Jipcot

What he wants, it turns out, is slightly wet ground, a hood, a tongue-tie, and a race run at a proper gallop. On soft or muddy ground he has won 2 of his 10 attempts — a 20% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 5 — which is a very different horse from the one who has won nothing in 6 attempts at the top level against the sport's elite. Those Class 1 blanks are not a surprise; they simply show he has been tested at the very highest grade and found wanting there. His wins have come in more suitable company, and both matter. The first arrived at Newbury in December 2024, and the more recent at Leicester in January 2026, three months ago.

Kielan Woods has ridden Jipcot in 18 of his 19 races — an unusual consistency that speaks to how much the yard values a jockey who understands a complicated horse. Their record together, 2 wins from 18 races, mirrors his overall figures, but it was Woods who got him settled at Newbury and put together the jumping performance that finally showed what Jipcot can be at his best. His recent form has been patchy — two thirteenths and a fourth before that Leicester win — but the team is not panicking. Trainer Jonjo and AJ O'Neill, whose Cheltenham yard has sent out 51 winners this season, believe there is a well-targeted race in him. The Sir Peter O'Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase at the Coral Gold Cup meeting has been mentioned as an aim, and the hope is that chasing, combined with a genuinely fast-run race on the right ground, unlocks the version of Jipcot that everyone around him clearly believes exists.