Nicky Henderson signals Jonbon will likely skip Cheltenham for Aintree Bowl

Nicky Henderson has created immediate uncertainty over the Cheltenham Festival lineup by signalling Jonbon is "in all probability" bound for the Aintree Bowl at the Grand National meeting rather than the Festival, saying "He deserves a Cheltenham victory but I think we’ll miss this dance this time and in all probability that’s what will happen." Henderson added: "I imagine we’ll leave him in [the Ryanair] just in case, but he’s working towards Aintree."

That stance has direct operational implications for Cheltenham entries. Jonbon is owned by JP McManus and his Festival plan "hinges on whether Fact To File lines up in the Ryanair Chase or is supplemented for the Gold Cup," a point Racing Post flagged as key to where stable resources will be deployed. If Henderson follows through, the Ryanair Chase could lose one of its top-rated contenders and McManus will be left to choose between two high-profile targets across the two meetings.

The decision follows Jonbon’s Betfair Ascot Chase success on February 14, 2026, when Nico de Boinville rode him clear to beat Pic D'Orhy, with Harry Cobden in the plate on the runner-up. Racing Post noted that Ascot was "the 20th of his career and a 12th at Grade 1 level," a striking stat for a horse that still lacks a Festival win despite finishing runner-up three times at Cheltenham, most recently to Marine Nationale in last year’s Champion Chase. AtTheRaces lists Jonbon as a 10-y-o bay gelding, breeding Walk In The Park - Star Face, form 12-2211, and shows a Cheltenham entry for 11 Mar 2026 at 16:00 on its profile.

There is a conflicting read on whether a Champion Chase tilt is truly off the table. Racing Post reported that "The Seven Barrows trainer has ruled out a tilt at the Champion Chase," while AtTheRaces captured a more hedged line: "He is still in the Champion Chase but never say no." Henderson himself told the Border Telegraph that "I think we can say he won’t be in the Queen Mother, but never say no," reflecting a cautious approach to declarations and the practical need to keep options open until entries close.

Henderson’s Aintree plan is specific: Racing Post said Jonbon is likely to "tackle three miles for the first time at Aintree," shifting him from a career focused on two-mile and intermediate trips to a new test at the Grand National meeting. That switch would alter preparation and placement not only for Jonbon but for JP McManus’s wider string, where Fact To File remains a complicating factor for Ryanair and Gold Cup permutations.

One supplied Border Telegraph extract contains an unclear passage mentioning "hospital" and "infection" - "He’s good, they are pleased but there’s basically no change. The longer he goes without it deteriorating is good, but he’ll still be in hospital for some foreseeable time. Hopefully the infection is under control, but it could still go the wrong way." The subject of that sentence is not specified in the supplied copy and requires clarification before being attributed to Jonbon or another stable concern.

For now the Cheltenham entry list shows Jonbon pencilled in for 11 March, but Henderson’s public signal that the gelding is "working towards Aintree" means declarations and supplement decisions over the coming days will determine whether Jonbon finally chases the missing Festival win or makes his three-mile debut at Aintree.