Jonbon can make it third time lucky in Queen Mother Champion Chase
Jonbon and Nico de Boinville win from Energumene for trainer Nicky Henderson. Pic: Healy Racing
Jonbon, runner-up on two previous visits to the Cheltenham Festival, can make it third time lucky by taking the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase, the feature on day two of the meeting.
Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old is on a five-race winning run, having won his last two outings of last season, and added the Shloer Chase, the Tingle Creek, and the Clarence House to his spoils this term.
On the most recent occasion, he proved far too good for two-time winner of this race Energumene and did so despite jumping out to his left on occasion.
That was arguably the best performance of his career to date, coming on the back of another top-class effort, and he has little to fear from his seven rivals. If he turns in top form, it will be a huge shock if he fails to deliver.
The race for second place may be more keenly contested, and Found A Fifty has some potential upside and is just preferred to Quilixios and Solness.
Gordon Elliott’s horse was clearly not at his best last time out but is better judged on his narrow defeat of Solness, to which he was giving 7lbs, in the Fortia Chase at Navan.
If back in that form, he could be the one to chase Jonbon home, even if laying a glove on the favourite is likely to be beyond him.
The day opens with the Grade One Turners Novices Hurdle and The New Lion can tee-up a great day for Jonbon’s owner, JP McManus. Dan Skelton’s horse won a bumper on his racing debut, in April of last year, and was sent hurdling for his first start of this term.
He started off running away with a race in Chepstow, beating a horse that won his next two outings. He then contested a novice hurdle in Newbury and readily accounted for Califet En Vol, Electric Mason, and French Ship, all of which won next time out.
On his most recent outing, he contested the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury, and it was little more than a piece of work for him as he sauntered to victory over Wendigo, who won next time out.
Clearly, this is significantly tougher, but everything about his performances suggests he could be right out of the top drawer, and his superior experience and pace over this trip could be what helps him to get the better of Final Demand.
There is nothing not to like about the last-named, who has won a point to point, a maiden hurdle and a Grade One hurdle. He is a tremendous prospect and despite the feeling that he will be better when stepped up in trip, he deserves maximum respect.
The Yellow Clay was quite well beaten in the Champion Bumper at this meeting in 2024 but has done nothing wrong over hurdles and can also reach the frame.
Willie Mullins holds the aces in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – a Grade One in which there is no British runner - and Ballyburn is just preferred to Dancing City. No match for Sir Gino when dropped back to two miles for the Wayward Lad at Kempton, he bounced back to winning ways when forging clear from the back of the last to beat Croke Park by five lengths.
The extra half-mile of this race will play to his strengths, and it is that which can take him by Dancing City, who has a perfect record over fences and can continue to improve.
Comfort Zone makes plenty of each-way appeal in the Coral Cup. A smart horse on the Flat, he has plenty of form which suggests he could be nicely treated off his mark of 137.
At the Galway festival, he finished a close third behind The Wallpark, who is a leading fancy for Thursday’s Stayers’ Hurdle, and after an encouraging finish to his Flat campaign for 2024, he made a return to hurdling in at the Christmas meeting in Leopardstown, where he finished a good third behind Al Gasparo.
He hasn’t run since, which is of little concern for one from the yard of Joseph O’Brien, and the six-year-old looks tailor-made for this type of task.
He is just preferred to Bunting, who has been heavily backed in the last few days and is now around 5-1 having been about five times those odds late last week.
He is unexposed and could well be considerably ahead of his handicap mark, but his odds are now short enough to give him a skip.
Since his most unfortunate unseat at Punchestown in May, Stumptown has been flawless over banks courses, including here in December, and he is going to take beating despite having to lumber top weight in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase.
One of his more interesting rivals is the Joseph O’Brien-trained Busselton, a former Kerry National winner who will go close if seeing out the trip.
Jazzy Matty, winner of the 2023 Fred Winter, has strong claims in the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, while the Weatherbys Champion Bumper is likely to go to Copacabana, though his stablemate Sortudo could outrun odds around 40-1.
- 1:20 The New Lion (nb)
- 2:00 Ballyburn
- 2:40 Comfort Zone
- 3:20 Stumptown
- 4:00 Jonbon (nap)
- 4:40 Jazzy Matty
- 5:20 Copacabana
- 1:20 Final Demand
- 2:00 Dancing City
- 2:40 Bunting
- 3:20 Busselton
- 4:00 Found A Fifty
- 4:40 Unexpected Party
- 5:20 Sortudo
