Cheltenham Review and Results: Caldwell Potter provides Nicholls with Festival winner

Doddiethegreat was ridden by three-time champion jockey Brian Hughes who was enjoying his fourth Cheltenham Festival victory and first since Mister Whitaker won the novice handicap in 2018, though he'd had only 12 rides at the meeting since then.

Doddiethegreat, who carries the colours of Honeysuckle's owner Kenny Alexander, is named after Scotland rugby great Doddie Weir who died in 2022 with motor neurone disease. Prize money earned by the horse is donated to the Doddie Weir Foundation.

The winning rider said: "I was very happy when Mister Henderson's office rang my agent the other day and asked would I be interested in riding this guy.

"I rode him at Haydock on a busy Saturday about a month ago and he ran well. I said to Kenny that he had a bit of back class so he you're always clinging on that he'd produce it.

"Nico said make sure he has loads of light, which is a bit alien to me as I like to be glued to the inner, but he got in a good rhythm and I was following Sean Flanagan [on Maxi Mac Gold] everywhere. He missed the second last but I was getting there sooner than I wanted, but I had a willing partner."

On why his visits to the Festival have been so few and far between in recent years, despite riding plenty of winners elsewhere, Hughes said: "When you're not offered the ammunition it's very hard to come. I've got a lot of stick through the years for missing the Festival but the simple truth is I didn't have anything good to come here for.

"I thought this lad had an each-way chance and I have a couple tomorrow, but I hadn't had a Festival winner for a long time so I can't start getting too greedy!"

Henderson could enjoy the finish fought out between two of his horses and said: "Nico [De Boinville] was probably always going to ride Jeriko [Du Reponet] and you have to sympathise with him as that horse has run a terrific race as well. The only person happy coming to the last for once was me because you could actually see nothing was coming out of the pack to annoy them. It was a comfortable position to be in.”

Catch Him Derry, trained by Dan Skelton, finished third to ensure a one-two-three for horses trained in Britain. Feet of A Dancer, trained by Paul Nolan, stayed on to fare best of the Irish in fourth.

Bold-jumping Caldwell Potter impresses in novice handicap

Caldwell Potter put in a spring-heeled round of jumping under Harry Cobden to justify strong support in the novice handicap chase.

Caldwell Potter, sent off at 7/1 having been available at double-figure prices last night, bounded up the hill to win by six and a half lengths, providing trainer Paul Nicholls with his first winner at this year's meeting and his 50th at the Cheltenham Festival in total.

Caldwell Potter, a Grade 1-winning novice hurdler for Gordon Elliott last season, had been beaten on two of his first three starts after he was purchased for €740,000 and sent to Nicholls, but he produced a much-improved display on his handicap debut. He is owned by a group including Sir Alex Ferguson and runs in the familiar yellow silks and red star of John Hales, who died in January at the age of 85.

Nicholls said: "I'm delighted for the Hales family, for John. He'll be up there watching. The reason John bought this horse is because he lost Hermes Allen and he wanted something to replace Hermes, and John put his money where his mouth is and bought him.

"It's irrelevant what they cost. When they come into the yard they are all worth the same, they're drinking the same, and some of them take a bit of time to get to know and get the best out of. But we got him right and he's a proper horse - he just needed a bit of patience.

"I was convinced he's a stayer. He'll gallop all day, he jumps well, and I think we're just scratching the surface with him."

Caldwell Potter was sent straight into the lead by Cobden who said: "He travelled great, jumped beautifully and I just had to get the fractions right.

"He was very quick, very efficient [over his fences], and I felt like I was taking lengths out of the other horses."

Caldwell Potter may have been well supported, but the runner-up Anyway was a 125/1 shot and the third O'Moore Park was 66/1. Nurburgring was fourth at 9/1.

Blackmore on the board with Air of Entitlement

Air of Entitlement finished strongly under Rachael Blackmore to win the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, overhauling the strong-travelling favourite Sixandahalf close home.

Sixandahalf, the 85/40 market leader, cruised into the lead and looked set to win after touching down over the last, hitting a low of 1/25 in running, but Air of Entitlement proved too strong up the run-in and scored by half a length.

Diva Luna fared best of the British in third, six lengths behind the runner-up, while Karoline Banbou was fourth.

Air of Entitlement was providing Blackmore and trainer Henry de Bromhead with a first winner at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, though some of the stable's runners had performed well on Wednesday with Ballyadam and Captain Guinness finishing placed, while Quilixios was still in with a chance in the Champion Chase when departing at the final fence.

De Bromhead said: "I'm delighted. She was brilliant and Rachael was brilliant on her.

"They've been running really well but it's always nice to get a winner.

