Where, and what, is Jackdaws Castle?

Not to be confused with the Grade I listed building in Highclere, Hampshire, as far as horse racing is concerned, Jackdaws Castle is a state-of-the-art training establishment in the village of Temple Guiting, in the heart of the Cotswolds, in Gloucestershire, South West England. Jackdaws Castle was purpose-built by millionaire property developer and racehorse owner Colin Smith in the early nineties and owned by his company, Ford Farm Racing.

The original occupant was the late David Nicholson, who, as a salaried employee, went on to become Champion National Hunt Trainer twice, in 1993/94 and 1994/95, before his retirement in 1999. Richard Phillips succeeded Nicholson, but, in late 2000, Irish billionaire John Patrick ‘J.P.’ McManus confirmed that he had purchased Jackdaws Castle and that Jonjo O’Neill, with whom he had already enjoyed a lengthy relationship, would be relocating from his previous base in Penrith, Cumbria, where he had trained for 14 years.

O’Neill has remained “King of the Castle” ever since, famously sending out Don’t Push It to win the Grand National in 2010 Synchronised to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2012, both for McManus. However, since May 2024, Jonjo O’Neill, 72, has shared the training licence at Jackdaws Castle with his youngest son, AJ, who has a 29% strike rate as an amateur jockey, but had long harboured an ambition to step up from his previous position as assistant trainer to his father. Father and son have made a promising start, saddling 21 winners from 167 runners, at a strike rate of 13%, in 2024/25 so far, at the time of writing.