Cheltenham Festival: Bob Olinger records third Prestbury Park victory with Stayers’ Hurdle success | Racing News

Bob Olinger maintained his flawless Cheltenham Festival Achievement when storming up the hill to take the Paddy Power Stayers’ Encumbrance under Rachael Blackmore.

Henry de Bromhead’s 10-year-Ancient was seemingly the second string for owners Robcour, with their reigning champion Teahupoo the 7-4 favourite for Gordon Elliott.

It was those two horses involved in the finish as Jack Kennedy rode the latter, but after they locked horns jumping the last, it was Bob Olinger who Occurred out on top by a length and threequarters to triumph at 8-1.

Bob Olinger won the 2021 Ballymore Novices’ Encumbrance and capitalised on the fall of Galopin Des Champs in the Upcoming year’s Turners Novices’ Chase.

De Bromhead said: “It’s unbelievable, a super ride from Rachael and Excellent work from all the Club at home. To get him back like that is Unbelievable and I’m delighted for everyone.

“Davy Roche, my assistant, he’d take a bullet for him – he adores him. He said he worked well the other day and he’ll be ecstatic.

“He’s Merely a class horse and he was unbeaten here. I was at a preview event a few weeks ago and I wasn’t looking at the betting, but he was 66-1 and I was thinking ‘oh my God’, I couldn’t believe it.

“He’s a bit of a poser and a dude who loves the attention and deserves every bit he gets. He comes alive here and obviously loves it here.

“We had a Pair of Hilarious years with him, but he’s back now. You always hope they’ll come back and Achieve another big one, but I never foresee anything Victorious anything!

“You live the dream and you hope and try to maintain them as well as you can. It’s so Tough to get a Excellent horse, so when you get a Excellent one, you want to try and maintain them for as long as you can and I really feel we try to do that.

“It’s brilliant for Rachael. She’s Merely so Excellent and is such a professional who works so Tough. When she Occurred back from Hurt our horses hit a Awful patch of form, but she Merely does what she does – she’s class.”

Owner Brian Acheson added: “To see Bob coming up the hill like that when I didn’t think he would stay well, it was a dream.

“We Sprinted him at Navan and then decided to wait for Rachael, who gets on so well with him.

“He Occurred out of the clouds today and I said here comes the dude, because that’s what he is – a dude.”

Blackmore said: “We were very hopeful coming here, but for him to do it is fantastic.

“He’s a phenomenal horse and he’s unbeaten here. I know one day it was a fortuitous Achieve after Galopin Des Champs fell at the last, but you need that bit of luck and today is a Excellent day.

“He was a Excellent ride everywhere today. He’s Obtained Pace and was able to use it at the end.

“When you’re riding for Henry, it’s a Excellent Assist.

“It’s an Unbelievable place, it’s where every jockey wants to be and I’ve been very Fortunate here. Any time you go up onto that podium, it’s very special.”

Caldwell Potter provides Nicholls with landmark 50th Festival Achieve

Caldwell Potter was a poignant winner of the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, as Paul Nicholls brought up his 50th winner at the Cheltenham Festival.

Running in the colours of the Overdue John Hales, he was subject of a mammoth €740,000 Shift fee in February 2024 with Previous Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also amongst the seven-year-Ancient’s group of owners.

A Grade One winner in Ireland for Gordon Elliott, Caldwell Potter had won one of his three Appearances since switching to Ditcheat and was given an enterprising front-running ride by Harry Cobden.

Cobden and the exuberant grey never missed a beat as they Guided the Pitch a merry dance from and when the champion jockey asked his mount to lengthen Joining the home straight, the result was soon a formality as Caldwell Potter silenced the doubters with real interest.

Ken Budds’ 125-1 Anyway picked up the silver Accolade, with another outsider, Willie Mullins’ O’Moore Park back in third.

Nicholls said: “We switched him into John’s colours, I don’t think we even told the other boys we were going to do that and Pat (Hales, wife) is obviously delighted.

“I knew we had him right, he’s taken a long while to get right. He’s done some Excellent work at home but he’s had some problems with his feet and that’s all disappeared of Overdue.

