Cheltenham Festival 2022

The famous green and gold hoops of JP McManus have been winning Cheltenham Festival races since he caught the bug back in 1982 when Mister Donovan took the Sun Alliance Hurdle.

Since then, McManus has become the most successful Cheltenham Festival owner of all time with 67 winners, including multiple Grade 1’s in the prestigious Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Stayers’ Hurdle. His legends include Istabraq, Buveur D’Air, Synchronised and Baracouda. 

This year he is represented by Epatante in the Champion, Champ in the Stayers’ and Jonbon in the Supreme, but it’s not just in Grade 1’s where JP McManus excels, his legendary handicap plots have been successfully punted for almost 40 years. 

JP McManus won four handicaps in 2020 and three in 2019, so if you want some winners at this year’s Festival, we need to check out the green and gold hooped runners!

With the handicap weights now out, we can properly assess his 34 entries. While many of his string are multiple entered, we can back with confidence in the Non Runner No Bet markets. 

While you should never discount repeat winners such as Sire Du Berlais, who won the 3 mile Pertemps Final in 2019 and 2020 and is lining up for a hat-trick bid off 156 (4lb higher than his last win), we’ve settled on a shrewd looking Lucky 15 made up of four JP McManus plot horses.

Paddy Power Plate

TIP 1 - Palmers Hill

JP likes to throw a few darts at this race, and it’s been the scene of many a punt for him. And he hasn’t won this handicap for over 10 years, so is well overdue a winner!

The Shunter won last year’s renewal off 140 and afterwards, JP bought the horse as a potential Grade 1 performer. So far this season he hasn’t excelled and finds himself back here for a repeat performance wearing the green and gold hoops. Off a 13lb higher mark he has his work cut out, but the shrewd stable will get him spot on and probably deploy a top apprentice to help offset the rise.

The Shunter has a fair chance, but I like his other runner, Palmers Hill. He won two chases earlier in the season but was pulled up on his latest start in January. That doesn’t put me off one bit, he went off a weak favourite, and another JP McManus horse was well punted and won, so a line can easily be put through that run.

Jonjo McNeil is a master at getting his horses ready for a Cheltenham handicap and I think the forecast good/soft going will be perfect for Palmers Hill, and as a previous course winner, he has much in his favour.

His last win was decisive over 2m 3F, which was on the short side, he is lightly raced over chases (just four starts), is progressing, and will improve for the step up to 2m 5F, especially over the stiffer New Course.

Palmers Hill does have form over three miles, so could conceivably step up to the Ultima or Kim Muir, but I think its significant connections have only entered him in The Plate. 

This race is quite uninspiring and is full of exposed horses, so consequently I see Palmers Hill as the NAP of JP McManus’ string and we can back him at a huge 20/1, which is a cracking each-way play.

Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

TIP 2 - Champion Green

JP McManus has a good record in this race, he still has multiple entries. Icare Allen was victorious last time out and is improving with racing after finishing eight lengths behind Vauban in the Grade 1 Juvenile at the Dublin Festival, but his mark of 139 may leave him vulnerable to a less exposed individual. 

While Brazil has progressed this year but won too well last time and his handicap mark has soared to 137. He will need to be almost Triumph Hurdle class to win off that mark.

Willie Mullins has the well-touted French recruit, Gaelic Warrior, as the short-priced 3/1 favourite off what looks a highly favourable mark, and many will see him as an Irish banker of the meeting. 

A short-priced handicap hotpot is normally a bookie’s benefit at the Festival. It could be a well-plotted horse that gets the favourite beaten and JP McManus is adept at laying one out so the aptly named Champion Green could be the answer. 

He won a Naas maiden hurdle with plenty in hand and this ex-flat performer had a rating of 92 in that sphere (smartened up quickly to postmark a high of 97 on good ground) which suggests he has much more to give over hurdles off 125. 

His trainer, Joseph O’Brien, targets this race and has won it before, so I’m expecting significant improvement and a big run from Champion Green.

At 8/1 he isn’t a massive price, but a solid each-way play.

Coral Cup

TIP 3 - Dame de Compagnie

Back in 2020, Dame de Compagnie was a well-backed favourite, winning decisively off a mark of 140. She went chasing in 2021 but didn’t excel in that sphere, so returned to hurdling.

She comes here dangerously well handicapped off a 1lb lower mark and should sneak in here right at the bottom of the weights. 

Currently at 25/1, she looks a nice each-way price, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she were the subject of a legendary J P McManus gamble.

Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

TIP 4 - Camprond

The six-year-old Camprond is a young progressive type, who ran a good fourth in the Greatwood Hurdle held at Cheltenham’s November meeting. That’s always a good race and he was tapped for toe over 2 miles. I feel it’s significant he steps up to 2m 4F, a trip he has won over before as a novice.

Camprond has not been seen since and is one that JP McManus has put away to protect his mark ready for a Cheltenham Festival bonanza. He is also entered in the Coral Cup, but Team McManus has a few for that race so the Martin Pipe looks the more likely option. 

At 22/1 in the Martin Pipe, he looks a massive each-way play. Wherever he goes he will be a big player. This could be JP McManus’ big plunge horse for the lucky last!