Ben Jones Cheltenham wrap-up blog: 'Even with Jukebox at his best, he'd have had to go some to beat that'

Ladbrokes ambassador Ben Jones reflects on a thrilling week at Cheltenham 2026 which saw him record four wins but fall just short in the Gold Cup on The Jukebox Man.

Cheltenham reaction...

On Saturday and Sunday [last weekend] I was knackered... in terms of rides, I think I had 15 across the festival, so it wasn't too dissimilar to a normal week of racing; I'd ride more, most weeks. But it was all of the media, and the pressure of that festival, as well as the expectation. You know, you're generally turning up in every race thinking you've got a chance, so when you pull up, or you fall behind, it's a bit deflating. It takes a lot out of you, so by the time I was able to sit down and go through it all over the weekend, I was so tired. 

In terms of the week itself, Tuesday and Wednesday weren't frustrating, they were steady, but we were probably hoping for a better couple of rides in those first two days. Then Thursday came around and just made up for the whole week. Meetmebythesea obviously won, and it's amazing what one winner does in that festival. We went through it the other day and saw there were only something like 18 trainers who had a winner across the entire festival, which means there were a whole load of trainers who went there and didn't have any success. So that one winner sticks out for us massively. I was so happy to get on the board; that's all you want to take away from that kind of week - a winner.

I saw Gemma Collins won £5k by backing Meetmebythesea... she didn't ask me anything beforehand, so she must have just been confident in us!

I went into Friday on cloud nine, and had four rides that ran really well. Obviously the big one [The Jukebox Man] had excuses in the end, so it wasn't as devastating a blow. Obviously, we're disappointed, because we thought we had a good chance, but something occurred, and that ended up being the excuse. So when something like that happens, it's not really the end of the world, you know. 

The Jukebox Man

We had a dream position with Jukebox - I was exactly where I wanted to be. I had a plan going out, and that's exactly how it was working out. He jumped brilliantly and travelled well, and coming down the hill, turning for home, I thought I'd have every chance with him. And then, just coming up the hill, he's obviously stopped with his wind, and you can't do anything about that. You know, he was A1 after, and I'm pretty sure we'll go and have a look at his wind and get that sorted, and he'll come back bigger and stronger. The way I look at it, if we didn't have that problem with his wind, then we were bang there, turning for home, and he might have been in the frame.

To be honest, after the race, I was A1. Look, we're obviously used to losing in this sport - you have to get used to it. But I wouldn't really let much get to me. Yes, it was probably the biggest ride of my career, and all of the hype and the pressure was massive. But as soon as I got on with him, it just felt like any other race. I took in every minute of it and he was brilliant.

The way I look at it is that it got taken out of my hands. If I'd have asked a silly question of him, and he fell, or anything like that, then I would have felt much worse. But it was taken out of mine and Ben [Pauling]'s hands... it wasn't anyone's fault. When that happens, you can't really be too disappointed, we've just got to try and learn a lot from it. The result didn't get to me at all, though. 

Turning in, I looked across, and there was [Paul] Townend, flying home, and I was just thinking 'bloody hell, what is that?!' Even if Jukebox was at his best, jeez, he would have had to have gone some to have beaten that, you know?

To be honest, we're just going to see how he goes, and see what they say when they have a look at his wind. We'll go from there. We're very much taking it day by day with him, but he's come out of Cheltenham really well, so it all depends what we're told next, and then where we can go. I wouldn't be in a massive rush, if we weren't to see him again. But if we could get to Punchestown, and he was in good order, then let's do that. I think it's just a case of waiting and seeing what happens. 

Racing schedule is a farce...

I think it's ridiculous [that there isn't a break after Cheltenham]. The way I look at it, we're the only sport where the pinnacle of the season is followed up immediately the next day with another meeting. You know, if you're in the World Darts Championship final, or if you're in the FA Cup final, you're not playing darts or football the day after. There's no sport like it, where after the biggest day of the year, you're just back at it, as if it never happened. I think it's a bit bonkers, really,  that we're just expected to do it.

Some people might say it's fine, or that we can just take the day off. But it's not that easy because if we don't ride, and someone else takes that ride off you... you know, we've all got to make a living. It's just got to be done. 

I think the schedule is a complete farce, and something needs to be done. There's so much that could change - like racing through the summer is a bit of a farce as well. Like, I don't mind riding through the summer, that's absolutely fine, because obviously there are some horses that need to be riding on better ground, and there are trainers that need to have horses in to pay the bills. But if they had set days of racing for the week, then everyone would know if or when they might be able to have a break, or get away. You know, if you were trying to book a holiday now, you can't fit a proper week in without missing a few days of racing. 

It's the same for everyone; if everyone knew what was coming and there were proper breaks, then you could work out when you could get away. The stable staff could alternate weeks, or whatever it is. The trainers can go away on their breaks. And everyone can recharge without missing anything. I'm just a big believer that they're just trying to make us run around like flies, and no one is having a look at the schedule just to make it easier for everyone. You know, it's a long year; we get to April and we're ready for a break. And if you're not getting away, and you go straight into the summer, then that summer goes very quickly, and then you're back into autumn again, and you've got to just do it all again. It just gets on top of each other, and I think that could easily be avoided. 

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