Jon Bon is set to return to Cheltenham on Friday for the Shloer Chase, and Nicky Henderson believes the 10-year-old is ready to make another strong statement. The trainer says the horse is more forward than he was 12 months ago, and he has dismissed the suggestion that Cheltenham is somehow a problem track for JP McManus's stable star.
Jon Bon arrives with a remarkable record over fences. He has won 15 of his 22 starts, finished second seven times and has never been out of the first two. He also has recent Shloer Chase form to protect, having won the race in 2023 and 2024 before finishing runner-up last year.
For Henderson, the key point is simple: the horse is well, settled and being prepared in a familiar way. He is happy to keep Jon Bon at two miles again, with the Tingle Creek mentioned as the natural next step if this return goes smoothly.
Henderson: Jon Bon is more forward this year
Henderson made clear that the horse should arrive sharper than he did for last year's race.
“I would seriously like to think he’s quite a bit more forward than he was this time last year. He wasn't quite ready for it last year,” he said.
That matters because Friday's race is not just another appearance. It is another chance for Jon Bon to reinforce the case that he remains one of the most reliable two-mile chasers in training, even if some of the outside noise points to Cheltenham as a track he does not enjoy.
Henderson's answer to that is emphatic. “This is where the game begins again. We’re going to ignore the stats that say he doesn’t like Cheltenham – he loves it!”
Why the Cheltenham question keeps coming up
The numbers around Jon Bon are hard to ignore, but Henderson does not want the conversation reduced to one venue. He pointed out that the horse has missed very few days of competition and that the only time he did not run last season was at Sandown at the end of the campaign.
“I can remember when JP bought him at the sale, however many years it was. He hasn’t missed a game, I suppose the only time we didn’t run him was Sandown at the end of last season,” Henderson said.
That consistency is central to the argument in Jon Bon's favour. Henderson also stressed the point he values most: the horse's habit of always being there when it matters. “The thing I’d be most proud of and I’d hate to lose this, is that he’s never been out of the first two,” he said.
There is also a practical angle to the decision. Henderson said the horse is being kept to two miles for now, which makes the Shloer Chase a logical starting point and keeps the door open for the Tingle Creek later in the season.
“This seems to be the standing place for him to start every season, on the grounds that we’re still staying at two miles, I think that’s the major point of that. With that, it leads you nicely into the Tingle Creek. So we’re on the same plan,” he said.
Who rides Jon Bon on Friday?
Jon Bon will be partnered in the race by Harry Cobden, although Henderson explained that Paddy remains heavily involved in the horse's routine work at Seven Barrows. The trainer said Cobden has only been given a limited look at the horse in schooling, with the regular home rider still handling the bulk of the preparation.
“New jockey... Harry Cobden has come and had a sit and when I say sit I literally mean he gets on at the bottom of the schooling ground, jumps five fences and gets off again. That’s all he’s allowed, and Paddy gets on again,” Henderson said.
That arrangement suggests Henderson is not looking to change too much. Jon Bon is a horse built on rhythm and reliability, and the plan appears to be keeping everything as familiar as possible while asking him to deliver again at Cheltenham.
With three rivals standing between him and another Shloer Chase win, the focus now turns to whether Jon Bon can repeat what he has already done twice before. If he does, it will strengthen the view that Henderson's horse remains a major force at two miles and a serious player for the races that follow.
