Cheltenham Festival tips: Champion Chase dark horses

By Matt Brocklebank

Horse Racing

Tue December 09, 2025 · 9h ago

After a weekend that saw Jonbon and L’Eau Du Sud’s Queen Mother credentials in tatters, and Majborough try to take half the fences with him on route to a seasonal debut second in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork, there’s a decent-sized question mark hanging over the two-mile chasers at present.

It would appear to be the worst-kept secret that Sir Gino is heading for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and reigning champ Marine Nationale had his own supposed return to action delayed due to bad ground at Navan.

‘But Il Etait Temps absolutely hacked up in the Tingle Creek!’, I hear you cry.

He did. It was unequivocal confirmation of what he’d done in the Celebration Chase last year and at Clonmel on his comeback, but don't go forgetting he was beaten over a dozen lengths by Gaelic Warrior in the 2024 Arkle after fluffing two of the open ditches. And that wasn’t the first time he has failed to bring his A-game to Cheltenham, having been a well-held fifth in both the Triumph Hurdle as well as the Sky Bet Supreme a year later.

He’s a different beast entirely now, according to Patrick Mullins, one that Paul Townend can hardly believe he’d turned down on all those occasions in the past, but could we be in danger of falling into the Jonbon trap here, and going all in on a horse who just isn’t in love with the place that matters most for so many?

Jonbon was beaten 22 lengths in a Supreme and five and a half in an Arkle before eventually getting his chance in the Champion Chase last spring; when fluffing his lines having been sent off the 5/6 favourite.

It seems likely Il Etait Temps will go to the Dublin Racing Festival in early-February next and victory there would no doubt see him shorten up again for Cheltenham, but who else could muscle in on this slightly murky picture before the spring comes into view?

Gidleigh Park’s owners were openly wondering if they had a 'future Gold Cup horse' on their hands after his runner-up effort to Impaire Et Passe in Aintree’s Manifesto in April, but I’m not really convinced by that assessment just yet.

Looking back on his free-going effort over two miles and five furlongs in last month’s Ladbrokes 1965 Chase (replay below), it’s hard to argue he wasn’t outstayed by the winner, Jango Baie. And perhaps we should be reading into the two races Gidleigh Park almost ran in this season, as well as the one he eventually did.

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First up was meant to be the Haldon Gold Cup, but a lack of appreciable rain put paid to the Exeter plan, while a similar scenario saw him swerve the Hurst Park Handicap Chase in favour of the 1965 over the intermediate trip on the same afternoon. The easier option was apparently under serious consideration right through to the time of declarations.

The Haldon Gold Cup and the Hurst Park are both run over two miles and a furlong. So win, lose or draw wherever he shows up next, and whatever the distance of that particular assignment, I'd be surprised if Gidleigh Park – a 50/1 shot at the time of writing – wasn’t at least given a Champion Chase entry based on what we know to this point.

I reckon it would only take a wet week in early-March for that to quickly become plan-A for a horse who actually remains unbeaten over two miles, having won a Chepstow bumper, a novice hurdle and last season’s Lightning Novices’ Chase at Windsor – where he beat subsequent Grade 1 winner Caldwell Potter – all at the minimum trip.

Gidleigh Park (left) gets the better of Caldwell Potter at Windsor

Majborough’s connections also have Dinoblue and Fact To File vaguely on the periphery of the Champion Chase scene, although the Mares’ Chase and Ryanair would appear to be far more obvious targets for that pair respectively.

Gordon Elliott is keen to keep playing down Hilly Way winner Found A Fifty, while Henry De Bromhead's Quilixios was running an almighty race before his final-fence exit at Cheltenham last spring, but he was probably just coming to the end of his tether at the time and doesn’t look up to dominating at the highest level over fences.

There are friends and colleagues at Timeform who could definitely argue a case for Il Est Francais being quick enough for two miles if back on song, but quite what Tom George will do with him now is anyone’s guess and the last I heard was that they were cracking on with preparations for a return to the King George.

Solness in his way to a surprise success

Solness has won two Grade 1s at Leopardstown

The other one who deserves a more favourable mention is Solness, who was another also-ran from the 2025 Queen Mother but had effectively been on the go since Galway in July and deserves another chance having finally had chance to take a decent break this summer.

He was on a real roll when beating Gaelic Warrior last Christmas, before following up with a two-length defeat of Marine Nationale at the DRF, and the sponsors make him a 12/1 chance to go back-to-back in next month’s Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at his old stamping ground, Leopardstown.

Maybe he’s even less of a ‘Cheltenham horse’ than new market leader Il Etait Temps, but judging Solness on the one visit when he was entitled to be over the top seems a bit harsh, and he’s another 50/1 chance that I can only see going one way in the betting between now and the Festival.

Published at 13:00 GMT on 09/12/25

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