IT may have been a case of ‘woe, woe and thrice woe’ for Wales in a sport at which they usually excel – rugby – but a quartet of the principality’s finest will head to Cheltenham with serious hopes of taking significant prize money to the land of song.

Sean Bowen has conquered all before him in the past two seasons and will head to the meeting on course to retain his jockeys title, closing in on Sir A.P. McCoy’s all time annual total, but still in search of an elusive Festival winner, while his brother James also has an eye-catching book of rides confirmed.

Then there’s Lorcan Williams, who hit the headlines so spectacularly when partnering Golden Ace to an extraordinary victory in last year’s Champion Hurdle - and is back for more.

But they could all be eclipsed by 26-year-old Ben Jones, enjoying the season of his life and heading to the Festival with an enviable book of rides headed by The Jukebox Man in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday 13th – his first ride in the Blue Riband.

It was only back in 2018 that Jones rode his first ever winner, Sahara Haze, at Warwick but since the trickle of success has become a flood.

Jones comes from a racing family – father Dai having been Clerk of the Course at Ffos Las now holds a similar role at Chepstow, and after years first as an amateur and then conditional jockey at Philip Hobbs’ Somerset yard, in the years when Richard Johnson was rider in residence, he’s become stable jockey to Ben Pauling and has not looked back.

Right time

“I always want to better myself, and when the chance to ride for Ben Pauling came up it was the right job at the right time,” he said, and after he wore owner Harry Redknapp’s colours to win the Plate on Shake Em Up’arry – he followed up on Haiti Coleurs 12 months ago he has the likes of Handstands and Diva Luna on his menu long before the time comes on the final day for The Jukebox Man to strut his stuff.

Jones, a hugely impressive interviewee with feet firmly on the ground said of the Gold Cup, “I won’t do anything different, it’s just a normal three-and-a-quarter-mile chase and if I start to do things differently is when it all goes wrong. I go out there with a smile on my face and if I am good enough, I am good enough.”

He was good enough on that memorable Boxing Day at Kempton in the tightest finish ever to the great Christmas classic, the King George. He was convinced he had won even as the judge went for a lie down to work it out.

The Jukebox Man and Ben Jones (centre) win the King George - "I would not swap my lad for anything.” \Healy Racing

“I don’t think he’s a Kempton specialist or should be seen as one. He obviously jumps a little to his left. I am 100% not worried about the trip. He obviously likes Cheltenham and I am fairly confident,” he said.

Jones has been just about the most consistent performer in the jockeys’ room in big Saturday TV races all through the winter, and is in the perfect position to assess the chance of striking Gold at his first attempt at Cheltenham.

“Yes it’s open in a sense of it is anyone’s race and one of the most competitive Gold Cups in recent years, but I would not swap my lad for anything.”

Best week

Jones knows this could be the biggest and best week of his life and admitted, “Yes, the Gold Cup is on Friday but there are a number of different owners and trainers I will be riding for during the week. They will all want 110% out of me so I will just take each ride as it comes, I have had a winner at the Festival for the last two years and hopefully can keep that record going.”

You get the feeling the ever-smiling Jones cannot wait for Cheltenham but he isn’t coming to his country’s aid when they badly need him.

“My rugby playing days are over. The lads were getting too big for me! I have got a family and a little girl to look after now,” he joked.

And if the Welsh do hit the jackpot and Jones, Pauling and Harry Redknapp hit the jackpot with The Jukebox Man – don’t go looking for him on the Saturday morning. “I’ll be upside down somewhere I’d say!”