The weekend’s Graded action focussed on the 2m chase division as a pair of runners with an eye on the Queen Mother Champion Chase topped the bill in Britain and Ireland.
Nicky Henerson’s Jonbon has yet to taste victory at the Cheltenham Festival but has been unstoppable away from Prestbury Park. Comfortably the most likely of the home team to prevail in March, the JP McManus-owned star made his next step in the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
Over in Ireland, all eyes were on the Hilly Way Chase at Cork for the long-awaited return of the dual Champion Chase hero Energumene. Edging ever closer to his 11th birthday and forced to relinquish his crown through injury in 2024, does the Tony Bloom star retain all his old talent?
Jonbon Terrific in Tingle Creek
Five rivals turned up to take on the 8/13 favourite, Jonbon, in Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase. Of that quintet, the Alan King-trained Edwardstone was deemed most likely to cause an upset despite having tried and failed to master the Nicky Henderson ace on four occasions in the past.
Whilst Jonbon appeared to have Edwardstone’s number, others in the mix were having their first crack at the mount of Nico de Boinville; JPR One, who had made an impressive return in the Haldon Gold Cup, and 2021 Triumph Hurdle winner, Quilixios, who arrived on the back of a career-best chase performance at Naas.
Once underway, the departures of Edwardstone and Master Chewy simplified Jonbon’s task slightly. However, even if that duo had stayed on their feet, it’s difficult to imagine that either would have finished within hailing distance of Jonbon. Barring a couple of minor errors, Jonbon was a class apart from these rivals. Prominent throughout and producing some prodigious leaps over the railway fences, he nosed into the lead in the straight before swatting away the Quilixios challenge to power to an 8l success.
In landing an eighth career Grade 1, Jonbon matches the tally of his elder brother Douvan. He also joined Flagship Uberalles, Kauto Star, Moscow Flyer, and Sound Man to become the fifth horse to successfully defend his Tingle Creek Chase title since the race gained Grade 1 status in 1994. The odds compilers were suitably impressed by this magnificent display. Available at 7/2 before the race, Jonbon is now the clear favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at a general price of 5/2 and even that is starting to look like decent value.
Energumene Leads the Way at Cork
Heading into the weekend, the Willie Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior was considered the biggest obstacle standing between Jonbon and Champion Chase glory. The 2024 Arkle champ remains a formidable opponent, but he may yet be joined in the field by a stablemate who stormed to Champion Chase success in 2022 and 2023.
Energumene lost his chance to claim a third Champion Chase success through an injury which saw him miss the entire 2023/24 campaign. However, retirement was never mentioned for the talented ten-year-old, and Sunday saw the son of Denham Red make his return from a 593-day break in the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork.
Much too good for his rivals in the 2021 and 2022 editions of this event, could Energumene repeat the feat two years on and following such a yawning absence from the track? The market kept the faith in the returning star, who started as the 5/4f.
In the end, favourite backers were rewarded, as Energumene crossed the line 10l clear of his nearest pursuer, Dinoblue. However, this victory wasn’t quite as smooth as that winning margin suggests. Looking a little rusty in the early stages, Energumene jumped notably out to his right. He then found his task made significantly easier when the challenging Banbridge unseated his rider at the final fence. That said, he did look to be travelling the better of the two leaders at the time and can be expected to improve considerably on what was his first run in over 18 months.
In winning this contest again, Energumene joins Golden Silver as the only three-time winner in Hilly Way Chase history. His next stop seems likely to take him to Ascot for the Clarence House Chase. Should that go well, he will attempt to become the first eleven-year-old Queen Mother Champion Chase winner since the great Moscow Flyer in 2005. The odds compilers have taken a positive view of this return. Available at 10/1 for the Champion Chase on Sunday morning, he is now just around 5/1.
