Martator (66/1) caused the biggest shock of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival so far when getting up close home on Wednesday to win the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase by a nose from last year’s winner Jazzy Matty.

Successful trainer Venetia Williams said: “I’m pretty speechless, partly because I was screaming so much! I just can’t believe it. We could see he was coming and he was on the wide outside, which was always the plan as he’s only a pony. He met the last few on a great stride and winged them.

“We put the half-cup blinkers on, thinking let’s just roll the dice. Charlie rode an amazing race – we just said, ‘Go your own pace, don’t worry about them as they’re going to go a million mph anyway’.”

On the goodwill from people following her tough season, she said: “It’s so heartwarming, I can’t tell you.”

Winning jockey Charlie Deutsch, holding young daughter Winnie whose mother Meg Jones had led the winner up, said: “The first-time blinkers helped massively and the better ground as well. We were running well at Sandown last time when he just got one of the Railway fences wrong and I came off. The whole way I was getting a very good spin but I didn’t believe I had a chance until I turned in, when I thought ‘Here we go’. His jumping was better on that ground but it’s quite unbelievable.

“When you’ve had a season like we’ve had I wasn’t really looking forward to Cheltenham as it’s been disappointment after disappointment and there’s only so much you can take. I was just trying to think race by race and try not to have any sort of memory because it’s the only way to cope with a bad season, but I suppose when you are riding for someone like Venetia she's done it all so you hope that it’s going to come back. Form is temporary isn’t it.

“You maybe become a better person and a better rider when you have a bad season because you have to look inwards a lot. I said to Meg the other day that I might be getting better as a raider as I’m having to try harder.”

Trainer Cian Collins said of the runner-up Jazzy Matty: “We’re very proud of the horse - he’s unbelievable and we’re very lucky to have him. He runs his race here every year. It’s hard to take, but I’m delighted with the horse.

“He just lit up as soon as he came over here and I was very happy going into the race. He ran his race - he jumped so well and never missed a beat, but it’s heart-breaking [finishing such a close second].”