"I thought we were struggling and then coming to the last she lengthened and Rachael got a great jump, and then she really picked up."

Blackmore said: "I knew going to the last she was picking up and picking up, and I thought we'd pick up all the way to the line. Whether we were going to get there in time or not I didn't know, but when I really got stuck into her after the last I could feel she was really trying and was just hoping the line would meet us at the right time."

It was a second success in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle for the jockey and trainer who had teamed up to win with Telmesomethinggirl in 2021.

Progressive Jagwar strikes again in Plate

Jagwar overcame a few sloppy jumps to justify 3/1 favouritism in the Plate and take his record over fences to four wins from five starts.

Jagwar had won the influential Timeform novice handicap chase on Trials Day and he became the fourth winner from the last seven runnings of that race to also score at the Festival. He was following in the footsteps of Mister Whitaker (2018 novice handicap), Simply The Betts (2020 Plate) and Stage Star (2023 Turners).

It wasn't straightforward for Jagwar, who got in close to a few obstacles as the race was starting to take shape, but he made good headway out wide as they turned into the straight and then found plenty to get the better of a good battle with well-supported 4/1 second favourite Thecompanysergeant.

Jagwar, who was ridden by Jonjo O'Neill junior for trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, scored by two and three-quarter lengths. He was a second winner of the day for JP McManus who was also on the mark with Fact To File in the Ryanair Chase.

Oliver Greenall, who trains the winner alongside Josh Guerriero, said: “First time out over fences his jumping wasn’t great; last time at Cheltenham he was really good, but I think in a more competitive race his jumping just let him down at a few, but he just kept coming back on the bridle and Jonjo said he had plenty of horse underneath him. He made a mistake at the last but he’s won with his ears pricked.

“He’s just a big baby. He’s the biggest horse we’ve ever had, he measures 18hh, so he’s still fairly weak and needs to muscle up behind. Once he does I think his jumping will probably improve. You see him drag his back legs through the fences a bit, which isn’t ideal.

“This is our second Festival winner and we’re absolutely delighted. I was listening to something on TV where JP said this was one of the races he hasn’t won before, and I instantly got goosebumps. To win it is very special.”

Jonjo O’Neill Jr said: “He’s huge. He’s always had ability, it’s just his jumping has been a bit of his Achilles heel. The boys, Oliver and Josh, have done a magnificent job with him. Fences have really been the making of him.”

Daily Present battles on well to win Kim Muir

Daily Present produced a determined effort to overhaul the strong-travelling Johnnywho and win the Kim Muir Handicap Chase for rider Barry Stone and trainer Paul Nolan.

Johnnywho, ridden by Derek O'Connor in the silks of JP McManus, looked likely to emulate last year's impressive winner Inothewayurthinkin when cruising into the lead. However, he lost momentum at the final fence when getting in close and was edged out by Daily Present who got the verdict by a neck. The pair were 11 lengths clear of Sa Majeste in third.

Paul Nolan said: “He is a stayer, but he was too free in the race last year. The ride that chap gave him was great as he never left the inside. He just had to try and keep on filling him. He was brilliant on him.

“I definitely thought Johnnywho was coming back, but I knew my lad would stay, however when I saw Derek (O’Connor) rallying I thought we were done.

“In fairness to this lad the last race he won at Down Royal he looked like he was going to be fourth, but he stayed on as if he wanted four miles. We are just so delighted.

“That was the lad’s first ride in England. He is a super rider that is loaded with talent, and what a pair of hands he has. I just thought he was super on him.

“He never put him into the race until he had to, but I was sure he was going to be second.

"I was relieved that he was going to run well, but when Derek came off to the right I knew we had a chance as he would stay on. Thankfully he was able to keep it going.

“It is everything walking back in here as normally you are walking into where the beaten horses go.

"At least they have improved that area because it was all muck before and you had wet cold feet and a bad result so you were getting hit with a double whammy!

“There is no point in making any plans when you have done something like this today."

Barry Thomas Stone, 25, said: “It is magical stuff and I’ve been dreaming of it for years growing up. Nothing will top this now I will say.

“It was all smooth sailing. It just got a little rough on the turn in, but he had plenty left and I was able to get him back going again.

“My uncle was a jockey and he now trains point-to-pointers. My brother, Conor Stone-Walsh, is a professional jockey, so I’ve grown up around horses all my life.

“I never thought it would be like this, but when you get a ride on a horse with a chance you have to take it all in.

“He got a clean run down to the inside. I was holding on to plenty coming down to the second last and I hadn’t asked him too much.

“When I came down to the last he winged it and when he came to the front I knew I just had to keep him up to his work.

“It didn’t feel real at all when I crossed the line. It was just like a dream and the crowd coming back was just madness.”

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