Irish billionaire John Patrick McManus, almost invariably known in racing circles as ‘J.P.’, is far and away the most successful owner in the history of the Cheltenham Festival. McManus will always be indebted to his first Festival winner, Mister Donovan, who he later reflected, ‘…got me out of all sorts of trouble’, in what is now the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle in 1982. However, McManus’ famous green and gold hooped silks have since been carried into the winners’ enclosure at Prestbury Park during the March showpiece a total of 67 times.
Of the four main ‘championship’ races run at the Festival, McManus has won the Champion Hurdle a record nine times, the Stayers’ Hurdle three times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup once. Undoubtedly, McManus’ best horse, so far, was Istrabraq, who won the Champion Hurdle three years running in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and, with a Timeform Annual Rating of 180, remains the second highest-rated hurdler, behind only Night Nurse, since the early Sixties.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase, in which McManus finished second with Flagship Uberalles in 2004 and Fota Island in 2006, but has never won, remains one of the few races in which he has yet to triumph. Indeed, he looked to have as genuine a chance as ever in 2020, when his Defi Du Seuil was sent off 2/5 for the two-mile chasing championship, but ran inexplicably badly, trailing in a well-beaten fourth of five.