d like to see him run again and I’d feel a bit happier. I like him, but I just don’t know until he runs.”