Cheltenham Festival: Gaelic Warrior and Energumene will need a bog to beat Jonbon in the Champion Chase
*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules.
Ruby Walsh’s Champion Chase Antepost Tips:
Jonbon
Libberty Hunter (each-way)
Paddy Power Media’s ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast ‘Cheltenham Countdown’ is back as host Tom Nugent picks the brains of the Cheltenham Festival’s winning-most jockey turned TV pundit Ruby Walsh and well-known journalist and broadcaster Rory Delargy.
In the second of this year’s series, the gang have looked at the Champion Chase ahead of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
RUBY WALSH
Energumene looked to be beaten fair and square at Ascot by Jonbon at the weekend. The ground was probably a bit drier than it has been in the past and Energumene as an 11-year-old now would need really testing ground over two miles to get close to – or even trouble – Jonbon.
He’s been beaten in two Clarence House Chases before and still managed to win the Champion Chase. I’d imagine that’s the grounds that Willie Mullins will go on or the lines he’d be thinking along as he decides on whether Energumene goes for the Champion Chase or steps up in trip for the Ryanair Chase.
If Jonbon turns up in the same form he was in last weekend or the one that won the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last month – he wins the Champion Chase.
Unless you got really testing ground – and that’s a huge ‘if’ – that’s the only way I could see Energumene or Gaelic Warrior beating Jonbon. They’ll need a bog and something to happen in the race, maybe.
Step Forward
Gaelic Warrior will take a big step forward from his Christmas defeat at Leopardstown – but he has to.
JJ Slevin was very good on Solness that day and he was in peak condition. Joseph O’Brien’s runners were just on fire at Christmas – absolutely on fire. I don’t particularly fancy Solness for the Champion Chase.
Gaelic Warrior will step forward but he won the Arkle Chase last season on really testing ground and for either of Gaelic Warrior or Energumene to beat Jonbon, they may put the Child of Prague out and do a rain dance!
Each-way spoils
Jonbon is rock solid. He’s one of the most uncomplicated horses in training. You can ride him anyway – buck him out, he’s never free, he doesn’t race behind the bridle, he’s just so uncomplicated. He’s a very admirable horse. He’s a very good horse.
I think he’ll win the Champion Chase but for an each-way poke it would be Libberty Hunter.
I didn’t think last week there was a huge amount of pace in the Champion Chase, but when you look at Solness and Matata, there’s actually loads of pace potentially in this race. They’ll go very hard up front and it will suit one coming off the pace to grab the each-way spoils.
Ruby Walsh’s Champion Chase Antepost Tips:
Jonbon
Libberty Hunter (each-way)
*Odds quoted on the widget are Future Racing / Antepost prices which means that if your selection does not run in the race for whatever reason – you will lose your stake under traditional Antepost rules.
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