*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.

Rory Delargy’s Champion Chase Antepost Tips:

Jonbon
Matata (each-way)
Found A Fifty (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.

RORY DELARGY

Jonbon, fundamentally, is a [rock-solid favourite].

It’s easy enough to have a dig at Jonbon and say he was beaten in the Clarence House when it went to Cheltenham last year. He didn’t impress with his jumping that day.

If you start knocking his record and say he can run the odd bad race, well his record is first or second through his career. His record when Nico de Boinville rides is eight runs and eight wins. He’s a very hard horse to have a dig at.

You can look individually at one or two obstacles that he’s jumped or one or two races and think he maybe hasn’t covered himself in glory.

When he was second in the Arkle he was a fair way below his very best. He’s had a couple of races at Cheltenham where he hasn’t run to form and it’s possible to knock the form of those two Shloer Chase wins.

The bottom line is he gets the job done far more often than he doesn’t and he deserves to be favourite.

There were signs early in his career that he might be the kind of horse who would go the wrong way temperamentally, but he hasn’t he’s gone the right way.

He’s the type to get above himself pre-race and looks like he might start boiling over, but even when he’s done that he’s run very well. That hasn’t turned out to be the Achilles heel some people thought it would be.

He looks the complete package at the moment.

He’s a horse I’ve wanted to be against in the past but, to be honest, he’s proven himself enough now to get a pass. But you’ve got about a dozen you could make a case for that could be placed.

I’ve backed a couple at 50s. One of those is Matata, who won very easily at Windsor last time out.

He didn’t show what he can do at Aintree last year but he ran very well for a long way in the Arkle. He’s shown progressive form this season winning a handicap off a big weight at Cheltenham in November and, listen, the race at Windsor fell apart to a degree, but even as a schooling gallop, that was very impressive. He’s done that under 12st on a rating of 155 and the sums of that would make him the fourth or fifth best in the race.

The other one is Found A Fifty, who has a little bit to prove now. He’s 25s but I nabbed a bit of 50 about him after he was beaten at Leopardstown. He came back with a nasal discharge so you can put a line through that run.

His form from the Dublin Racing Festival, Cheltenham and Aintree last year was top notch for a novice. He needs to step forward a little bit to be winning a Champion Chase and he seems to have lost a few friends in the meantime.

Jonbon has very strong credentials, but he doesn’t make an awful lot of appeal as an ante post bet as you’re going to get a bigger price when you know he’s sound and has turned up on the day.

Matata is probably best when dominating so I’ll throw Found A Fifty in there as my each-way poke.

Rory Delargy’s Champion Chase Antepost Tips:

Jonbon
Matata (each-way)
Found A Fifty (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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