Cheltenham Festival: A guide to the leading owners

Here we take a look at the men and women who own some of the biggest names on turf and take a look through the Cheltenham betting to assess their chances of leading in a winner at Prestbury Park next week.

JP McManus

The former bookmaker and successful businessman had his famous green and gold hoops first carried to success at Prestbury Park in 1982 and 40 years later, he is still leading in the winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

He is the leading owner at the Cheltenham Festival and took his tally to 69 winners when enjoying a brace in 2022 curtesy of Brazil and Elimay.

McManus will be represented in the majority of the 28 Cheltenham Festival races but will be hoping to land a telling blow in some of the major races having only tasted success in some of the undercard contests 12 months ago.

The Irishman will hope to be on the scoreboard as early as the second race when Jonbon goes for gold in the Arkle. He is arguably McManus’ best chance of the whole week and has looked a real star in the making in his early escapades over fences.

Former Champion Hurdle winner Epatante will also run on day one in either the Champion Hurdle or Mares’ Hurdle while defending champion Elimay and Colm Murphy’s Impervious give the leading owner a tremendous hand in the Mares’ Chase on Gold Cup day.

Rich Ricci

Although the horses are registered under the name of his wife Susannah, the public face of the famous Mr Blobby-style silks is former banker Rich Ricci, who has revelled in the 19 Cheltenham Festival victories he and his wife have enjoyed so far.

The likes of Annie Power, Douvan and Vautour are just three of the famous name to run in the pink and green of Ricci, while last year it was Vauban who provided the American with his sole success over the four days.

The Triumph Hurdle winner will compete in the Champion Hurdle this time around while Friday’s opener for the juveniles could prove lucky for Ricci once again when Lossiemouth attempts to recapture the winning thread.

Gaelic Warrior went close in the Boodles in 2022 and has strong claims in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle that kicks off procedings on day two, while Allegorie De Vassy is one of the favourites for the Mares’ Chase.

Simon Munir and Isaac Suede

It could be a week to remember for the ‘double green’ silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Suede who send their strongest squad yet to the Cheltenham Festival.

El Fabiolo’s impressive victory at the Dublin Racing Festival marked him out as the Closutton number one for the Arkle and he looks set to go toe-to-toe with Jonbon in an opening day thriller, while recent Adonis scorer Nusret is high up in the betting for day one’s Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

Cheltenham hope Impaire Et Passe (in second) looks in great form schooling at trainer @WillieMullinsNH 🐎 🤞🏼 #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/1pljniZTE4

— Simon Munir (@simon_munir) March 6, 2023

Day two could get off to a bang when Moscow Flyer winner Impaire Et Passe runs in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, while Champion Bumper favourie It’s For Me could make it a Wednesday to remember if bookending the card in style.

Blue Lord and Night And Day could add to the owners’ riches on day three, while Hunters Yarn could prove one of the best handicapped horses at the Festival if lining up in the County Hurdle on the Friday of the Festival.

Michael Buckley

Buckley has just the one runner set to appear in his all white silks with black cap, but what a runner it is – Constitution Hill.

The Champion Hurdle favourite looks a superstar in the making and can make it back-to-back Festival winners following last year’s demolition in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Buckley himself is no stranger to Cheltenham Festival success having seen Finian’s Rainbow win the Champion Chase in 2011, while Spirit River and Rock The World have both tasted victory in Festival handicaps.

Joe and Marie Donnelly

A doyen of the betting ring, former bookmaker Joe Donnelly has assembled an enviable array of equine talent and his yellow and black silks have been frequent visitors to the Cheltenham winner’s enclosure over the past few seasons.

Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo perhaps put Donnelly on the map as an owner, but it is Shishkin that has cemented his place as one of the leading owners in horse racing.

Nicky Henderson’s dual Festival winner will be hoping to carry Donnelly’s colours to success in the Ryanair Chase on day three, while they have three real chances on the opening day with many people’s banker of the week Gaillard Du Mesnil, Champion Hurdle hope State Man and big-money purchase Brandy Love all taking to the track.

Michael O’Leary

One of the most controversial men in horse racing is also one of the most outspoken in the world of business, but there is no doubting that the Ryanair supremo is one of racing’s biggest benefactors via his Gigginstown House Stud.

The maroon silks of Gigginstown have been worn twice by a Gold Cup winner, but his most famous horse is undoubtedly Tiger Roll, who has won five times at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Tiger bowed out in 2022 having been edged out by their own Delta Work in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase and he is one of their best chances of victory again this year when attempting to defend his crown, while Commander Of Fleet’s Coral Cup win last year took Gigginstown’s Cheltenham Festival victories to 32.

Fury Road gives them solid claims in the Ryanair Chase, while Conflated bids to provide a third success in the blue riband.

Tony Bloom

A former Pro Poker player and the owner of Brighton and Hove Albion, Bloom has tasted Cheltenham Festival success in the past with Penhill, who won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in 2017, before returning to land the Stayers’ Hurdle a year later and is the lucky man in possession of defending Champion Chase hero Energumene.

The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old has a small point to prove following defeat in the Clarence House Chase, but is sure to be fully tuned up for the defence of his title.

Known for his big punts, don’t be surprised if Energumene is backed off the boards before the off if Bloom thinks his charge is primed to put his best foot forward.

Cheveley Park

Owned by the Thompson family, the family’s red, white and blue silks are more synonymous with the Flat where Pivotal and 1000 Guineas winner Russian Rhythm are just two of the Group One winners to triumph in their name.

However, Patricia Thompson was the owner of 1992 Grand National winner Party Politics and the operation has opened its cheque book to sign some big-money buys since turning its attention to the winter game.

A Plus Tard provided them with their first Cheltenham Festival winner and became Cheveley Park’s first Gold Cup champion when sauntering to a breathtaking success in the hands of Rachael Blackmore 12 months ago.

He has only been seen the one this season when disappointing in the Betfair Chase, but if primed to perfection by trainer Henry de Bromhead could mount a serious defence of his title on his comeback.

Dual Festival scorer Allaho misses out on the chance to notch up a hat-trick of Festival successes in the Ryanair Chase, while his absence could pave the way for Envoi Allen to secure his own Festival three-timer.

Brian Acheson

Meet the multi-millionaire businessman behind Robcour, who saw his silks carried to Cheltenham Festival glory for the first time by Bob Olinger in 2021.

Henry de Bromhead’s charge doubled Robcour’s tally when a fortunate winner of the Turners Novices’ Chase last year while the big-spending Cork native, who is desperate to make it into the higher echelons of leading owners, looks to have assembled his strongest squad yet for Prestbury Park.

Teahupoo is one of the leading fancies for the Stayers’ Hurdle that is the feature of day three while further Grade One glory could be secured by Gerri Colombe, who is unbeaten over fences and is the one to beat in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase

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