After an incredible Cheltenham Festival, we moved onto to Fairyhouse to take on the Irish in the Irish Grand National and Aintree which is always a brilliant three days and lots of fun!

Monbeg Genius ran a super race in the Irish Grand National, leading for much of the race and eventually finishing a brilliant fifth for Martin and Iwona Tedham. He was the highest British finisher and the oldest at 10 years old.

At Aintree, we almost got off the mark on day one with Highlands Legacy, where Jonjo Jr. somehow managed to stay on after a mistake at the last fence! However, the second-place finish did get us over the £1,000,000 mark in prize money, the second time owner Lizzie Wills and Highlands Legacy have helped us reach a landmark after helping Jonjo and AJ reach 100 and 101 winners together earlier this season.

On the Friday, Wellington Arch fought hard under a brilliant ride by Jonjo Jr. to defend his William Hill Hurdle title despite his 15 pound rise in the weights after another fantastic year with him. It was very special for owners Mike and Mary Gaskell to be there again to enjoy the win. Mary gave a lovely interview on ITV Racing too which you can see below. We couldn’t be more delighted for them both!

Saturday was Grand National Day. We had Johnnywho flying the flag for the yard and Richie gave him a superb ride to finish a fantastic fourth. Huge congratulations to JP and Noreen McManus on their victory with I am Maximus and to own three of the top four finishers is an unbelievable achievement showing their continued dedication and support of racing! It was great to see Jonj ride Iroko to a superb 2nd place, which is a lot better than I (Jonjo) ever achieved, as I never managed to get round in the nine times that I rode in the race!

As the title of this section suggests, the Punchestown Festival is just around the corner and all roads now lead to Ireland. We will be taking a strong team over and will hope to repeat last year’s success with a winner. You can read about our potential Punchestown runners below.

Away from the course, we would like to thank everyone who took the time to wish us both a Happy Birthday. We had a wonderful day and our incredible cake tasted a lot sweeter after returning from Aintree with a winner!

As we draw to the close of the 2025-26 we would also like to thank all of our wonderful Owners that continue to support us and the fantastic Team that we have at Jackdaws who do such a great job all year around, looking after the horses to the highest standards.

Thank you for all the continued support, and fingers crossed we have some luck over in Ireland!

​With our best wishes,

Jonjo and AJ

The Punchestown Festival is one of the best in the racing calendar and, this year, we will be taking over a bigger team than we have for quite some years and look forward to a cracking few days with our Owners.

Assertive Walk
Assertive Walk is a lovely, big, fine Walk In The Park, bought as a store by Mrs P Bond, the Magniers and Mrs P Shanahan, who has been placed on four of his five starts to date, including at Wetherby most recently where he qualified for the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle. We feel there is plenty more to come from him as he continues to strengthen and progress and look forward to seeing him at Punchestown

We’re Red and Blue
We’re Red and Blue has had a fantastic season for Patrick and Erica Doyle, being our first winner back after our quieter period earlier in the year. He went on to finish third in the Imperial Cup, which was a very strong performance considering the ground went softer than we might have liked. He then followed that with a very promising second at Haydock in the Challenger Hurdle Series Final earlier in the month. He goes to Punchestown for the Killashee Hotel Listed Handicap Hurdle in great form and we’re excited to see how he gets on.

Petit Tonnerre
Petit Tonnerre gave us a great thrill at Punchestown twelve months ago when winning the Frontline Security Listed Handicap Chase, which he holds an entry in again this year. He also holds an entry in the Colm Quinn BMW Grade 3 Handicap Chase. He has been a little slow to refind that form this season but appreciates the Spring ground and a bit of sun on his back, so we are looking forward to crossing the Irish Sea with him again. Owned by JP McManus, who continues to be a tremendous supporter of the O’Neill Racing Team.

Seaniecon
He has been incredibly consistent this season, with two seconds and a twenty-eight-length win to his name before heading to Aintree, where he finished fifth in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. He seems to appreciate the three-mile trip very well and will certainly be a cracking chaser for next year. Hopefully we can enjoy another big performance from him before then in the Conway Piling Listed Handicap Hurdle. He is owned by Owen O’Brien, and it’s been a pleasure to see this horse perform so well in his colours and with the support of Jo Harte who loves Seaniecon dearly.

