With the pieces now beginning to fall into place ahead of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, Saturday afternoon sees the latest pointer towards the Queen Mother Champion Chase as the 2m stars head to Ascot for the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase.
Making its belated debut in 1989 (the first two planned editions were derailed by the pesky British weather), the Clarence House Chase soon emerged as one of the pre-eminent chase contests on the racing calendar.
Whilst many contests claim to be a key Queen Mother trial, the Clarence House Chase can back up that statement with results. Viking Flagship (1994) became the first horse to win both races in the same season and has since been joined by Call Equiname (1999), Master Minded (2009), Sprinter Sacre (2013), Sire De Grugy (2014), Dodging Bullets (2015), and Altior (2019).
An illustrious roll of honour, but who will join them in 2025? With the days ticking down to the big race, six remain in contention, including two of the biggest Queen Mother Champion Chase hopes from Britain and Ireland.
1. Boothill– 14/1 with bet365
Trainer: Harry Fry
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Zero from two in Grade 1 company, this likeable ten-year-old bids to make it third time lucky for Harry Fry. Unfortunately for Boothill, the horse who has beaten him in those previous attempts lies in wait amongst the opposition. 8l behind Jonbon in the 2022 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase and 7¼l adrift of the Nicky Henderson star in the 2024 Celebration Chase, Boothill has work to do to turn the tables. However, each of those outings came at Sandown, and Boothill got closer when a 1½l second to Jonbon in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase in November. A three-from-three record over this track and trip (albeit at a lower level) provides further cause for optimism.
2. Edwardstone – 7/1 with bet365
Trainer: Alan King
Having been around since 2018, this Alan King star will surprisingly make his Ascot debut if taking up this engagement. Unlike a few others in the field, this son of Kayf Tara has proven up to this grade in the past, with wins in the 2021 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase, 2022 Arkle Challenge Trophy, and 2022 Tingle Creek Chase. However, he is zero from six at the top level since the most recent of those wins. 5-0 down in meetings with Jonbon, he is another who may face an uphill task should the market leader run to form.
3. Energumene – 5/2 with bet365
Trainer: Willie Mullins
The clear danger to Jonbon is this two-time Queen Mother Champion Chase hero. Hailing from the all-conquering Willie Mullins operation, Energumene reached a peak official rating of 176 in 2023 – 6lb higher than the career-high of Jonbon. Had this race taken two years ago, we suspect the son of Denham Red would have started as a clear favourite. The fact that he is only second best in the market stems from the fact that he is 11 years old and only recently returned from a 593-day injury-enforced absence. That return came when finishing 10l clear in the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork, and, whilst this looks tougher, he should come on plenty for that comeback success.
4. Jonbon – 4/6 with bet365
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
3-0 vs Boothill, 5-0 vs Edwardstone, and 2-0 vs Unexpected Party, Nicky Henderson’s latest 2m star would appear to have the measure of over half of his rivals. At the beginning of his career, Jonbon faced a seemingly impossible task to match the exploits of his full brother Douvan. However, if he wins this race, he will move past his sibling in terms of career Grade 1 wins. Thoroughly proven at the highest level, in form following an 8l win in the Tingle Creek Chase, and an easy winner on his only previous outing at this track, he is incredibly difficult to fault in this line-up.
5. Libberty Hunter – 16/1 with bet365
Trainer: Evan Williams
This 124-rated hurdler has made rapid strides since tackling fences. Having won two of his first three chase outings, his best effort last term came when finishing an excellent second in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival. Rounding off 2023/24 with a fair third in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase, he returned to easily land a Cheltenham handicap off a mark of 144. He impressed with how well he travelled through the race that day and is now up to a mark of 151. However, that still leaves him with 19lb to find with Jonbon, which illustrates the size of the task at hand.
6. Unexpected Party – 66/1 with bet365
Trainer: Dan Skelton
Rounding out the sextet, Unexpected Party finished ahead of Libberty Hunter when claiming the Grand Annual but is over four times the price of that rival here. That is probably too big a difference, but the 10-year-old still needs to take a huge step forward on all known form. Three previous outings in Grade 1 company have yielded 24l, 8½l, and 15l defeats, whilst he finished last of four behind Jonbon on his most recent racecourse appearance in the Shloer Chase.
The Verdict
No doubt Energumene will have his supporters on the day. And rightly so given his overall pedigree. His return in the Hilly Way Chase offered plenty of encouragement, but he was greatly flattered by the 10l winning margin as Banbridge was in the process of launching a formidable challenge when falling at the last. Having finished second in this event as an eight-year-old and third as a nine-year-old, he tends to save his absolute best for the springtime.
Of the others, Libberty Hunter and Unexpected Party look out of their depth, but Boothill may finish a lot closer to Edwardstone than the odds imply. All of that said, it’s impossible to escape the conclusion that the thriving Jonbon is much the most likely winner as he continues his journey towards the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Recommended Bet: Jonbon @ 4/6 with bet365
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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