Cheltenham Festival 2025 day two: Jonbon to land the Queen Mother Champion Chase

Cheltenham Festival 2025 day two: Jonbon to land the Queen Mother Champion Chase

Nicky Henderson's star can take the Grade One feature on the day two of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, while Be Aware, Vanillier, Ballyburn, Final Demand, General Medrano and Gameoffinches can also score

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JONBON can win the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (GBB Race) (4pm) on the second day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Nicky Henderson's nine-year-old has been beaten in his two previous trips to the Cheltenham Festival but he can make it third time lucky in the Grade One feature on the second day of this year's meeting. He had no answer to stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 2022 and then found Willie Mullins' El Fabiolo too hot to handle in the Arkle Trophy Novices' Chase in 2023. With the Henderson stable under a cloud at last year's meeting, Jonbon didn't line-up. But away from Cheltenham he has shown himself to be the premier two-mile chaser and looks good to finally get that win in the big one. The JP McManus-owned gelding won the Melling Chase – when stepped up to 2m4f at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse, having missed Cheltenham. And this season he has carried on winning.

He won the Shloer Chase for a second successive year in November at Cheltenham – showing it was the opposition rather than a dislike for the course. He then grabbed a second victory in the Tingle Creek at Sandown the following month before making it a perfect three from three this season, when landing the Grade One Clarence House Chase over 2m1f at Ascot in his prep race for his Champion Chase bid in February. He put Mullins' Energumene – who won the Champion Chase in 2022 and 2023 – firmly in his pace at Ascot and there is no reason to see that rival turning that around. Other Irish raiders – Joseph O'Brien's hat-trick-seeking Solness and former Festival winner Marine Nationale, from the Barry Connell stable – are top-class rivals. But is is hard to see them beating Jonbon in his current form.

County Carlow handler Mullins may be adding to his 100-plus and counting Festival winners with FINAL DEMAND in the opener, the Grade One Turners Novices' Hurdle (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle) (GBB Race) (1.20pm) and BALLYBURN in the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (Registered As The Broadway Novices' Chase) (GBB Race) (2pm).

Mullins has won the Turners Novices' Hurdle for the past three years and the unbeaten Final Demand can make it four in a row. The six-year-old has looked hugely impressive in his two wins from two starts over hurdles, particularly when beating a top field in the Grade One Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival in February. He looks sure to improve again and can triumph. Dan Skelton's similarly unbeaten The New Lion has also looked good in his three successes including in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury over Christmas. He has been bought by McManus since and along with the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Potters Charm – a winner of the Grade One Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day – make it an intriguing opener to the second day. But both may have to play second fiddle to Irish raider Final Demand.

Ballyburn won the Turners Novices' Hurdle for Mullins last year and has since made the switch to chasing in good style. He had no answer to Nicky Henderson's Sir Gino in the Grade Two Wayward Lad Novices' Chase at Kempton over Christmas, but that is his only defeat in four starts over fences. That was over two miles and he was impressive when stepped up to 2m5½f at the Dublin Racing Festival. Stepped up in trip again to three miles, he looks like he can win at the Festival again ahead of stable-mate Dancing City.

BE AWARE can give Dan Skelton another victory in the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (2.40pm). The Warwickshire handler has a great record in a number of Festival handicap hurdles and has won the Coral Cup for the past two seasons with Langer Dan and Be Aware may be able to follow in his stable-mates hoofprints. The six-year-old has run some fine races in defeat since winning on his hurdling debut at Newbury in January of last year. On his half-length defeat to the smart Burdett Road over course and distance at Cheltenham in November, he looks more than capable of getting back to winning ways. Henderson's Impose Toi and the Gavin Cromwell's Al Gasparo are others to consider in a typically-competitive contest.

READ MORE:Latest entries and weights for the 2025 Randox Grand National

Cromwell looks to hold the key to Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (A Limited Handicap) (GBB Race) (3.20pm) and his VANILLIER may bring home a one-two ahead of stable-mate and favourite Stumptown. Both horses could use the Cross Country Chase as a stepping to the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on April 5. Vanillier was second to Corach Rambler in the 2023 Grand National and 14th in last year's renewal. He recently landed a first win in almost four-and-a-half years in a Cross Country Chase at Punchestown last month. Now this contest is a handicap, he gets weights from his stable-mate – who won over course and distance in December – and Vanillier can come on top before heading back to Aintree.

GENERAL MEDRANO can win the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (4.40pm). Emma Lavelle's eight-year-old was an impressive winner at Newbury at the end of November and finished a good second at Doncaster in January. He looks ideal for this two-mile contest and can come out on top ahead of chiefly last year's winner Unexpected Party, from the Skelton stable, and Lucinda Russell's Traprain Law.

Irish trainer Mullins has won the finale on the second day, the Grade One Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race) (GBB Race) (5.20pm), a record 13 times. And he looks to hold all the aces again with the two favourites Copacabana and GAMEOFFINCHES, with preference just for the latter, judged on his impressive win in a bumper at Punchestown last month.

Wright Ones

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY TWO

1.20pm Final Demand
2pm Ballyburn
2.40pm Be Aware
3.20pm Vanillier (NAP)
4pm Jonbon
4.45pm General Medrano
5.20pm Gameoffinches

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