J. P. McManus is the Cheltenham Festival's leading owner

Cheltenham Festival 2023: J. P. McManus’s key runners including Jonbon & Epatante

By John Ingles

Horse Racing

Fri March 10, 2023 · 2y ago

J. P. McManus is the most successful owner in the history of the Cheltenham Festival - our man assesses his key runners there this year.

Jonbon

(Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase - Tuesday)

For the second year running Jonbon rates as his owner’s most exciting Festival entry. He met his match in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last year but there was no disgrace at all in finding his brilliant stablemate Constitution Hill too good there and that remains Jonbon’s only defeat in nine races.

As expected, Jonbon has proved better still over fences, though few have taken on him on in his three starts. However, he was most impressive in beating the only really meaningful rival he’s faced this season, the smart Boothill, in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

He’s better judged on that run than his workmanlike victory in a tactical match for the Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick last time.

A brother to the 2016 Arkle winner, Douvan, Jonbon is bidding to become Nicky Henderson’s eighth winner of the race, though he has little in hand over chief Irish rival El Fabiolo judged on the neck between them when they met over hurdles at Aintree last season.

Epatante

(David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle - Tuesday)

Epatante provided McManus with the most recent of his record nine wins in the Champion Hurdle in 2020. While entered in that race again for the fourth time, the plan is to supplement her for the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle instead.

That’s undoubtedly an easier option than taking on stablemate Constitution Hill again in the Champion Hurdle – she had a distant view of him in both the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdles this season - though it does mean Epatante will bump into another old adversary, Honeysuckle, having been placed behind that mare in the last two Champion Hurdles.

But while Honeysuckle goes to Cheltenham in the rare position of having suffered a couple of defeats, Epatante, who ended last season with a convincing win in the Aintree Hurdle which proves her effectiveness over the longer trip, outclassed her rivals in the Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster last time with a superb round of jumping.

Gentleman de Mee

(Queen Mother Champion Chase - Wednesday)

Could this be the year J. P. McManus wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase?

It’s a rare major prize at the Festival which has eluded him so far, though Gentleman de Mee’s trainer Willie Mullins hadn’t won it either until Energumene’s victory last year. Energumene is his stable’s main hope of winning it again, but it’s a more open race than it had looked earlier in the season and Gentleman de Mee put himself very much in the picture when upsetting better-fancied stablemate Blue Lord in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown last time.

That was a massive turnaround in form from when the pair had met at the same track just after Christmas when Gentleman de Mee’s jumping went to pieces in the closing stages. He was better on the whole in that department last time and returned to the sort of form which had seen him end his novice campaign with a defeat of an admittedly over-the-top Edwardstone in the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

Thanksforthehelp

(Pertemps Network Final - Thursday)

McManus has won the Pertemps Final four times this century, most recently with dual winner Sire du Berlais in 2019 and 2020, and has a couple of leading chances this year with Perceval Legallois and Thanksforthehelp. Both won last time out, with Perceval Legallois successful at the Dublin Racing Festival and Thanksforthehelp hacking up in the Chepstow qualifier at the end of February.

In his second season over hurdles for David Pipe but still lightly raced, Thanksforthehelp had made the frame in all his previous starts but whether it was first-time cheekpieces, another wind operation, the step up in trip, or any combination of those factors, he returned from a two-month break to win a competitive-looking race at Chepstow with lots in hand.

Travelling strongly, Thanksforthehelp was produced to lead between three out and two out to win hard held. He’s very much one to note having crept into the Final at the foot of the weights.

Filey Bay

(County Handicap Hurdle - Friday)

Filey Bay is a recent addition to the McManus squad but has already gone close to winning one big prize for his new owner, with a change of stables to Emmet Mullins this term resulting in him taking his form to a new level in handicap hurdles.

Returning from over a year off, Filey Bay was well backed when comfortably winning on his first start for Mullins at Doncaster at the end of November and he promptly followed up under a penalty at Wincanton five days later.

By the time Filey Bay was seen out again, he was sporting the McManus silks and was sent off the 4/1 favourite for the Betfair Hurdle having seemingly been laid out for the occasion. He couldn’t reel in the ultra-tough Aucunrisque, but shaped like the best horse having reduced the deficit to less than a length when getting the second-last all wrong.

An 8lb higher mark may not be enough to stop him going one better at Cheltenham.

READ: Our handicappers to follow at the Festival

Corbetts Cross

(Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - Friday)

Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle favourite Corbetts Cross will be making his debut in the McManus colours if taking up his Cheltenham entry. He's also a newcomer to Emmet Mullins yard, having been trained until his latest start by Eugene O'Sullivan.

He did well for his previous trainer, winning three of his last four starts for him, each of those races on heavy ground, and put up a useful performance on his handicap debut when stepped up to three miles at Fairyhouse in January when winning with any amount in hand.

Mullins took a very different tack with Corbetts Cross, dropping him back to two miles for the Grade 2 Johnstown Novice Hurdle at Naas last time but he coped well with the different test and stayed on to wear down Found A Fifty by a head as the pair pulled clear. Even so, he should appreciate the return to further and is clearly still on the upgrade.

Impervious

(Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase - Friday)

McManus won the Mares’ Chase a year ago with Elimay and looks to have acquired a likely type for the race again with the Colm Murphy-trained Impervious.

She was in different ownership when only sixth at 22/1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival but has proven much better over fences this term, winning all three of her starts. She beat Dinoblue and Roseys Hollow in a Grade 2 mares’ novice at Cork in December, with McManus evidently one of those impressed by that performance, particularly as he owned both the placed mares - Dinoblue is now one of the favourites for the Grand Annual.

As a result, Impervious made her debut in the green and gold hoops on her latest start when putting up a very smart performance under a penalty to beat Henry de Bromhead’s Turners Novices’ Chase hope Journey With Me by half a length in the Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown.

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org