There are monopolies in racing, and then there’s JP McManus in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase.
Since the race was introduced to the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, McManus has owned four of the five winners. That’s not a trend. That’s ownership of the race in all but name.
Impervious, Elimay, Limerick Lace, and Dinoblue — all carried the famous green and gold hoops past the post first. The only year McManus missed out was the inaugural running, when Colreevy won for the Flynns. Even then, Elimay finished second for him.
Now Dinoblue returns as defending champion, and her recent form suggests nobody else needs to bother turning up.
A Mare in Devastating Form
Dinoblue has won both starts this season by a combined 18 lengths. She made all at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day, winning by seven lengths despite a bad mistake at the last. Five weeks later at Naas, she was even more impressive — 11 lengths clear in the Opera Hat Mares’ Chase without coming off the bridle.
Those are the numbers of a horse operating at a different level to her rivals.
Her Cheltenham record tells a story too. She finished three-quarters of a length second to Limerick Lace in 2024, beaten largely because she made a costly error two out. Last March she put that right, asserting from two out and being left clear at the last to win by eight and a half lengths.
Across her last five wins against her own sex, Dinoblue’s average winning margin is a staggering 12.35 lengths. The only time she was pushed close was at Naas in February 2025, when she held on by a quarter of a length. Every other victory has been a demolition.
The Open Company Question
Where Dinoblue comes unstuck is against the boys. She was 14 lengths behind the winner when third in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown last February, and a well-beaten fourth in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Christmas 2024. Her Fortria Chase second this November — five lengths behind the winner — was respectable but never threatening.
It’s a useful barometer. In mares-only company, she’s untouchable. In open Grade 1s, she’s merely decent. That gap is exactly why the Mares’ Chase exists, and exactly why she dominates it.
Can Spindleberry Spoil the Party?
The chief market rival is stablemate Spindleberry at 7/2, but her Gold Cup audition at the Dublin Racing Festival was a disaster — pulled up after trailing the field. Before that, she’d won three on the bounce including the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, but Cheltenham’s hill and the step up in class are very different propositions.
Dan Skelton’s Panic Attack is an interesting contender at 6/1, though she reportedly has the Grand National as her primary aim.
With 24 entries — the strongest numerical field in the race’s history — connections clearly believe it’s worth taking on the favourite. The evidence says they’re wrong.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
McManus’s record in this race reads: 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st. Dinoblue has won 11 of her 15 completed chase starts. Her career earnings over fences run well into six figures, almost all of it earned against other mares.
Willie Mullins has trained three of the five Mares’ Chase winners, and with Dinoblue in the form of her life, a fourth looks a formality. The 7/4 available with Paddy Power and Sky Bet (NRNB) might not look generous by the time the Festival arrives.
Some races are genuinely open. This isn’t one of them.