Nico de Boinville: Cheltenham 2024 chances, odds and Festival record

The 2024 Cheltenham Festival (12-15 March) is almost here and this article profiles the runners most likely to bring Nico de Boinville further glory at the Cotswolds showpiece. 

 What is Nico de Boinville’s Cheltenham Festival record?

As stable jockey to Nicky Henderson, there is always plenty for Nico de Boinville to look forward to when the Cheltenham Festival rolls around.  

The 34-year-old Hampshire-born rider has 16 Festival winners on his CV, dating back to Whisper winning the Coral Cup for Henderson in 2014.

His tally includes a Gold Cup, three Queen Mother Champion Chase wins and one Champion Hurdle, so he needs only a Stayers’ Hurdle to complete his set of the Championship prizes in the Cotswolds.

With at least one winner every year since 2014, de Boinville now boasts the longest active winning-streak among his weighing-room colleagues.

In 2015, De Boinville was the man on the plate as Coneygree became the first novice in more than four decades to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Mark and Sarah Bradstock-trained gelding producing a superb front-running display.

A year later, he won the other chasing crown jewel, the Champion Chase, on a rejuvenated Sprinter Sacre for Henderson. He won back-to-back renewals of the same race on Altior in 2018 and 2019.

In 2023, he partnered Constitution Hill to victory in the Champion Hurdle with an emphatic display that confirmed the horse’s status as the top two-miler around. Alas, the champion was ruled out of this year’s Festival at the 11th hour after picking up an infection.

But perhaps none of his Festival wins can match Might Bite’s 2017 win in the three-mile novice chase, the enigmatic scorer appearing to throw the race away halfway up the run-in as he wandered away to the right, only to rally strongly and get back in front on the line.

What are the latest Nico de Boinville Cheltenham odds?

 Top jockey

Nico de Boinville key entries for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival

Jeriko Du Reponet – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.30, Tuesday) 

The unbeaten Henderson-trained hurdler Jeriko du Reponet is potentially Britain’s best hope in the curtain-raising Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

He came with a lofty reputation in the colours of top owner JP McManus and won both starts at Newbury before landing the Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster in January.

Not everyone was impressed with that Town Moor display, however the runner-up Lump Sum has advertised the form by winning the Dovecote at Kempton since.

Jeriko Du Reponet @ 7/1 with BetMGM

Maries Rock – Mares’ Hurdle (4.10, Tuesday) 

The 2022 Mares’ Hurdle winner Maries Rock is likely to have her third crack at the race this year.

She was below her best in the renewal last March, although it was a strong one as Honeysuckle won, but she has come back to something like her top form of late.

She was second to Bob Olinger on New Year’s Day in the Relkeel Hurdle and then won a Grade 2  contest over three miles at Doncaster at the end of that month.

Jonbon – Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.30, Wednesday) 

Jonbon has been amongst the ante-post favourites for the Champion Chase all season, though he was surprisingly beaten in the Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham in January in his final prep race.

His jumping was alarmingly poor at times that day, though he rallied strongly and was only just pipped on the line.

He must prove he can get back to his best after what was a hard race but his legion of supporters will be hoping the return of De Boinville in the saddle will be a plus after injury forced him to miss out last time.

Sir Gino – Triumph Hurdle (1.30, Friday)

De Boinville has repeatedly shown his ability to handle a pressure situation on a horse that is expected to win and that is going to be the case when Sir Gino goes to post in the Triumph Hurdle.

The four-year-old is viewed by many as a “British banker” after his ultra-impressive Trials Day win at the course and Henderson has a stunning record in the race.

Sir Gino – Triumph Hurdle @ 4/6 with BetMGM

Shishkin – Gold Cup (3.30, Friday) 

With Constitution Hill now missing out, perhaps no Seven Barrows inmate will have more focus on him than Shishkin.

He has shown himself to be enigmatic at times but the manner in which he won at Aintree last spring and looked set to win the King George at Christmas before unseating de Boinville late on were both hugely impressive.

He won the Denman Chase at Newbury en route to here and if his temperament and stamina hold up, he could be the biggest British threat to Ireland’s recent Gold Cup dominance. 

Shishkin – Gold Cup @ 7/1 with BetMGM

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