Betfair Cotswold Chase
Grade 2, Cheltenham 14:25
£125,000 guaranteed,
5yo plus,
3m 1f 56y, Class 1  
Saturday 24th January 2026

1 Spillane's Tower 11/4
2 L'Homme Presse 4/1
3 Grey Dawning EvsF
4 ran Distances: ¾l, 4¼l, 20l
Time: 6m 50.24s (slow by 23.24s)

Spillane’s Tower returned to centre stage in emphatic fashion, rolling back the years at Cheltenham. For a horse long regarded as top-class potential, this was the moment it all clicked again, and Jimmy Mangan’s faith was rewarded.

After a couple of preparatory runs over hurdles, his Grand National-winning trainer arrived confident of a bold show. Jack Kennedy rode with supreme assurance, content to allow L’Homme Presse to dictate matters in front. Grey Dawning sat in close attendance, third of the four runners, but his challenge unravelled with a costly mistake at the second-last.

Turning for home, Kennedy was motionless, the JP McManus-owned 11-4 favourite travelling powerfully towards the final fence. L’Homme Presse refused to go quietly and threw down a stern challenge up the hill, but it was Spillane’s Tower who found more, prevailing by three-quarters of a length at the line. Paddy Power reacted swiftly, trimming him to 10-1 for the Gold Cup.

For Mangan, it was a victory rich in emotion, his first British success since Monty’s Pass landed the Grand National in 2003.

“I would have gone back to Ireland a disappointed man if he had put up a poor show today.

“We were very confident today with him and Grey Dawning is a very good horse and Venetia’s (Williams, L’Homme Presse) horse has made him fight, it was no walkover. I suppose you do have to start dreaming of the Gold Cup and he’s in that grade now. We’ll speak to Frank (Berry, racing manager) and JP.

“Without using the racecourse as a schooling ground, we’ve had to get him fit so we’ve mixed and matched between fences and hurdles and I was disappointed in his run over hurdles.

“It was trainer error because he had travelled all the way to Down Royal five hours there and five hours back and then ran him the following Saturday and he was flat.

“He’s a lovely horse and he’s a star. I wouldn’t mind a few more like him and if it wasn’t for JP sending me horses like him I might be closed, but that’s the way the game goes, you are at the top of the ladder one minute and then at the bottom the next.

“It’s my first in Britain since Monty’s Pass and I thought I nearly had one with Oscar Delta one day but this is great.”

Venetia Williams left with pride rather than disappointment, her defending champion L’Homme Presse once again giving everything.

“If you go back to the King George last season we were ahead of Spillane’s Tower off levels but we were giving him 6lb today.

“I think at three out all three horses thought they would go by us but Charlie (Deutsch) wasn’t going too hard all the way round and he had to keep the revs up at that point as he couldn’t afford to let it turn into a sprint which the others might have preferred.

“He’s a fantastic horse and has never been the easiest to train. I didn’t stop yelling for him all the way up the run-in and I knew if L’Homme Presse was neck-and-neck up the run-in he would have every chance. But in the end the margin remained the same all the way.

“They put considerable distance back to the third and I think we’ve got to come back in March. There is the best part of two months between now and then so we will discuss things with the owners and make a plan.”

Dan Skelton, meanwhile, kept his eyes firmly on the bigger picture despite Grey Dawning’s late error.

“I did wonder how I would feel if he got beat and I’m disappointed to get beat but I’m not disappointed with the overall feel of the race.

“He jumped very well, there wasn’t much pace on and it turned into a bit of a sprint up the hill. He missed a crucial fence and then stayed on afterwards and I was most encouraged at the staying on to the line after the mistake.

“He didn’t win but we needed to run and I couldn’t keep him up there for so long. We trained him up and he needed this run.

“I’m training him for the Gold Cup this year and I’m not going to get to the 11th hour and forget it.

“We’re happy with the fact we’ve got a run under our belt and 90 per cent of the race he looked great, jumped well and then stayed on after a mistake that may or may not have cost him victory.

“We felt coming into the race Spillane’s Tower would be the one to beat but I’m not discouraged for March. I’ve no doubt we will reverse form, but whether we will beat the others only time will tell.”

