Ascot Rotary Club Festive Handicap Hurdle |
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| Grade 3, Ascot 15:35 £125,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 152y, Class 1  |
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1 Wilful 15/2
2 Hot Fuss 33/1
3 Alexei 85/40F
13 ran Distances: 2¾l, 1¼l, 5l
Time: 3m 42.46s (slow by 4.16s)
"Wilful is not stopping, and he's powering away if anything!"@oneill_racing's charge scores in the @Ascot finale... pic.twitter.com/hlr5HV6jRL
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 20, 2025
Wilful offered a timely reminder that the clouds which hovered over the O’Neill operation earlier in the campaign have lifted decisively, making all to win with authority.
The gelding had made his seasonal return in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow back in October, finishing a respectable third behind Celtic Dino, with Alexei just ahead of him in second. Connections would ideally have liked to see him back on the track sooner, but circumstances dictated otherwise.
While Alexei has gone on to collect a pair of valuable handicap prizes since, the Jackdaws Castle yard of Jonjo O’Neill and his son A J endured a notably quiet spell, even taking the unusual step of temporarily shutting down when they felt the horses were not quite right.
With the stable now back in rude health and winners beginning to flow again, Wilful was quietly supported at 15-2, helped by the fact he was a hefty 19lb better off with Alexei from their Chepstow meeting. Ridden positively by Jonjo O’Neill Jr, he set a strong tempo from the front and always looked in control.
Alexei briefly threatened as he moved upsides approaching the final flight, but his 12st burden told when it mattered, a mistake at the last ending his challenge. Wilful had plenty left in reserve, pulling clear to score by two and three-quarter lengths, with Hot Fuss staying on to claim second.
Jonjo O’Neill said: “At the moment we will stick to handicaps and maybe the William Hill Hurdle (at Newbury, February 7) or something like that, or we could look further ahead then look back. We’ll go back to the drawing board in the morning and make a plan.
“It was a good run at Chepstow when third in the Welsh Champion Hurdle and he’s come forward from that and he is clearly heading in the right direction.
“We looked at the Greatwood but ours weren’t firing at the time and we are lucky we have good owners who were happy to wait. That’s the answer to everything really, but people today don’t always have as much time as they should. Patience is the name of the game.”
On the ride given by his son, he added: “It was brilliant but if he hadn’t won he’d have had a rollicking!
“These are fantastic days and the ones you dream about really. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t but when they do you have to enjoy them.”
The O’Neill team were forced to pause and reflect earlier in the autumn after managing just a single winner in November, but the response has been emphatic, with a renewed sense of momentum now evident.
O’Neill added: “I’ve been in a worse state at times and you just need to take your time, don’t abuse the horses, give them a chance to get a second wind and it will come right.
“If anything it gave me a little rest, so it wasn’t too bad, but it’s nice to see them come out of that spell well and it’s great for the staff and everyone involved as everyone gets a little bit down – it’s only human.
“We just have to keep the show on the road now and hopefully things come back right. We have good supportive owners and that is what you need.”
Festive Handicap Hurdle
£125,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 152y, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Wilful 6 11-2 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Jonjo O'Neill Jr 15/2
2 2¾ Hot Fuss 4 10-4 Tom Dascombe David Bass 33/1
3 1¼ Alexei 5 12-0 Joe Tizzard Brendan Powell 85/40F
4 5 Mondo Man 4 10-4 Gary & Josh Moore Caoilin Quinn 7/2
5 3 Helnwein 7 11-0 Alan King Tom Bellamy 12/1
6 9 Welsh Charger 7 10-10 Alastair Ralph Jonathan Burke 20/1
7 ½ Wreckless Eric 5 10-10 Jonjo & A J O'Neill Kielan Woods 12/1
8 ½ Faivoir 10 11-1 Dan Skelton Miss Heidi Palin 28/1
9 ½ Joyeuse 6 11-7 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 16/1
10 2½ Live Conti 4 11-10 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 18/1
11 1½ Sticktotheplan 5 11-9 Olly Murphy Sean Bowen 18/1
12 shd Fiercely Proud 6 11-2 Ben Pauling Ben Jones 8/1
13 11 Hardy Du Seuil 8 10-9 Jamie Snowden Isabelle Ryder 33/1
HANDICAP HURDLE ROLL OF HONOUR (1987-2023)
Run at Sandown in 2005 (January 7, 2006) and in 2004 (January 8, 2005); run at Leopardstown in January up to & including 2000.
Year Winner Age/Wt Owner Trainer Jockey SP
2012 CAUSE OF CAUSES 4-10-03 JP McManus, Gordon Elliot,t DJ Condon 25/1
2011 RAYA STAR 5-10-01 Simon Munir A King W Hutchinson 12/1
2010 Abandoned due to frost
2009 Abandoned due to snow
2008 SENTRY DUTY 6-11-09 Peter Spiller Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 12/1
2007 JACK THE GIANT 5-11-00 Hanbury Syndicate Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 9/4F
2006 ACAMBO 5-11-09 David Johnson David Pipe Timmy Murphy 7/1
2005 DESERT AIR 7-10-09 Belinda Harvey Martin Pipe Tom Scudamore 25/1
2004 TAMARINBLEU 5-10-11 Arthur White Partnership Martin Pipe Tony McCoy 14/1
2003 THESIS 5-11-02 1961 Partnership Venetia Williams Brian Crowley 33/1
2002 CHAUVINIST 7-10-00 Bunny & Nick Roberts Nicky Henderson Norman Williamson 15/2
2001 MARBLE ARCH 5-10-11 Martin & Mary Wilson Rory SweetHughie Morrison Norman Williamson 7/1
2000 MANTLES PRINCE 6-9-12 R J McSharry Pat Hughes IRE Fran Berry 12/1
1999 ARCHIVE FOOTAGE 7-11-08 Michael Smurfit Dermot Weld IRE David Evans 25/1
1998 GRAPHIC EQUALISER 6-10-00 BRASK Syndicate Arthur Moore IRE Conor O’Dwyer 5/1F
1997 MASTER TRIBE 7-10-04 Jebel Ali Racing Stables Jenny Pitman Norman Williamson 18/1
1996 DANCE BEAT 5-9-12 Mrs E Queally Jessica Harrington IRE Anthony Powell 12/1
1995 ANUSHA 5-10-02 G A Hoggard Michael Hourigan IRE Shane Broderick 25/1
1994 ATONE 7-10-08 Robert Sinclair Bunny Cox IRE Kevin O’Brien 10/1
1993 GLENCLOUD 5-10-13 D Tierney Noel Meade IRE Gerry O’Neill 20/1
1992 HOW’S THE BOSS 6-10-02 Edward Farrell John Brassill IRE Jason Titley 20/1
1991 THE ILLIAD 10-10-13 Elizabeth Furlong Andy Geraghty IRE Pat McWilliams 7/1
1990 REDUNDANT PAL 7-11-05 P S O’Neill Paddy Mullins IRE Conor O’Dwyer 20/1
1989 REDUNDANT PAL 6-10-00 P S O’Neill Paddy Mullins IRE P Kavanagh 16/1
1988 ROARK 6-11-01 P Leeper Arthur Moore IRE Tom Taaffe 5/1
1987 BARNBROOK AGAIN 6-11-08 Mel Davies David Elsworth Colin Brown 5/2F
