COTSWOLD trainers were starved of their usual success at the Cheltenham Festival, having to be content with a handful of places.

The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup was among the races to elude them, but Temple Guiting handler Jonjo O’Neill was upbeat after seeing 8-1 hope Holywell run well for fourth place under Richie McLernon.

Fellow eight-year-old Coneygree (7-1), trained by Mark Bradstock in Wantage, became the first novice in 41 years to win.

O’Neill said: “He’d be better on better ground but the best horse won. Our horse ran a blinder and we’re thrilled to bits.”

Condicote trainer Martin Keighley might campaign Any Currency in France after taking the runners-up spot in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase for the second season.

The 12-year-old (7-1), ridden by Aidan Coleman, was two-and-a-half lengths behind Rivage D’Or.

Keighley said: “It’s good prize money so he might go to France for the race at Craon that Balthazar King won.”

Soon-to-retire 19-time champion jockey Tony McCoy was fourth on Ned Buntline in his final Festival ride in the A P McCoy Grand Annual Chase.

The O’Neill-trained Eastlake (12-1) came home in second under Paul Carberry.

Afterwards, McCoy nominated his Gold Cup win on O’Neill’s late horse Synchronised as his greatest Festival success.

The Saint James (33-1), trained by O’Neill, was third in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, again under Carberry.

Another from O’Neill’s stable, Johns Spirit (8-1), finished fifth in the Ryanair Chase under McLernon.

However, the Cotswold trainer finally tasted victory on Saturday, teaming up with McCoy as Beg To Differ (11-4 favourite) triumphed by two lengths in Uttoxeter’s Betfred ‘Home Of Goals Galore’ Handicap Hurdle.

In the 888Sport.com Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton, Chipping Norton handler Charlie Longsdon’s Our Kaempfer (9-2) and Noel Fehily triumphed by one-and-three-quarter lengths.

The New One, trained by Naunton’s Nigel Twiston-Davies, will bid to retain the Aintree Hurdle on April 9 over an extra half-mile following a below-par display when fifth in the Festival’s Stan James Champion Hurdle.

Flying Light was a 10-1 winner at Exeter for Cotswold trainer Graeme McPherson, while Optimistic Bias (4-1) swooped for O’Neill at Southwell.