Image © Healy Racing
Its On The Line suffered his fourth consecutive narrow defeat in the Cheltenham Festival Hunter Chase, as he came up second best to Barton Snow in a thrilling conclusion to the 2026 edition.
They were the pair that went on in the home straight, and whilst Derek O’Connor was hard at work aboard Emmet Mullins’ Its On The Line, Henry Crow on his inside sat motionless under and ice-cool confident ride.
The pair were neck and neck approaching the final fence, and even though Barton Snow scarcely raised a leg at the last, ploughing his way through that obstacle, he was able to repel a renewed challenge from the JP McManus-owned nine-year-old with just a neck separating them at the line.
That exactly matched his margin of defeat from the 2025 renewal, whilst Its On The Line was beaten by three quarters of a length in 2024, and by a length and three quarters in the 2023 edition.
The pair had pulled seven and a half lengths clear of last year’s fourth, Music Drive, who went one place better a year on under Ellie Callwood, whilst Panda Boy was next best of the Irish.
The always prominent ten-year-old finished fifth under John Gleeson, with Con’s Roc sixth, and the defending champion, Wonderwall, could only manage seventh.
Solitary Man, Carnfunnock, and Chemical Energy were the other Irish runners to complete in nineth, tenth and eleventh places respectively.
Barton Snow wins the Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase! %uD83C%uDFC6
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 13, 2026
A winner for Henry Crow and Joe O'Shea %uD83D%uDC4F#ITVRacing pic.twitter.com/F2agwwGQ69
Barton Snow had started his career in Carlow with Willie Murphy, for whom he ran seven times, winning an older maiden at Dromahane, and finishing second in a pair of winners’ races at both Dromahane and Taylorstown, after which he ran in a number of bumpers prior to being sold privately to initially join Hannah Roach and then his current trainer Joe O’Shea.
He said: “He’s a peach of a horse and he’s given him a peach of a ride. I’ve won everything now and I don’t have to stay in the game anymore. That’s it. I’ll retire after Stratford. I’ve had enough.
“I don’t come here too often. I’m an Aintree and Haydock man. This is an Aintree horse and today was a bonus. I didn’t want to come but the owners said we are coming, and they pay the bills, so I said okay. Henry was told to look after him in case anything went wrong, because he’s a natural for Aintree. Once that’s over it’s goodbye from me.”
Successful jockey Henry Crow said: “Amazing - he’s such a class horse and I knew I was on the best horse all the way. He was travelling, jumping - I know him so well; I ride him every day at Joe’s - and I know how good he is. Coming up the hill I just had to keep hold of him - I know Derek’s idles like hell, so I didn’t want to help him, so I just had to keep hold of him and then when I decided to go, go, and he went away and won.
“I am incredibly privileged to ride for Joe, and I just feel so proud.”
Derek O’Connor, rider of runner-up It’s On The Line, said: “It’s frustrating but he’s an incredible horse. Four Festivals, four seconds, but he runs his heart out and he’s done the same today. He’s only been beaten by a fancied horse. Barton Snow is an incredible horse and he got a great ride. He stalked me and watched everything I was doing.
“There was a glimmer of hope when the winner walked through the last but it wasn’t to be, and full credit to him. I’m bitterly disappointed to be honest, but we’ll go to Aintree and we’ll go to Punchestown and he’ll make amends.”
