Jonbon cruises to Clarence House victory and shortens to 11/8 for Champion Chase glory

Champion Chase favourite Jonbon continued his impressive run of form away from Cheltenham with a dazzling performance in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot.

The best horse racing betting sites were quick to cut Nicky Henderson’s star two-miler into 11/8 for Wednesday’s feature race at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The nine-year-old is now 17 from 20 in his career with each of his three defeats coming at Prestbury Park – the 2022 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 2023 Arkle Novices’ Chase and 2024 Clarence House Chase which was switched to Cheltenham due to adverse weather conditions.

Jonbon’s billionaire owner JP McManus is bidding to win the Queen Mother for the first time and the six-and-a-half length victory was nothing short of impressive considering his jumping left much to be desired at times.

The son of Walk In The Park broke the £1 million barrier in prize money with his win in the Tingle Creek at Sandown before Christmas and today’s triumph adds an extra £98,473 to that pool.

To cement his name as an all-time great, Jonbon must prove he can win on the biggest stage at the Cheltenham Festival and that shadow will loom over his legacy until it happens.

Henderson’s nine-time Grade 1 winner proved he has the beating of Willie Mullins’ Energumene, a two-time Champion Chase victor, and with his Closutton stablemate Gaelic Warrior‘s disappointing defeat at Leopardstown over Christmas, the title is Jonbon’s to lose.

WATCH: Jonbon eases to victory in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase 2025

🏆 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐌𝐆𝐌 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 🏆#ITVRacing | @Ascot | @sevenbarrows | @NdeBoinville pic.twitter.com/tCKi6oqIJF

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) January 18, 2025

Nicky Henderson: Jonbon ‘deserves’ Champion Chase crown

Nico de Boinville’s positive front-running tactics proved to be everything the horse needed and more, showing off Jonbon’s deadly engine by making all the running in emphatic fashion.

The jockey told ITV: “He was very fresh and gassy today. I was just trying to find a rhythm out there, he just felt so well. I was trying to keep the lid on him more than anything else.

“He answered every call, jumping wise and he was very quick with his feet down the hill so I’m really happy.”

Henderson spoke to At The Races following the race and described the horse as ‘tough,’ adding he thinks Jonbon deserves the Champion Chase crown in March.

As always, nothing is handed out in racing and the horse must now go to Cheltenham and prove he is worthy of standing tall at the top of the two-mile chasing division.