Two-time Melling Chase champion Jonbon will not defend his crown in the Grade 1 race with Nicky Henderson's stable star to miss this year's Grand National Festival.
Jonbon could have been the first horse to complete a hat-trick of victories in the Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday, but Henderson has opted against declaring him for the race in which he's reigned supreme in the previous two years.
Henderson was considering a step up to three miles with the 12-time Grade 1 winner as he featured among the entries for Thursday's Racing Welfare Bowl alongside stablemate Jango Baie, but the Seven Barrows supremo ultimately decided to give Jonbon a reprieve after his Cheltenham exploits and two hard races at Ascot earlier in the season.
Jonbon preserved his remarkable record of finishing in the top two of every race he's contested as he claimed the runner-up spot in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, albeit some ten lengths off the pace of victor Heart Wood.
Underdoing wind surgery last summer, the 10-year-old started the season running over two miles and finished second in the Shloer and Tingle Creek, before returning to the winner's enclosure with an excellent triumph in the Clarence House Chase in January.
Jonbon was victorious again a month later as he stepped up in trip to win over two miles and five furlongs in the Ascot Chase, and Henderson admitted they had been considering his options ahead of the Aintree meeting.
Speaking ahead of the Grand National Festival, Henderson said: "Going up to three miles is something we've spoken about, so we'll see what happens. If you're not entered in these races, you can't win.
"He's in good form and he worked well this morning. He seems in good order, and we'll see how things go this week. We want to keep the options available to him, but he's been very well since Cheltenham."
Jonbon will likely return for the Sandown meeting at the end of April. Last year he relinquished his crown in the Celebration Chase to Il Etait Temps after winning the race for two years running in 2023 and 2024.
Jonbon's absence from the Melling Chase means there will be a new victor in Friday's Grade 1 affair and Heart Wood currently leads the betting in a field of seven.
The Ryanair Chase victor is set to be rivalled by Grey Dawning for Melling Chase honours, who is one of two Dan Skelton runners as 2025 Shloer Chase victor L'Eau du Sud features. Gidleigh Park will be aiming to go one better than his second in the Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree last year, while JPR One, Solness and Saint Segal complete the field.
Melling Chase final declarations
- Gidleigh Park (Harry Fry)
- Grey Dawning (Dan Skelton)
- Heart Wood (Henry De Bromhead)
- JPR One (Joe Tizzard)
- L'Eau du Sud (Dan Skelton)
- Saint Segal (Jane Williams)
- Solness (JP O'Brien)
