Johnnywho

Cheltenham is the most famous jumps racing venue in the world, and Johnnywho has won 2 of his 5 races there. That is a 40% win rate at a track where most horses are lucky to trouble the scoreboards once. The yard put that into context after his latest victory, a Class 1 race on 10 March 2026, when A J O'Neill pointed out that Johnnywho had narrowly missed out at the same track the previous year — getting in close to the final fence and losing a race that could have been his. This time, jockey Richie McLernon took dead aim at that last fence and the result was different. "Absolutely fantastic," was the trainer's verdict, and that tells you all you need to know about what it means to finally get a result that had been coming.

The broader picture is one of a horse operating in the very top tier of British racing, with 10 of his 18 races coming at Class 1 level — the highest grade there is. Winning just 1 of those 10 before the Cheltenham triumph tells its own story: this is a horse competing against the very best, week in, week out. His regular partner Jonjo O'Neill Jr, son of the trainer, has ridden him 13 times and won 3 of them — roughly 1 in every 4 — which is a strong return at this level. His recent form reads 4-1-1-5-3-5, which means he has finished in the top four in four of his last six races. That is consistency.

The yard, which has sent out 51 winners already this season, has been open about bigger ambitions for this horse. The team see him as a potential Grand National type, a horse built for the long-haul marathon races over the biggest fences in the sport. He proved he can handle the National fences with a strong run at Aintree's Grand Sefton, and the trainer believes stepping up to three miles two furlongs would suit him even better. The big days, it seems, are only just beginning.