Form is temporary and class is permanent – Martator puts Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch back in the spotlight

Cheltenham Festival witnessed one of its most heart-warming stories of the week when 66-1 outsider Martator snatched victory in the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, providing beleaguered trainer Venetia Williams and jockey Charlie Deutsch with a desperately-needed change of fortune.

The photo-finish margin was so tight it was settled “by a pixel,” but for Williams the result was monumental. Between October and December she managed only seven winners, drew a blank in January and, despite five victories in February, arrived at Prestbury Park with a season’s tally of just 14. Martator, fitted with blinkers for the first time, reversed the narrative in the most dramatic fashion.

“I’m pretty speechless, partly because I was screaming so much,” Williams admitted after watching the 11-year-old gelding overhaul last year’s winner Jazzy Matty. “We could see he was coming and he met the last few fences on a great stride and winged them. Charlie rode an amazing race.”

The triumph carried extra resonance for the trainer, whose previous Festival success in this very contest came 24 years ago with Samakaan. “It’s been hugely challenging,” she reflected. “A lot of our flagbearers were coming to the end of their careers and I wasn’t sure the younger horses could pick up the mantle.”

Stable jockey Deutsch, who has shared in the stable’s struggles, revealed his own sense of disbelief. “I’m so used to bad luck this year that I thought it can’t happen,” he said. “The blinkers helped his jumping, helped him travel, and the way he finished, it helped everything. Venetia is classy, and form is temporary and class is permanent.”

Runner-up Jazzy Matty, trained by Cian Collins, came within a whisker of a remarkable third Festival victory, having won the Fred Winter in 2023 and last year’s Grand Annual. “He’s unbelievable and we’re very lucky to have him,” Collins said. “It’s hard to take but I’m delighted for the horse and very proud of him.”

For Williams and Deutsch, Martator’s shock success offers proof that reputations forged over years can never be discounted, even when the recent record books suggest otherwise.