Cotswold Chase
£125,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 1f 56y, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Soft

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1    Spillane's Tower 8 11-4 James Joseph Mangan Jack Kennedy 11/4
2 ¾ L'Homme Presse 11 11-10 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 4/1
3 4¼ Grey Dawning 9 11-10 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton EvsF
4 20 Flooring Porter 11 11-4 Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue 8/1

COTSWOLD CHASE - Past Results
Year Horse Owner Trainer Weight Jockey SP
1980 Raffi Nelson Mrs P Fry Nicky Henderson 7-11-06 Steve Smith Eccles 5/2
1981 Little Owl R Wilson Peter Easterby 7-11-12 Mr Jim Wilson 8/11f
1982 Lesley Ann B Gaule David Elsworth 8-11-12 Colin Brown 5/2
1983 Combs Ditch Jim Tory David Elsworth 7-11-08 Colin Brown 6/1
1984 Everett Kilian Hennessy Fulke Walwyn 9-11-08 Stuart Shilston 15/8f
1985 West Tip Peter Luff Michael Oliver 8-11-06 Richard Dunwoody 5/2
1986 Misty Spirit Mrs E Dixon Donald Lee 7-11-06 Steve Smith Eccles 9/1
1987 Abandoned
1988* Twin Oaks John Moreton David Murray-Smith 8-11-06 Paul Croucher 6/1
1989 Deep Moment Mrs M Curtis Mercy Rimell 7-11-03 Dermot Browne 12/1
1990 Toby Tobias Elizabeth Hitchins Jenny Pitman 8-11-06 Mark Pitman 5/4
1991 Celtic Shot D E H Horton Charlie Brooks 9-11-12 Peter Scudamore 8/11f
1992 Abandoned
1993 Sibton Abbey Geoff Hubbard Ferdy Murphy 8-11-12 Steve Smith Eccles 16/1
1994 Dubacilla Veronica Cole Henry Cole 8-10-12 Dean Gallagher 8/1
1995 Master Oats Paul Matthews Kim Bailey 9-11-06 Norman Williamson 6/4f
1996 Abandoned
1997 One Man John Hales Gordon Richards 9-11-12 Richard Dunwoody 2/5f
1998 See More Business John Keighley/Paul Barber Paul Nicholls 8-11-06 Timmy Murphy 9/4f
1999 Cyfor Malta David Johnson Martin Pipe 6-11-06 A P McCoy 10/11f
2000 Looks Like Trouble Tim Collins Noel Chance 8-11-06 Norman Williamson 100/30
2001 See More Business Paul Barber/Robert Ogden Paul Nicholls 11-11-10 Mick Fitzgerald 9/4
2002 Rince Ri Frank Moriarty Ted Walsh IRE 9-11-10 Ruby Walsh 9/2
2003 Behrajan The Behrajan Partnership Henry Daly 8-11-06 Richard Johnson 9/2
2004 Jair Du Cochet Miriam Montauban Guillaume Macaire FR 7-11-10 Jacques Ricou 11/4
2005 Grey Abbey The Roper Family/Norman Furness Howard Johnson 11-11-10 Graham Lee 100/30
2006** See You Sometime J Meaden Seamus Mullins 11-11-05 Andrew Thornton 18/1
2007 Exotic Dancer Sir Robert Ogden Jonjo O’Neill 7-11-06 A P McCoy 6/1
2008 Knowhere Raymond Mould Nigel Twiston-Davies 10-11-04 Paddy Brennan 16/1
2009 Joe Lively Richard Dimond Colin Tizzard 10-11-06 Joe Tizzard 11/1
2010 Taranis Angela Yeoman Paul Nicholls 9-11-00 Nick Scholfield 16/1
2011 Neptune Collonges John Hales Paul Nicholls 10-11-00 A P McCoy 11/2
2012 Midnight Chase Lady Clarke Neil Mulholland 10-11-06 Dougie Costello 11/2
2013 Cape Tribulation David Abell Malcolm Jefferson 9-11-06 Denis O’Regan 7/1
2014 The Giant Bolster Simon Hunt & Gary Lambton David Bridgwater 9-11-00 Tom Scudamore 6/1
2015 Many Clouds Trevor Hemmings Oliver Sherwood 8-11-10 Leighton Aspell 4/1
2016 Smad Place Trish Andrews Alan King 9-11-06 Richard Johnson 9/2
2017 Many Clouds Trevor Hemmings Oliver Sherwood 10-11-10 Leighton Aspell 8/1
2018 Definitly Red Phil & Julie Martin Brian Ellison 9-11-06 Danny Cook 7/1
2019 Frodon Paul Vogt Paul Nicholls 7-11-06 Bryony Frost 9/4
2020 Santini Mr & Mrs R Kelvin-Hughes Nicky Henderson 8-11-04 Nico de Boinville 13/8
2021 Native River Brocade Racing Colin Tizzard 11 11-06 Richard Johnson 13/2
2022 Chantry House 8 11-6 John P McManus 8 11-06 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 5/6F
2023 Ahoy Senor Mrs C Wymer & Pjs Russell Lucinda Russell 8 11-07 Derek Fox 13/2
2024 Capodanno John P McManus W P Mullins 8 11-04 Paul Townend 7/2
2025 L'Homme Presse Dfa Racing (Pink,Edwards & Sharman) Venetia Williams 10 11-04 Charlie Deutsch 4/5F

* Cavvies Clown was first past the post in 1988, but subsequently failed a dope test ** Staged at Wincanton

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