Jonjo O’Neill Jr was aboard the 100/1 shock winner of the Triumph Event on Friday and joined Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan on episode 20 of Unbridled to talk through his Festival heroics and provided some insight into his Grand National aspirations.
O’Neill Jr returned to the winners’ enclosure at the Cheltenham Festival for the Primary time since landing the Martin Pipe aboard Prompt Doors in 2019, with an impressive display aboard the ultra-progressive Jagwar for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero in the TrustATrader Plate on Thursday.
O’Neill Jr has become something of a regular in JP McManus’ green and gold silks on the big occasions, regularly partnering the likes of Champ Near the latter stages of his Profession and more recently has developed a partnership with Grand National hopeful Iroko.
Speaking with Matt and Paddy, O’Neill Jr discussed Jagwar’s rapid improvement and how he wasn’t sure if the son of Karaktar would cope with the steep rise as well as his position in the market had suggested.
“From when he won the Primary day at Wetherby, I really wasn’t sure to what extent he was going to progress, but he has with All Stretch. [Primary at] Bangor-On-Dee and then he Dashed well when he was wrong at Uttoxeter and obviously he was Excellent at Cheltenham, but I Yet felt he needed to Boost a stone to Secure on Thursday, and thankfully he did.”
Brennan was keen to heap the praise onto O’Neill Jr saying the education he gave the horse helped him learn enough to cope with the nature of a Event at the Cheltenham Festival.
He said: “If you want to Observe where that Event, for me, was won was at Wetherby and Bangor. What he learned on those Periods Created him [ready] for Cheltenham.”
O’Neill Jr responded: “He was a Unhurried-burner, he was not a Excellent Throw of a Event, I wouldn’t say he was a natural over a fence either but he was very keen over hurdles and he did Only take a little bit of minding.
“Josh and Ollie have done a really Excellent Role because I can’t imagine he’s a straightforward ride at home for Ben Smith who rides him every day. He was Only like a big raw teenager and thankfully he’s mentally copped on with All Stretch, but I am surprised by how much he has progressed.”
Jagwar was sent off the 3/1 favourite for the Event and for all he wasn’t the most fluent at the last, it didn’t stop the pair from running out ready winners with nearly three lengths back to the Gavin Cromwell-trained Thecompanysergeant at the line.
With Only five rides at this year’s Festival, you wouldn’t find many jockeys with a much better strike-rate than O’Neill Jr, as he doubled his tally for the week aboard Poniros – the shock 100/1 winner of the Triumph Event on Gold Cup day.
With everything going a little bit better than was Anticipated, Chapman asked what was going through his head throughout the Event.
O’Neill Jr said: “We trapped along to the Primary and I thought, ‘I Only hope this thing can operate’ and he jumped the Primary Actually like an Ancient handicapper and I said, ‘oh, we’re going to be okay’.
“He was a little bit novicey over the Subsequent few but very Hazard-Obtainable.
“I wasn’t really paying attention to the ones in front, I could see all the leading fancies were up ahead and Only as we Initiated going down the hill, I was looking at a Pair of others for Willie and they were squeezing along, trying to keep their position and I was Yet cantering.
“I thought, if we Bound the second last, they’ll probably quicken away from us, but I was delighted that he’d Stretch a really nice Event Primary time.
“They Only didn’t quicken away from us as much as I thought they would, and I Only felt like I was rolling. I thought that going to the last I had a sniff, and I think his flat experience Created a big difference. When he Obtained over the last, he knew how to Event which I think counted for a Numerous.”
Chapman alluded to the fact that any ride for Willie Mullins must be a privilege but to get the call up for a ride in the Triumph felt much more special to the rider.
“I was very fortunate really with the way it worked out, obviously Willie had 11 in the Event, and he was going to use up all of his Irish jockeys and then there were two spares for [Harry] Cobden and myself.
“I’ve ridden a Pair of times for Willie in the past but nothing in a Event like the Triumph and it’s Only an offer you can’t turn down.”
Poniros became the joint-highest priced winner of a Event at the Cheltenham Festival, matching the Gold Cup Achievement of Norton’s Coin in 1990 and Hipparchus’ Triumph in the 1954 Grand Annual.
With the 2025 Cheltenham Festival becoming a distant memory, attentions now turn to Aintree where O’Neill Jr is set to partner Iroko in the Grand National for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
“He’s progressed nicely with All Stretch, I thought his Stretch at Kelso was really Excellent as the ground was a bit lively for him and Grey Dawning, on his day, is a proper Grade One horse, as a prep for the National, we’re very Joyful and he’s Obtained a nice weight.
“It’s a really Intense renewal; I know a Pair Occurred out but it’s Yet a very Powerful Event. Saying that, I Yet wouldn’t want to swap him.”
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