De Bromhead continues Cheltenham hot streak as O'Keefe and Heart Wood gallop to Ryanair Chase victory
Darragh O’Keeffe on Heart Wood celebrates after winning the Ryanair Chase. Pic: Tom Maher/Inpho
How do you replace the irreplaceable? It’s a question that has flummoxed Manchester United ever since Alex Ferguson announced his retirement 13 years ago. But not all transitions are messy. Ruby Walsh to Paul Townend was seamless. And, on the evidence to date, Rachael Blackmore to Darragh O’Keeffe has been similarly smooth.
That said, the Cork jockey still felt pressure going into his first Cheltenham as Henry de Bromhead’s main jockey. That’s what happens when you’re riding for a man who has hasn’t drawn a Festival blank since 2016.
And that record will continue into 2027 after Heart Wood, runner-up in last year’s Ryanair Chase, took full advantage of the late withdrawal of Fact To File due to the ground, to go one place better this time, finishing 10 lengths clear of Jonbon with Banbridge back in third.
“It’s unreal,” Doneraile native O’Keeffe said as he reflected on his second Festival success after Maskada’s 2023 triumph in the Grand Annual Handicap Chase.
“I’m very grateful to be riding for Henry de Bromhead this week. I was keen to get a winner on the board because his record here is so good. I just wanted to get him a winner on the board. The horses have been running well, just a couple of things went against us. I’m delighted to win this.” De Bromhead was equally quick to hail O’Keeffe.
“He is a brilliant rider, we are so lucky to have him. He’s a real team player, he works harder than anyone and I’m delighted for him. He has given everything a brilliant ride this week, winning wasn’t happening, and it’s lovely when it does.”
Reflecting on the difficulty of winning at Cheltenham, De Bromhead added: “It’s getting harder and harder. It’s been even more competitive this week. I’m just delighted. We have a great team. A great team at home, we all work hard and it’s lovely to get these rewards.”
Paying tribute to Heart Wood, O’Keeffe added: “He jumped brilliant. I got into a great rhythm. His run last year was very solid and, with the favourite out, I thought that if he put in the same performance – and he seemed to be better this year – that he could be bang there.”
Winning owner Brian Acheson said: “Half-an-hour ago I was on the floor after Teahupoo (disappointed) in the Stayers' Hurdle and then you come back and win this - it just shows you what a screwed-up game this is!
“This fellow was always there and when the favourite came out he had a chance, but we were having such a bad week you start to talk yourself out of it.
“I'm delighted for Henry and Darragh, it's their first winner (of the week) and it's all about them - the trainer, the jockey, the horse and the team at Knockeen.” While the Heart Wood team were celebrating, those in the Fact To File camp were rueing the fact they felt the ground wasn’t sufficiently safe for him to run.
Speaking before making the decision to withdraw the horse was taken, owner JP McManus said: “Part of the course is not altogether to my liking. They've done a great job in a lot of ways but I think they could have done more.”
Speaking later, Willie Mullins said: “JP walked the track this morning and I happened to walk it coming across the track after exercising horses. Looking at Bambino Fever (unplaced favourite in first race) and looking at the ground, I thought 'this ground is going to be too good for her' and sure enough she wasn't able to act on it.
“I said to JP these horses are too difficult to get and acquire and you have to mind them. We waited and waited for the rain that was promised, it hasn't come, so we made the decision not to run. These horses are too hard to find, too hard to get.”
Mullins added: “We were promised watering and I'm not sure the watering we were promised has been done. I'm a little bit annoyed about that and I thought there would be more watering done.”
