As another Cheltenham rolls into view, for Jonbon, the 2025 edition looks poised to finally break his Festival duck.
With this year’s annual pilgrimage to Gloucestershire now just days away, the narrative takes are piling up and in the first of BestofBets‘ Cheltenham showcases, we put trainer Nicky Henderson’s favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase under the spotlight.
The son of Walk In The Park has been the bridesmaid on two occasions at Cheltenham before but on Wednesday looks to make it third time lucky.
However, with expectations heavier on him than ever, can Jonbon finally break his festival duck?
Festival debut
Let us wind back the clock almost three years to March 15 2022. Henderson arrives at Cheltenham with what looks to be a vice-like grip on the Sky Bet Supreme to open the festival.
In one corner, a precocious 5yo by Blue Bresil. Arriving at Cheltenham unbeaten under rules – despite a debut PTP loss – and having romped to 12 -length and 14-length victories; one, Constitution Hill.
Locked at 9/4JF with Constitution Hill in the betting, stood Dysart Dynamo. As the sandwich filler, in stall 4 stood Jonbon. A 5/1 fancy, the 6yo gelding was an impressive five-from-five wins and looked to be a sizeable challenger. The reality was however, Constitution Hill was blazing his early path of dominance.
Jonbon came home runner-up but trailed the victor by an eventual 22 lengths. Yet, his loss was somewhat an inevitability.
Cheltenham woes
It was his return a year later, however, where Jonbon went, for want of a better word, off the rails.
Like the build-up to Cheltenham 2022, the 12-month period as a precursor had seen Henderson’s Novice pick up four wins on the spin, including the Top Novices’ on Grand National Weekend and the Henry VIII Chase at Sandown. Jonbon, though not the favourite in the betting, was for many the smart 2/1 punt.
Having already beaten the 11/10 bookies pick, El Fabiolo at Aintree, Jonbon, however, never got to grips with the extra rain that lingered around Cheltenham that days and failed to contend with an issue of jumping to the left and toward the rail often.
As the roar built, Jonbon ran out of momentum and ideas climbing the hill. El Fabiolo pounced on the inside and galloped away leaving Jonbon in the dust.
Despite the bookies’ short price for the Willie Mullins-Paul Townend vehicle, Jonbon for many was the form horse; a theory consigned to the pages of history.
As damaging a defeat to Jonbon’s reputation the loss was, he bounced back with victory in the Maghull Novices’ and the Celebration Chase to end the season on a high.
Book-ending both seasons with a return win at Cheltenham in the Schloer Chase and the Tingle Creek, all arrows pointed to a resurgent third crack at Chetenham Festival glory.
Alas for Jonbon, defeat to Elixir Du Nutz in the Clarence House festival Trial at 1/4 threw open more questions over his jumping ability over the Cheltenham fences, whilst his performance was decidedly off-colour for late January.
Then of course, came the enormous tribulations experiences by Nicky Henderson’s stable after a virus swept his table, forcing the eventual withdrawal of not only Constitution Hill and then Jonbon, but his entire Cheltenham squad.
For Jonbon, in the wider picture, it was 0 for 2 – also denied a crack at a third appearance – at Cheltenham, however, this year looks set to break his four-year festival duck.
Dominance
Whilst his run-up to another Cheltenham as a unbeaten contender is no different this year, the 9yo version of Jonbon is quite simply a more mature, better performer, with little sign of his old foibles.
For the second year running in festival prep, the gelding has five races on his card, but after retaining not only his Celebration, Schloer Chase and Tingle Creek crowns, his last outing saw the rights put wrong of the year before, destroying the field to win the Clarence House at the second attempt ahead of Energumene.
However, there is more than one other factor leaning heavily in his favour. Indeed, there is more than a hint of irony about Willie Mullins withdrawing both El Fabiolo and Gaelic Warrior from Champion Hurdle running – the former out of the week altogether.
The other main difference this year, is quite simply put, his challengers look out of Jonbon’s league and its is perhaps Energumene – already dispatched this term – as his main rival in the markets.
French raider Il Est Francais, a former Kauto Star Novices’ winner and last year’s Supreme Novices’ champ, Marine Nationale may both have other ideas, but the long and short of it is, the favourite is by a country mile the pick of the field.
So much so, that Jonbon’s main rival could be himself.
Succumbing to race nerves two years back, there is also has a significant mental barrier to climb in the knowledge that since 2016, no less than six market favourites at post have failed to win the Champion Hurdle.
Nevertheless, the same old frailties seem to be a thing of the past and punters can grab Jonbon to win the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase @ 8/11 with SpreadEx.