Soldier Of The Storm
He has taken to chasing like a duck to water, with a very promising second at Hereford on his first start over fences, following his seasonal reappearance when winning at Catterick over hurdles. He then went on to Sandown with a decisive victory that showed his continued improvement. He ran a cracker at Punchestown last year, travelling very strongly into the latter stages of the race and certainly seemed to enjoy the Irish air. We’re looking forward to another bold showing from him back at the festival in the QuinnBet Novice Listed Handicap Chase. Owned by Tom Bond and with close support of the Bond family who are great supporters of the yard.

Wilful
Wilful has been a flagbearer for the Jackdaws team this season, securing two premier handicaps including him emphatic win in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham in March, giving Mrs Fitri Hay and the Hay family their first Cheltenham Festival winner. With his fantastic handicap performances, he was always bound to step up into Graded company, and we’re excited to see him continue his excellent run of improving form in the Punchestown Boodles Grade 1 Champion Hurdle.

Pioneer Pete
Pioneer Pete holds an entry in the FRS Fencing Handicap Hurdle. He had a busy early season before enjoying a little break into the new year. It was fantastic to see that this had the desired effect, with an emphatic sixteen-length victory at Wetherby on his reappearance. He is yet to finish out of the placings for The Furlong Friends, and we are hopeful his determination can be shown to full effect for yet another great fun day with him and his owners at Punchestown.

Saint Davy
Saint Davy has been unfortunate to hit the crossbar, with two narrowly beaten thirds and a fourth to his name so far this season. We have always felt he has a big race in him over the larger obstacles so we’re looking forward to seeing him in the The DAR Golf Handicap Chase. He has always shown a good level of form and we’re hoping his owner, Mrs Gay Smith who has always been a fantastic supporter of the yard, can be rewarded with another solid run at Punchestown.

Fortunate Man
Fortunate Man had a cracking start to the season with a back-to-back victory at Aintree in the same race he won the previous year. He thrives off staying trips and we feel his options at Punchestown, The DAR Golf Handicap Chase and the Palmerstown House Estate Pat Taaffe Listed Handicap Steeplechase, should suit his racing style well. Owned by JP McManus, whose continued involvement is invaluable to the sport.

Beachcomber
After finishing a very impressive third at Punchestown last year for Mrs E J Wills in the Palmerstown House Estate Pat Taaffe Listed Handicap Steeplechase, we were excited to return to the festival with him this year which he holds and entry for as well as The DAR Golf Handicap Chase. Following a brief return over hurdles, where he finished a strong third, we resumed his chasing career, which leads us back to Punchestown off the back of a good run at Ludlow. We’re pleased with his condition and happy to have him back here.

Wellington Arch
Wellington has put together three very impressive performances on his way back to Punchestown, where he was third in the Lawlor’s of Naas Listed Handicap Hurdle last year where we look to return. Despite ground conditions going against him, it was great to see him run so well when finishing second in the William Hill Hurdle in February, pulling a long way clear of the third. He then showed further improvement when winning at Uttoxeter on Midlands Grand National day, a race he was second in last year, before a very gutsy win at Aintree in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle, defying a 15lb rise to victory which sets him on a great path heading into Punchestown. He is owned by Mike and Mary Gaskell, and we’re thrilled to see Wellington Arch continue to progress so well for The Gaskells and has a very bright future ahead.

Congratulations to Alan Berry for being awarded our Employee of the Month.

Alan has been an incredibly important part of our Team here for many years, and was instrumental in helping us make the correct decisions through our difficult period back in November, which enabled us to reap the rewards this spring.

He is also the key Johnnywho’s success this season, riding him out every morning and enjoying his Cheltenham Feestival success and his fourth place finish in the Grand National.

Alan wins​ a dinner, bed & breakfast overnight stay at any Accor Hotel of his 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.