Irish-trained runners have dominated the four-day Cheltenham festival for chasers and hurdlers at Cheltenham Racecourse in western England in the last decade, winning a record 23 of 28 races in 2021 and 18 races in the last three years.
If British stables are going to have a presence at the meeting, Wednesday’s seven-race program provides an excellent chance.
There were three British-trained favorites, or co-favorites, as of Monday, none a shorter price than Jonbon at 10-11 in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Chase at two miles.
Jonbon, a 9-year-old French-bred gelding, has won 12 of 14 starts over fences and has won his last five starts, all in Grade 1 or Grade 2 races since last April for trainer Nicky Henderson. Jonbon is part of a field of eight in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
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With a purse of $515,500, the Queen Mother Champion Chase is the most lucrative race of the day and second-richest of the week, behind only Friday’s $805,600 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is one of three Grade 1 races on a program that begins at 9:20 a.m. Eastern or 6:20 a.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
The first two races are for novices and, as is the case annually, have been the subject of major interest in recent months. The racing day begins with the $193,300 Turner Novices’ Hurdle at 2 5/8 miles, which is led by Final Demand, trained in Ireland by the powerful Willie Mullins, and The New Lion, trained in Britain by Dan Skelton.
Final Demand is unbeaten in two starts over hurdles, winning races in December and February by a combined 27 lengths. The New Lion was perfect in three starts over hurdles in the final months of 2024, winning by a combined 12 1/2 lengths. He has not raced since a win in a Grade 1 novice hurdle on Dec. 28.
Layoffs from Christmastime to mid-March have become commonplace in the last decade for leading contenders in major stakes at Cheltenham.
The Mullins-trained Ballyburn will be a strong favorite to win the $257,800 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at 3 1/16 miles, a race that often produces runners for the following year’s Gold Cup.
Ballyburn was a three-time Grade 1 winner of novice hurdle races in early 2024 before being switched to the tougher steeplechases fences last fall. Ballyburn has won two of three starts in chases at distances ranging from two miles to 2 11/16 miles.
Wednesday’s race at Cheltenham is his debut at 3 1/16 miles.
The distance will not be an issue for another Mullins runner in Dancing City, who has won three novice hurdles and a novice chase at three miles in the last year, showing the versatility to lead or race from off the pace.
Dancing City was 9-2 in early betting on Monday and could be an alternative selection to Jonbon, who was 6-5.
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