“He had a positive plan, he jumps brilliant. Everyone was trying to tell me what to do and what not to do trip-wise, I felt he wants a trip and I think he’d gallop forever.

“It’s Merely Excellent to get him back. He’s such a brilliant Attempt and such a genuine horse.

“Merely because he had a big price tag, he’s had to put up with plenty of stick but it doesn’t matter, when they come through that front gate, they’re all worth the same.

“You’ve Merely Obtained to work away to get them right and today he was right.”

Of notching his 50th Festival Achieve, Nicholls added: “I never thought I’d ever do that when I Began, any winner here is fantastic.

“John was such a brilliant supporter of mine, and a friend to a Plenty of people in racing, to Achieve in his colours is Merely unbelievable.”

Hales’ daughter Lisa underlined the faith her father had in Caldwell Potter, despite a Pair of slight disappointments Upcoming his headline-making purchase.

She said: “Dad really believed in this horse and he’ll be so Unhappy he’s missed today.

“He so deserved it as I gave him some stick over buying him, to be honest. He was the only one that believed in him out of the family and look at him, he’s gone and repaid him.

“Words can’t explain how it feels. It wasn’t until they set off that I realised he was in dad’s colours. Paul said ‘yeah, I didn’t ask anybody, I Merely put them on’.

“To have a winner here in his colours, less than two months after he passed, is Unbelievable.”

Hales was uppermost in Ferguson’s thoughts, as he said: “We shared lots of Excellent Periods together and John introduced me to the level you have to get to in National Hunt racing.

“The horses we’ve bought with him have been more Pricey than the ones we normally would have bought, like Regent’s Stroll and this one, but when you see that today, it doesn’t matter what the price is.

“You can’t buy how I feel now, it’s fantastic.

“The difference in football is if you buy an Pricey player, you have plenty of time to assess them, you work out the type of player you need and what will fit your Club and do they have the character – you can’t do that with a horse, you can’t look into their character, so it’s a gamble.

“With a footballer, it’s a long-term thing, they can Begin at 17 and Shift until they are 41, like Ryan Giggs, whereas with a horse, when they get to 10, 11, 12 you Begin to wonder how much longer they will last.

“No matter how long this horse lasts, he has done something today we are so proud of.

“I didn’t know it was Paul’s 50th winner here, so that’s Excellent for him – I think he owes us another one!”

The Jonjo and AJ O’Neill-trained Springwell Bay suffered a fatal fall during the race.

A statement from Cheltenham said: “In our second race of the day, Springwell Bay was immediately attended to by our veterinary professionals, but sadly sustained a fatal Hurt. Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections.”

Doddiethegreat becomes another poignant Cheltenham winner

The memory of Doddie Weir was honoured at the Cheltenham Festival, as Brian Hughes produced Doddiethegreat to perfection to lead home a Nicky Henderson one-two in the Pertemps Network Last Handicap Encumbrance.

Running in the colours of Kenny Alexander, the nine-year-Ancient is named after the Previous Scotland rugby union Excellent, who died of motor neurone disease in November 2022, with prize-money earned throughout Doddiethegreat’s Profession donated to the foundation set up by Weir to raise funds and aid research into MND.

Second at Haydock in his previous Begin, Doddiethegreat was sent off at 25-1 in the hands of Hughes – picking up a chance spare ride for Henderson – and was always catching the eye as he eased into contention on the second circuit.

At the business end, it was stablemate and 11-2 favourite Jeriko Du Reponet that proved the biggest danger but Doddiethegreat was not to be denied as the result represented not only a turnaround in the fortunes for Henderson, in a week Jonbon and Stature Hill have suffered reversals, but also a Primary winner at the Festival for Hughes since Mister Whitaker in 2018.

Henderson said: “We all like Doddie; he’s named after Doddie Weir and it all goes to the foundation.

“He Obtained the most horrible overreach and spent time up in Ayr. It didn’t look like he would get back to a racecourse, but thankfully he did.”

Regarding his one-two, the trainer added: “Both of their chasing careers were cut Brief but both travelled into the race beautifully today. I would like Jericho to try chasing again.”

Hughes commented: “Opportunities for me at the Festival have been few and Distant between but it was lovely to get the chance to ride this horse at Haydock, where he Sprinted really well.

