FEATURE KEITH DONOGHUE
“It is nice to be going over to the meeting with what looks like a good book of rides”
W ith the backing of The Festival’s leading trainer, Willie Mullins, and several red-hot favourites to look forward to, the Grade One-winning jockey is likely to be the man to beat when it comes to the leading rider at the meeting. However, Townend is not the only Irish rider that has a good reason to be more excited than most with his weighing room colleague Keith Donoghue appearing to have arguably his strongest ever book of rides at the meeting. Standing at six feet tall, Donoghue has constantly had to battle with the scales throughout his career, but heading to The Festival with several lively contenders is something that makes those hard days seem all the more worthwhile. Donoghue said: “Looking at it as we stand it looks like I’m going to have some very good rides, but as the days get closer, you just hope that they all get there. They are all in competitive races so we are going to need a bit of luck, and they will all have to be on their A game, but it is nice to be going over to the meeting with what looks like a good book of rides. This is why we do the struggles on a daily basis to be riding on the bigger days. When you have rides like the ones I’m set to have at The Festival it gives you more motivation to be strict on the diet but the older I’ve got the easier it has become.” But before looking ahead to this year’s meeting, Donoghue already has plenty of fond Festival memories thanks in large to
dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll, who he steered to Glenfarclas Cross Cross Country Chase glory in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He added: “He was a serious horse around Cheltenham and people really loved him. He would be going down the chute before the start of the race and people would be cheering him going out on to the track. The first one was probably a relief just to get a Festival winner and then the second and third ones were very enjoyable. The second time I won on him, he was probably the Irish banker. There was a good bit of pressure on me, but it was great to win on him.” And the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase could again turn out to be a source of success for Donoghue, who will bid to follow up his win around the course aboard Stumptown in December in the extended three miles five furlongs test. He added: “After winning over the banks at Punchestown twice, it was good to see him act around the Cross Country course at Cheltenham as well as he did at Punchestown. With it now being a handicap he is likely to be near the head of the weights, which is a bit of a negative, but he has taken well to these fences and he would be one of my best chances. The fact he has the experience over these fences, and that he likes the track, could put him at an advantage over some of the others despite his weight.”
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