Heart Wood Runs Riot in Ryanair as Ground Concerns Sideline Fact To File

[Wandering Eyes]

CHELTENHAM, UK — On a day of high winds and even higher stakes at Cheltenham, it was Heart Wood (Choeur Du Nord) who best withstood the challenge to run out a wide-margin winner of the Ryanair Chase, Thursday's Grade 1 feature which lost much of its lustre when defending champion Fact To File (Poliglote) was withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

Beaten nine lengths behind Fact To File when filling the runner-up spot 12 months ago, Heart Wood took full advantage of that rival's absence to belatedly make the breakthrough at the top level for trainer Henry de Bromhead and owners Robcour.

Always travelling sweetly in the hands of Darragh O'Keeffe, the eight-year-old soon put his stamp on proceedings after moving to the lead on the approach to the second last, drawing right away from there to register an emphatic 10-length defeat of the gallant Jonbon (Walk In The Park), with Banbridge (Doyen) another two lengths further back in third.

“He ran a blinder last year, and we probably rode him to sort of be placed last year, whereas this year we said that we would go out and give it a real go,” de Bromhead said of his first winner at the 2026 Festival.

“It was brilliant. Darragh was brilliant on him, he jumped amazing, and it's just lovely to get it. It's getting harder and harder [to train winners at the Festival]. It's been even more competitive this week.”

For a trainer operating in the same era as a certain Willie Mullins, de Bromhead's Festival record certainly stands up to the closest of scrutiny. Indeed, this victory means that it will remain a decade since the Knockeen trainer last left the meeting empty handed, having saddled at least one winner every year since drawing a blank in 2016.

It's a remarkable achievement but one that left O'Keeffe feeling the pressure in his first season as number one rider to the stable, following the retirement in May last year of de Bromhead's long-time ally, Rachael Blackmore.

“It's unreal. I'm very grateful to be riding for Henry de Bromhead this week,” said the winning jockey. “I was keen to get a winner on the board because his record here is so good. The horses have been running well, just a couple of things went against us. These colours are brilliant. They've always been great to me.”

Those Robcour colours have become an increasingly familiar sight in the Cheltenham winners' enclosure in recent years, but the man behind them, Brian Acheson, admitted to thinking that it might not be his year after watching his former Festival champions Bob Olinger (Sholokhov) and Teahupoo (Masked Marvel) come up short in the preceding Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

“Half an hour ago I was on the floor and now that – it just shows you what a screwed up game this is!,” Acheson said of his eventful afternoon. “When the favourite [Fact To File] came out, he had a chance, but we're having such a bad week that you start to talk yourself out of it.”

Having been buffeted by strong gales for much of the day, Prestbury Park briefly had the air sucked out of it when Fact To File, arguably the most talented National Hunt performer in training, was declared a non-runner over the public address system. The official reason given for his absence was “unsuitable ground”, with a visibly annoyed Mullins later clarifying his stance in an interview with Racing TV.

“Good ground, we think, is not good enough for the type of individual we are buying and trying to race,” said the most successful trainer in the Festival's history. “If the ground is going to be like this, we're not going to bring them.”

Even in the absence of Fact To File, owner JP McManus was still responsible for a leading Ryanair fancy in fan favourite Jonbon, who was seeking a first Festival win at the fourth attempt. Alas, it wasn't to be, but as ever he battled on manfully to preserve his record of never having finished out of the first two in a career now spanning 28 starts under Rules.

It remains to be seen whether Jonbon will be back for a fifth crack at Festival glory in 2027 but, should his connections need any encouragement, then look no further than the 11-year-old Home By The Lee (Fame And Glory), who sprung a 33/1 surprise when making his fifth consecutive appearance in the Stayers' Hurdle.

Trained by Joseph O'Brien for owner-breeder Sean O'Driscoll, Home By The Lee had finished sixth, fifth and third in his first three attempts, before unseating JJ Slevin last year when Bob Olinger led home the 2024 champion Teahupoo in a Robcour one-two.

Teahupoo was sent off the 6/4 favourite to regain his crown on Thursday but could muster only sixth, while the winner's fellow veteran, Bob Olinger, ran an honourable race in third. Instead, it was the mercurial Ballyburn (Flemensfirth) who threw down the stiffest challenge to Home By The Lee, but the horse described by O'Brien as “a superstar” simply wasn't for passing on the run-in, finding plenty under the Slevin drive to land the spoils by a little over a length.

