2026 Champion Chase

[ComplyOrDie]

That's twice IET has breezed past Jonbon and won with decent daylight between them, so yes he may not be finished but for me he keeps proving himself to be just short of championship class.
And will IET make the champion chase ?
Ducked it last year, well beaten in three previous trips to GL50, brave man if anyone is piling into 5/2...

Indeed it is. I wouldn't put Jonbon out of the places, if he turns up for the race.

IET is hard to weigh up. I'm certainly not playing the 5/2 though.

 

[Kauto’s star]

IET is a 10lb better horse going right handed. Could see it in the Tingle Creek as he took the inside route all the way whilst Jonbon and L'Eau Du Sud jumped out to the left losing ground. I will happily take IET on in grade 1 chases going left handed until he proves otherwise. Found A Fifty is another horse that needs to go right handed if he is to win a grade 1 chase.

Majborough is worth having onside as well. Not one I would want to be backing at a short price, but considering he was conceding weight, experience and fitness to a winner who is a standing dish in right handed chases at this level, with Majborough conceding ground at the fences then with a clear round in the CC you can see him going close.

Jonbon and L'Eau Du Sud both look good each way bets for this race now also. Jonbon had headgear for the first time and has improved his form from last time. Still yet to finish outside the first two in 19 chase starts, if he runs to a 170 RPR like they have given him here, then he will place. L'Eau Du Sud was clearly out for the prize money, picking up another £18k without having a hard race. He probably wants easier ground and a longer break between races and we have seen what he can do at Cheltenham.

100% agree on IET. I’ve followed him (unfortunately as a backer) closely on previous Cheltenham visits. Always 10lb+ short. Though looking at the likely candidates now, getting worried I may need to cover him….or we could get another crazy result in this race….which is defo not unheard of

 

[Runragged]

Sure I heard Nicky saying they won't take Il Et Temps on again as he isn't going to beat him so he will probably step up in distance.

The problem is there is only one more G1 2m chase in the UK before Cheltenham and that is the Clarence House on right handed Ascot, which IET should surely be aimed at. They could try dodging him in the Silviniaco Conti which over 2 1/2m at Kempton should be fine or you have the Game Spirit over 2m at Newbury.

 

[FinalFurlong91]

Indeed it is. I wouldn't put Jonbon out of the places, if he turns up for the race.

IET is hard to weigh up. I'm certainly not playing the 5/2 though.

Id happily have a few pts on at 3s with the way the divisiom is but backing horses with poor course form rarely pays off

Marine at 4s looks a vastly vastly better bet than maj at 7s is what i would say

Cant recall a horse ever winning the champion chase jumping averagely let alone poorly.

 

[Lobos]

I'm not sure why people are surprised Majborough didn't jump well. Especially those that have already backed him to be honest...

Expecting him to improve with experience and another year on his back ?

 

[Benjy23]

Expecting him to improve with experience and another year on his back ?

Might be an unpopular opinion by the sounds of it but I think it's very rare that a horse goes from being a poor jumper to a good jumper over a summer break...

 

[Lobos]

Might be an unpopular opinion by the sounds of it but I think it's very rare that a horse goes from being a poor jumper to a good jumper over a summer break...

Not just a summer break though. He was only a baby last season albeit a bloody big one !

 

[darlojim]

You've got to have a serious amount of trust that his jumping will improve to still fancy him, unless you think FAF is the bar setter?

At this moment in time it's hard to see that for me, and I have Maj covered!

Could it be a combination that Majborough is better on quicker ground and LH

We know he is awful RH from Punchestown and today so at least Chelt is left so theres a positive.

I rewatched the Arkle and the DRF and he jumped perfectly fine in March for the majority of the race bar the open ditch (4th last) and the 2nd last. Even at the last he went through it but was away quick from it. At the DRF he went from the front at a solid pace and was again decent for the majority (small mistake at the 5th), put down on Mark at the 6th and small nod on landing at the 4th last. I think he's a better horse gunned from the frontand would like to see some sort of cheekpieces/headgear to keep him interested.

Obviously takes plenty of trust that his jumping will improve but if he can jump efficiently, he'd take some stopping imo.

