Can Jonbon Bring The Champion Chase Home For Nicky Henderson In 2025?

By any stretch of the imagination, the Cheltenham Festival in 2024 was catastrophic for legendary British trainer Nicky Henderson.

Prestbury Park is where Henderson usually shines and, other than a few outliers, is one of the few trainers to ever really give Willie Mullins a run for his money when it comes to producing multiple winners.

However, disaster struck in 2024 on the opening day of the Festival when five of Henderson’s six runners failed to perform as expected.

Following this disappointing start, he announced that several horses would not compete in subsequent races.

Among the most notable withdrawals were Jonbon, a contender for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Shishkin, who was set to run in the Gold Cup on Friday.

Despite all of his horses being scoped clean post-race, something was clearly affecting the performance of nearly all of his horses.

By mid-week, Henderson confirmed that First Street and Kingston Pride would also be scratched from their races.

The illness not only affected Henderson’s chances but also cast a shadow over British hopes at the Festival. With his horses sidelined it became increasingly clear that 2024 would not be a year of triumph for the Lambourn stable.

He couldn’t add to his already significant 73 winners, but all is not lost. With plenty of cheltenham festival 2025 tips suggesting Jonbon could come good for Henderson in the Champion Chase, he could soon be putting that dreadful week behind him.

Looking Ahead to 2025

Despite the challenges faced in 2024, there is hope for Nicky Henderson and his team as they look towards the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.

Several factors suggest a potential comeback, and with plenty of star power in his yard, it’s all systems go for the coming season.

Jonbon

Rated at 160, Jonbon is one of Henderson’s brightest stars, and with five Grade 1 chase wins under his belt, he is already the ante-post favourite for the upcoming Champion Chase.

Owned by JP McManus, he’s a full brother to the great Douvan and has an impressive record, including wins in the Tingle Creek and Celebration Chase at Sandown and the Melling Chase at Aintree – and that was just last season.

He hasn’t made his seasonable debut just yet, with Nicky Henderson historically waiting for Newbury, Warwick or Cheltenham in mid-November for his first runout.

Incidentally, he has won all of his first races back every season, so if he were to demonstrate that form heading into the National Hunt season again, his ante-post odds for Cheltenham would undoubtedly plummet.

His previous performances indicate he is capable of competing at the highest level. His age will also help, as winners tend to be older. Six of the last ten winners, including the last two, Energumene and Captain Guinness, were either nine or ten years old.

Constitution Hill

Constitution Hill is still one of Henderson’s brightest prospects. The 2023 Champion HUrdle winner is considered one of the greatest of all time.

With career earnings currently at just over £730,000, he may not have quite hit the heights of Jonbon, but he has every chance of catching up at Cheltenham in 2025.

The unbeaten seven-year-old was unexpectedly sidelined last season when an unsatisfactory blood test ruled him out of contention for the Champion Hurdle.

Henderson then announced, in September 2024, that Constitution Hill had also undergone wind surgery. Despite that minor setback, the horse appears to be in excellent form and is set to line up in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on 30 November.

If he can maintain his winning ways, his already low odds of 7/4 could drop even further, which is not great news for anyone looking for an early bet.

That said, it would be fantastic to see Henderson back in the winner’s enclosure, and if he can do it with Constitution Hill, the win would be all the sweeter.

Sir Gino

Sir Gino is another young horse who showed a lot of promise and remains a favourite for future events. He could be a key player in Henderson’s stable in the upcoming season and is very much seen as a rising star at the Lambourne yard.

Owned by Mrs J Donnelly (who already owns Shiskin, Statesman and two-time Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo), Sir Gino was the original favourite in the JCB Triumph Hurdle in 2024 before he was withdrawn.

Just weeks later, he returned to action at the Aintree Grand National Festival, where he delivered a much-needed victory for Henderson in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.

This win not only demonstrated Sir Gino’s resilience and potential as a top-class racehorse but was particularly sweet for Henderson and his team after the challenges they faced earlier in the season.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Horse racing can be a fickle sport. Most trainers will experience the highs and lows of wins and losses, good seasons and bad, throughout their careers, but often, it is their love of racing and dedication to their horses that keeps them in the game.

Nicky Henderson is no different. Over his fifty-year career, he has seen and done it all, and while his 2024 outing to Cheltenham will no doubt have devastated him and his team, they will be back for another spin on the merry-go-round in March.

From his first winner in 1985 to his next in 2025, few will ever be able to match such an extraordinary career in horse racing.