Jonbon faces three rivals in Friday's Shloer Chase, with Nicky Henderson content to "ignore the stats" regarding his overall record at Cheltenham.
Owned by JP McManus, the 10-year-old Jonbon has a remarkable record of 15 wins and seven seconds from his 22 starts over fences and despite a handful of those defeats coming at Prestbury Park, his trainer is feeling upbeat about taking his pride and joy back to jump racing's headquarters.
Jonbon was runner-up in the same race last year, having won it in 2023 and 2024, and Henderson has promised the horse's army of fans that he's sharper for this season's reappearance run on the Old Course.
“I would seriously like to think he’s quite a bit more forward than he was this time last year. He wasn't quite ready for it last year," the Seven Barrows man said in a press call organised by The Jockey Club.
“He has had the one away day. Funnily, that’s the day he will sweat, sweat, sweat – we went to Kempton and he enjoyed that. He's very, very well and Paddy who rides him every day is very happy. He (Jonbon) is routine, route, and we leave it at that.
"New jockey... Harry Cobden has come and had a sit and when I say sit I literally mean he gets on at the bottom of the schooling ground, jumps five fences and gets off again. That's all he's allowed, and Paddy gets on again.
“This is where the game begins again. We’re going to ignore the stats that say he doesn’t like Cheltenham – he loves it!"
Jonbon has already won three times over longer, intermediate trips in his distinguished career, but Henderson is happy enough to start off over two miles again this week.
"This seems to be the standing place for him to start every season, on the grounds that we’re still staying at two miles, I think that's the major point of that. With that, it leads you nicely into the Tingle Creek. So we're on the same plan.
"I can remember when JP bought him at the sale, however many years it was. He hasn’t missed a game, I suppose the only time we didn’t run him was Sandown at the end of last season.
“The thing I’d be most proud of and I’d hate to lose this, is that he’s never been out of the first two.
“But the big issue nowadays is the trip and whether he’s a two-miler.”
Jonbon is 8/11 favourite with Paddy Power, with the Harry Fry-trained Gidleigh Park second in the market at 3/1. Saint Segal (11/2) and Mighty Bandit (10/1) make up the field of four.
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