 

[FinalFurlong91]

Might be an unpopular opinion by the sounds of it but I think it's very rare that a horse goes from being a poor jumper to a good jumper over a summer break...

Feel like its rare for a poor jumper to ever become a good one

Maybe after a poor debut over fences but not after 4 now 5 goes

He might be a little better but hes never going to be a natural. He just looks enormous and a bit uncoordinated.

 

[Benjy23]

Feel like its rare for a poor jumper to ever become a good one

Maybe after a poor debut over fences but not after 4 now 5 goes

He might be a little better but hes never going to be a natural. He just looks enormous and a bit uncoordinated.

Agreed. You get those that win big races on class despite never being natural chasers. But generally they're either natural or not. And you very rarely get huge amounts of improvement in the jumping department imo.

Anyway backing Majborough should've been doing so on that basis. And although I've not backed him, I think it's still possible he wins a Champion Chase without jumping well based on today. Wish I'd taken some cover at 7s haha

 

[SeanRock]

I think the omitted fence didn’t help Maj today either. His jumping was perfect up to then when had too much track to be taking in & seemed to lose his concentration from then on.

Going left handed will help at Leopardstown. The Chase track is tight enough to keep him straight. I’ll reserve judgment until after Christmas

 

[YoungHustler]

Watching Majborough reminds me of watching El Fabiolo in that I'm always hoping the next approaching fence isn't going to be clobbered!

It's clear to see that Maj isn't the best of jumpers but boy does he have a massive engine. Today was Found A Fifty's Gold Cup, third run of the season and being given weight by a horse who was having his debut on an unfavoured right hand track. If Maj hadn't clobbered the second last, he would have won imo.

I know some don't pay attention to RPRs but what will FAF get for this run? He already got a 167 last time out so I think he'll get something similar. With this in mind, Maj can't be rated too far behind imo, so just imagine what he can achieve when fully fit, going left handed and jumping slightly cleaner? There's always going to be mistakes and unclean jumps but unless he makes a serious race ending mistake, he would still be the CC winner imo. So basically, you would be betting 6/1 if he makes a serious race ending mistake or not. Note El Fabiolo did just this when going off 2/9 a couple of years ago!

 

[SeanRock]

I took the 3/1 about Maj for Leopardstown at Christmas. IET is sidestepping it & with a run under his belt I think it’s value to beat Marine who’s vulnerable on soft going first time out.

 

[Lobos]

The race at Xmas will be his D-Day . He'll have no excuses that day.

 

[Lobos]

I took the 3/1 about Maj for Leopardstown at Christmas. IET is sidestepping it & with a run under his belt I think it’s value to beat Marine who’s vulnerable on soft going first time out.

Have they said where IET is going next ?

 

[Pisto]

What does TWAF mean ?

In Majboroighs case to whack a fence

 

[FredFlintstone]

I took the 3/1 about Maj for Leopardstown at Christmas. IET is sidestepping it & with a run under his belt I think it’s value to beat Marine who’s vulnerable on soft going first time out.

Will they run Maj again over Christmas?

 

[Benjy23]

Will they run Maj again over Christmas?

“We should be able to get to Leopardstown over Christmas with him if he recovers nicely from this race."

Is what he said yesterday after the race.

 

[Eggs]

Mullins said of the JP McManus-owned Majborough, who was third in the Arkle at Cheltenham and ended last season with a Grade 1 win over two miles at the Punchestown Festival: "I was disappointed that he made mistakes down the back stretch.

"It's his first run... the winner I think had had two runs. And giving the winner 4lb so there's plenty of hope there yet.

"He seems to have lost his confidence, I don't know whether more schooling could do it or maybe out in trip, although I think we're stay where we are (two miles) for the time being.

"We will see, I think this (the first run back) will be a big help for him too. But definitely there's question marks there over his jumping."

 

[EnvoiAlien]

Might be an unpopular opinion by the sounds of it but I think it's very rare that a horse goes from being a poor jumper to a good jumper over a summer break...

Especially if they're doing nothing with them over the summer, if he's out in a field I'd see no harm in having a few poles set up, can loose school himself if he gets bored of eating grass.