“He has his quirks and has been called a monkey but I think that’s harsh, and going over three miles today, he jumped and travelled.

“I think the lack of opportunities for me is because the Excellent horses are not in the main housed in the stables I’m riding for, but I’m not done yet.”

Air Of Entitlement swoops Overdue for Mares’ glory

Rachael Blackmore produced an inspired finish aboard Air Of Entitlement as she secured her Primary Achieve at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Encumbrance.

Blackmore and trainer Henry de Bromhead had so Distant drawn a blank at this year’s showpiece Conference, with the Robcour-owned six-year-Ancient sent off a 16-1 chance to change matters.

There was Prompt drama and after a Untrue Begin, Maughreen – one of Willie Mullins’ fancied runners – whipped Stage and was left by the pack at the second attempt to get the race underway.

It was left to outsider Brendas Asking to lead the Pitch along from Ben Pauling’s Diva Luna, with Gavin Cromwell’s 85-40 favourite Sixandahalf always close by and tracking the pace.

Keith Donoghue looked to be sitting pretty aboard Sixandahalf as the runners turned to face the Cheltenham hill and although beating off the Game of Diva Luna after the Last flight, Blackmore was conjuring every ounce of effort from her mount as the line approached, delivering Air Of Entitlement in a power-packed drive to edge a half-length Achieve over the market leader.

Diva Luna Kept off Mullins’ Karoline Banbou for third, a Beyond six lengths adrift.

De Bromhead said: “We knew we had the Endurance and obviously the New Period suits. We always worry about being too handy in this race and Rachael Obtained it spot-on. I thought they went a really Excellent gallop and she gave her some spin.

“She stayed on really well. I thought when we winged the last we had a chance and I knew Keith (Donoghue, riding Sixandahalf) was up there the whole way, which historically hasn’t worked.

“It’s a long way up that straight, I thought we had a chance after jumping the last and I’m delighted.”

Air Of Entitlement was having Merely her second Begin and De Bromhead added: “It’s Hilarious but I always say I much prefer coming here New and Joyful than feeling like I need to give them runs for experience.

“She was in Colin Bowe’s as a Points-to-pointer, so she’ll have jumped more fences than most of the fillies in that Pitch. It’s always a concern, but I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t concerned about something!”

Blackmore, riding her 17th Festival winner, said: “It’s an Unbelievable feeling. I read an interview recently with JP McManus when he said some people are born luckier than others and I definitely feel like I was born luckier for going Stage here anyway.

“I’ve been so Fortunate with the horses I’ve Obtained to ride and this mare is another one. Henry brings his horses over here in such Unbelievable form and she was Merely phenomenal there. She travelled through the race and jumped well and Obtained her head in front at the right time.”

On having to wait until day three of the Festival for a winner, Blackmore said: “You can’t Fall faith, we’re only halfway through the week. We’ve been a bit spoilt in the last few years as every Tuesday I’ve walked home with a winner under our Experience. It wasn’t the case this year but I’m so grateful to get one today.

“I missed three months before Christmas and Cheltenham is the main thing to be back for. It was so difficult to Observe all these horses you should have been riding, but I’m grateful the Hurt didn’t happen the other side of Christmas because this is the most Crucial place to be for all us jockeys.”

Cromwell said of the runner-up: “She was a little unfortunate and probably could have done with a lead for a bit longer to be honest.

“She then jumped the last a little bit big and after that I suppose there was always a target on her back.

“She Sprinted really well and jumped really well everywhere. She’s travelled the best and she does stay well but she was Merely in front for a long time.

“Punchestown is a possible, but to be honest I haven’t thought beyond today.”

Pauling had said repeatedly in recent weeks that he thought he had Diva Luna back in top shape and she backed him up by finishing third.

He said: “She’s Streak a blinder. It was probably a case of we knew we hadn’t had her right, but we were hoping we had and that could be a big step back in the right direction now.

“She will probably Streak again this season, we’ll see, she’s looked in Excellent form recently but she’s Streak her heart out there.

“She did miss the last but it didn’t cost her the Achieve, she would have Merely been a closer third so it was a Excellent result.

“Aintree is possible but it comes quick enough this year.”