It was just before Christmas when we last spoke properly, and we have enjoyed a very productive month while battling all the elements!

We hope you all had a wonderful festive period and New Year. That New Year’s Day crowd at Cheltenham was incredible and it is fantastic to see our sport supported so well at racecourses right now.

Can you believe it’s less than six weeks to the Cheltenham Festival already?

We have enjoyed eleven winners since Christmas which is very pleasing considering all the abandonments due to frost and rain in the last couple of weeks. This run of success has seen us climb 15 places in the Trainers Championship! As always a massive thanks to our owners for their patience and support.

Santa Clause arrived a day late with our gifts as we enjoyed a Boxing Day double with Genois and Ben winning at Wetherby, followed by Fortunate Man and Jonjo Jr winning the same race as they did on this day last year at Aintree, both in the green and gold silks of owner JP McManus.

Kaka’s Cousin was very impressive when making all to win on his Rules debut impressively at Catterick for Danny, Heather, Linda and all the Walker family, before Soldierofthestorm secured his third career victory and another double for the team after staying on well for owner Tom Bond.

The New Year couldn’t have got off to a better start when Rukaana became the first winner of 2026 in the UK for Martin, Wendy, Ros and Emma of Marbro Contracts & The Ocean Partnership, later Koukeo followed this up to make it a double at Windsor.

It was lovely to see Mr Griffiths get off the mark nicely in the rain at Fontwell for owners Paul and Clare Rooney to follow up their victory with Oh Clare last month.

Koukeo continued his good form and followed up his victory at Windsor with a well timed victory at Haydock. This was the start of a wonderful weekend for owner Lizzie Wills with Highlands Legacy winning at Windsor. This victory also brought up the 100th overall winner since Jonjo & AJ joined forces.

Jipcot notched up the 100th winner over jumps since the Jonjo and AJ partnership began with a foot-perfect display of jumping saw to win the feature race at Leicester for The Megsons.

And, most recently, it was brilliant to see Clondaw Royale back in the winner’s enclosure for The Iveragh Syndicate, in the hands of Ben Macey. This win was Ben’s second win of the day, marking his first-ever double which is a fantastic achievement and loosing his 7lb claim!

We hope you have a great weekend watching racing,

​With our best wishes,

Jonjo and AJ

We are delighted to have welcomed Debbie and Georgie to the team here at Jackdaws Castle.

You can get to know them both a little better below!

Debbie

“I was delighted to have joined the O’Neill racing team as Racing Secretary in January and am really looking forward to working for a family business with a passion and willingness to ensure all owners enjoy the best experience possible.

I grew up in Lancashire and enjoyed having my own horses, then after graduating I have worked in the racing industry for over 30 years, working primarily for Charlie Hills racing.

I’m married to Richard and we have a lovely son together who is now a teenager.

In my spare time I  enjoy paddle boarding, and running in the Cotswold water parks.

I love the fast, dynamic pace of a racing office where no two days are the same. Its great to see the horse’s progress at home and then perform at the races when everything goes to plan.

I’m really looking forward to building working relationships with the team and owners.”

Georgie

“I am absolutely loving my role as Owners’ Communications Coordinator and PA at O’Neills Racing which I started this January.

I come from an eventing family, so horses have always been a huge part of my life. I was a member of the Warwickshire Pony Club growing up and rode out at Jackdaws Castle during my university holidays. I was lucky enough to spend some time working on a riding safari in Kenya, which was an unforgettable experience. After graduating from the University of Bristol, I spent two years working in London for a Chartered Surveyors before returning to Kingham and jumping at the chance to come back to racing – doing a job I love and being around horses every day.

I cannot wait to meet all of our amazing owners and guests who we see up here at Jackdaws Castle and to continue working with such a fantastic team.”

(L-R) Georgie and Debbie

Congratulations to Elli Elder for being awarded our Employee of the Month.

Having been at O’Neill Racing for over a year, Elli has become a hugely valued member of the team. She has been doing well furthering her educational studies with the BRS, riding work and leading up horses at the races.

Elli ​wins​ a dinner, bed & breakfast overnight stay at any Accor Hotel of her choice within the UK.

A huge thank you to Chris Ford and Accor for their generous sponsorship of our Employee of the Month which rewards team members with a wonderful experience.

We were delighted to attend the prestigious RoR Awards last Saturday in Cheltenham, coinciding with the Festival Trials meet. The Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is an exceptional organisation, and it was heartening to witness the strong support from the racing community. Many of the speeches were profoundly moving, reminding us of the significant role that horses play in enhancing and supporting people’s lives in various ways.

We were honoured to be guests of My Pension Expert, represented by the Megson Family, who partnered with RoR for the Horse of the Year Award in 2026.

Lily Megson-Harvey, Policy Director at My Pension Expert, delivered a heartfelt speech during the Awards, stating: “The care and dedication RoR shows to retired racehorses is unparalleled. Their success stories are a testament to their efforts, with countless former racehorses now enjoying the full and happy retirements they rightfully deserve. We are proud to celebrate so many of them at the RoR Awards and to support RoR’s vital work both on and off the racecourse.”

(L-R) Andrew Megson, Jonjo and Jeremy Hitchins