Horse profile: Jonbon

The second afternoon of the Cheltenham Festival will centre around the Queen Mother Champion Chase as Jonbon finally bids to end his wait for a win at this most prestigious of meetings.

Nicky Henderson's star has the best form in Britain or Ireland this season, but he has yet to taste Festival success at Cheltenham.

Cheltenham near misses still hurt

Jonbon doesn't quite have a Cheltenham hoodoo, but it remains true that he has not yet managed to shine on this grandest of stages.

He has two wins over fences at the course, which bodes well for his crack at the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but he has twice had to settle for second place there in March.

The first of those was the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 2022 and there is no harsh judgement for him proving no match for Constitution Hill as that rival shattered the course record and has gone on to great things.

A year later it was another silver medal for Jonbon in the Arkle Novices' Chase behind El Fabiolo, a horse who was right at the top of his game at that time, although he has subsequently soured.

Jonbon's other Cheltenham defeat, away from the Festival, was in the re-routed Clarence House in January 2024, when he almost unseated jockey James Bowen at the fourth last.

A lesser animal would have cried enough, but Jonbon rallied and was denied by only a neck at the line by Elixir De Nutz in a really gallant defeat.

Keep on rolling

Jonbon is on a roll now. He had to skip this meeting last year owing to a wider issue at his Seven Barrows yard, as trainer Nicky Henderson found his string were failing to fire and was forced to abort his Cheltenham plans with a host of his stars.

Jonbon was fit and well for his Melling Chase win over 2m4f at Aintree and added the Celebration Chase at Sandown, gaining revenge on El Fabiolo.

He's three-from-three this season, landing the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham, the Tingle Creek at Sandown and then dispatching two-time Champion Chase Energumene in the Clarence House at Ascot.

It has been a faultless preparation and, but for his lack of a Festival win, Jonbon would be hard to oppose in the Champion Chase.

The obvious winner in waiting?

There are those who question Jonbon, but his record belies that doubt.

He has made 14 starts over fences, with 12 wins and two second places. He has, in the past, been prone to some isolated jumping errors but recently he has been almost flawless in that department.

If he can transfer that form into the Champion Chase, Jonbon is going to take some stopping.

A trio of Irish-trained threats look to be his main dangers. Marine Nationale has a history of success at this Festival but wasn't able to reel in front-running revelation Solness at the Dublin Racing Festival.

That Joseph O'Brien runner has emerged as a key player in this division, but his style of running could tee things up for Jonbon.

Gaelic Warrior, last year's impressive Arkle winner, once more comes to Cheltenham after a poor performance at the Dublin Racing Festival but the Willie Mullins camp are not ready to give up on him.

Jonbon is the headline act and he may well be set to deliver a prize-winning performance on this stage.

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