Few horses in training have been as reliable as Jonbon. Nicky Henderson’s ten-year-old has never finished outside the first two in 28 starts under rules, and he is set to begin his fifth season over fences in Friday’s Grade 2 Shloer Chase at Cheltenham at 2.20pm.
He has not been seen since finishing second in the Ryanair Chase in March, having been taken out of the Celebration Chase at Sandown in April because of the ground. He is aiming to win the Shloer for a third time, and these are the numbers behind one of the most consistent chasers of the modern era.
15 chase wins and never worse than second
Jonbon has won 15 of his 22 starts over fences, with 11 of those wins having come at Grade 1 level. He won the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase and Maghull Novices’ Chase as a novice, and has since landed the Tingle Creek, Celebration Chase, Melling Chase and Clarence House Chase twice each, as well as the Ascot Chase when upped in trip back in February.
His seven defeats over fences have all been second places, so he has always run his race. He was just as dependable before going chasing, winning a bumper and four of his five starts over hurdles, including the Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The Festival remains the missing piece
For all his immense success, Jonbon has famously never won at the Cheltenham Festival. He has run there four times and been beaten into second each time, finishing runner-up to Constitution Hill in the 2022 Supreme, second to El Fabiolo in the 2023 Arkle, a well-beateb second in the 2025 Champion Chase behind Marine Nationale, then most recently second to Heart Wood in the Ryanair Chase in March.
He has a better record at Cheltenham outside March, winning two of his four runs at the track’s other meetings, but his overall record there is just two wins from eight starts. By contrast, he has won 18 of his 20 races away from Prestbury Park.
A Shloer hat-trick bid after last year’s blip
Both of Jonbon’s Cheltenham wins have come in this race outside of the Festival. He won comfortably in both 2023 and 2024, but last year’s renewal was a different story. Sent off at 5/6 on soft ground, he made jumping errors and was beaten 15 lengths by Dan Skelton’s L’Eau Du Sud, who is not in this year’s field.
He tops the ratings by 4lb and gives 6lb to all six rivals. The ground could be a factor in his participation, though, as Cheltenham declared good, good to firm going in places on Monday, with watering under way.
Sandown in December is the bigger target
Henderson has said that the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December is the aim after Friday. Jonbon won it in 2023 and again in 2024, before finishing second last year when beaten nine lengths by subsequent Champion Chase hero Il Etait Temps.
That is a race he has always been suited by, while the Shloer has been his starting point in each of the last three seasons.
Where he stands in the Cheltenham betting
Jonbon is a 33/1 shot for the Ryanair Chase with William Hill and BetVictor, and 50/1 for the Gold Cup, while he is not currently quoted for the Champion Chase. Il Etait Temps heads the Champion Chase market at 7/4, and Gaelic Warrior is favourite for the Gold Cup.
He will be 11 by March, and those prices suggest the market thinks his best chance of Festival glory has passed. A smart return on Friday could change that.
JPR One and Gidleigh Park lead the opposition
Joe Tizzard’s JPR One was second in the Haldon Gold Cup at Aintree last Friday and would arrive here race-fit. Harry Fry’s Gidleigh Park is also entered, with Fry leaning towards this race rather than Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Libberty Hunter, Saint Segal, Skelton’s Calico and Warren Greatrex’s Mighty Bandit complete the seven entries.
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