“We were just hoping for a good run,” O'Brien said of expectations coming into the race. “It was a fantastic ride by JJ and I'm so delighted for Sean O'Driscoll and his family as they bred him. He's an 11-year-old and they've been with him all the way. He's as tough as nails

“We've had him since maybe he just turned four, so he's been there a long time. He trains every day with enthusiasm and when he's off he gets bored. He loves his work, loves his job, loves his racing and has never had a lame step in his life. He's a superstar.”

For O'Driscoll, this was a triumph for perseverance in more ways than one, having stood firm when O'Brien gently suggested on one occasion that the then-struggling Home By The Lee might be better off trained elsewhere.

“Never give up, that's the moral of the story,” O'Driscoll explained. “He has the heart of a lion and he's a very sound horse. He lost his way chasing. Joseph rang me one day and said, 'I think maybe you should send him to another yard, they can freshen him up.' I said, 'Are you politely telling me that I should take him away from the yard?' To which he replied, 'No, I'm not.' So I said, 'Well, he's not going anywhere.' Joseph is an amazing trainer.”

He continued, “We came here with confidence, but the odds were stacked against us in that he's 11 years of age, it was his fifth attempt at the race. I don't think any horse has won it after running in it five times – the moral of the story is that there's always a first time!”

Gordon Elliott cut a similarly philosophical figure earlier in the afternoon, having watched the redoubtable Wodhooh (Le Havre) provide the stable with a belated breakthrough at this year's Festival in the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle.

Elliott went into the race 0/30 for the week, frustrated but with an ace card still to play in 5/6 favourite Wodhooh, who duly got the job done with the minimum of fuss, hitting the front before the last and always doing enough from there to lead home Jade De Grugy (Doctor Dino) by a length.

Bought by Ted Durcan for 50,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls July Sale, having failed to win in four starts on the Flat for Sir Michael Stoute, Wodhooh has been beaten just once in 11 starts over hurdles, with the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at last year's Festival also featuring among her 10 victories.

Then, just as she did on Thursday, Wodhooh stepped up to get Elliott out of a tight spot after he arrived at the finale winless from 47 runners in the previous 27 races. No wonder the trainer described himself as “lucky to have her” in the aftermath of this latest rescue act.

“It's hard to have winners here,” he summed up. “The ball just wasn't bouncing, but thankfully we're on the board now. I'm delighted for myself, my staff and my owners.

“The race worked out great and Jack [Kennedy, jockey] gave her a peach. She idled a bit up the straight, but she picked up again. She's something else. It's hard to know how good she is as she doesn't do anything fancy at home, but we're lucky to have her.”

In the other Graded race restricted to mares on the card, the G2 Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle which kicked off proceedings, White Noise (Kingston Hill) caused a 40/1 upset to realise a lifelong dream for jockey Tom Bellamy.

With last year's Champion Bumper heroine Bambino Fever (Jukebox Jury) never threatening to land a meaningful blow, it was left to the Elliott-trained Oldschool Outlaw (Walk In The Park) to give vain chase to the relentless winner, who has improved out of all recognition since gaining her first victory in a Worcester novice hurdle back in October.

“I've worked my whole life for this day,” said the winning rider after his first Festival triumph. “I'm genuinely speechless, I cannot believe it. A great performance from a really likeable filly. I'm delighted for the team at home, we've had a season. This tops my whole career, not just this season.

“I'm nearly crying here. I bunked off school as a kid to come and watch the Cheltenham Festival, and I can't believe I'm walking around at the top here after winning. I am expecting to wake up, to be honest. I got beaten a neck once in the Pertemps and I thought that was it, because I haven't even got close since. It means everything.”

Thirty-one years on from a famous Champion Hurdle/Gold Cup double – and for the first time since being joined on the licence by long-time assistant Mat Nicholls – Kim Bailey is a Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer once more thanks to White Noise, while the action on Thursday also saw nerve-settling victories for two trainers who will be hoping to emulate Bailey by etching their names into Gold Cup folklore on Friday.

Dan Skelton, the trainer of Gold Cup contender Grey Dawning (Flemensfirth), would have had very few anxious moments as he watched 7/2 favourite Supremely West (Westerner) turn the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle into a procession, while Ben Pauling admitted that he will sleep easier ahead of Friday's blue riband after his Meetmebythesea (Watar) had won the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase. Pauling is responsible for the current Gold Cup favourite in The Jukebox Man (Ask).

“I'll look forward to tomorrow now,” said Pauling, before echoing the sentiments of many on Thursday with regards what was a difficult start to the biggest week this sport has to offer.

“I was a bit deflated after the first two days, if I'm completely honest. It's a stark reminder of how hard it is to win here, because you come with good horses and we weren't really sighted. This was one of the darts we hoped would run well, so it was great to see it come off. I'm pleased we've had one before The Jukebox Man runs tomorrow.”

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