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Pub popular with horse racing community closes

Maisie Lillywhite
BBC News, Gloucestershire
Handout A large crowd stands outside of The Hollow Bottom - a traditional Cotswold pub - celebrating a Gold Cup win. People can be seen standing on a flat top roof above the door. One man at the front of the crowd holds a gold cup while a girl holds the winning horse's reins.Handout
Ms Collinson (right, holding the horse) said Imperial Commander's win was "celebrated for days" at the Hollow Bottom

A village pub that was a popular place of celebration among the horse racing community has closed.

The Hollow Bottom in the Cotswold village of Guiting Power lies about 10 miles (16km) east of from Cheltenham Racecourse and was a popular spot for celebrating Gold Cup wins and yard successes.

Jo Collinson, a groom who formerly worked for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, said the pub's atmosphere was "just as amazing as Gold Cup day itself" when Imperial Commander, who she looked after, brought home the trophy in 2010.

A spokesperson for Young's, which owns the Hollow Bottom, said it was closing after "a careful review of our plans" before the lease ended.

The Hollow Bottom previously closed in 2019 and was purchased and reopened by the Lucky Onion, a hospitality group owned by Julian Dunkerton, the founder of Superdry.

Young's bought it in 2022. They announced the pub was closing on Sunday.

"We would like to thank the local community for their over the last five years. We will be in directly with any customers who have future bookings with the pub."

Jo Collinson A young woman wearing a light blue hoodie with blonde hair holds a gold cup as she smiles while sitting at a table in a busy Cotswolds pub Jo Collinson
Ms Collinson has fond memories of race celebrations, birthdays and Christmases at the Hollow Bottom

Now a groom for Jonjo O'Neill, Ms Collinson said "every Christmas party and many birthday celebrations" were spent at the Hollow Bottom when she worked for Twiston-Davies, who is based in nearby Naunton.

Ms Collinson said she helped take three winning horses, including Imperial Commander down to the "absolutely heaving" Hollow Bottom on Gold Cup Day 2010.

"There were people on the flat roof above the door, the cars couldn't get through on the road, it was amazing.

"It was like leading him back in on the racecourse all over again... We piled down the Hollow Bottom to celebrate it for days."

Getty Images Four people, including a jockey, gather around a bay horse following a win at Cheltenham FestivalGetty Images
Ms Collinson said she would "never forget" the times she had at the pub

Ms Collinson said the pub was "wild" after every meet, regardless of the time of year.

"A piece of my heart will always be at the Hollow Bottom, when we celebrated winners and had those Christmas parties there and had a lot of fun with the best friends," she said.

"It was the best times and I'll never forget them."

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