Tag Archive for: Tingle Creek Chase

Jonbon all class to retain Tingle Creek title

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Jonbon added his name to the list of multiple winners in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at a windswept Sandown.

Nicky Henderson’s elite chaser was winning at the highest level for the eighth time and took his record under rules to 16 wins from 19 starts.

Since the turn of the century top-class chasers like Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer,  Kauto Star, Master Minded and Sire De Grugy have won the Tingle Creek more than once and all Jonbon is now lacking is a first victory at the Cheltenham Festival.

Sent off the 8-13 favourite, Nico de Boinville had an early scare when Jonbon banked the second fence but after that it was plain sailing.

Quilixios took the field along with Jonbon never far away as JPR One also kept tabs on the front two.

Master Chewy fell relatively early on and then Edwardstone departed just as the race was developing, but all the while Jonbon was a looming presence.

Jonbon added his name to an illustrious list
Jonbon added his name to an illustrious list (David Davies/PA)

He hit the front rounding the turn for home and had little trouble extending for an eight-length victory.

Henderson said: “He’s returned with a little nick and I hope it’s just superficial, but it will get cleaned off straight away.

“The mistake at the first ditch – he’s jumped it so many time you’d think he’d know there wasn’t a crocodile in there but today he thought there was! So many horses do that.

“He was up for a battle today, he wanted to battle earlier than even Nico wanted him to. He’s just a real true terrier but he’s a very classy terrier. He loves a scrap and wanted to go faster the whole way.

“Surely we go the Clarence House next and then hopefully we’ll get into a fight with whoever they send over from Ireland at Cheltenham.

“You’d have to say he’s right up there (with Sprinter Sacre and Altior). He’s been at the top of his game apart from the Clarence House last year which was unfortunate, otherwise he’d be one more ahead of the game.

“He is the two-miler than can represent our country. We’ve got to fight against the enemy who are going to come over in force. We’ll have to see how Energumene (former Champion Chase winner) gets on tomorrow.”

“It’s hugely special. After Newcastle last weekend and now this it’s very special, and what a horse he is to win back-to- back Tingle Creeks, he’s quite something,” De Boinville told ITV Racing.

“He really did find a lot there and his jumping is just getting better and better. It was probably miscommunication at the second but that was it.

“It’s hard work out there and gruelling but he’s a hardy horse.

“He’s really maturing, Paddy (Murphy) looks after him after day and keeps him in good order.”

Richard Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud, owners of runner-up Quilixios, said: “We are really happy. We knew it would be tough against Jonbon.

Betfair Tingle Creek Saturday – Sandown Park Racecourse – Saturday 7th December
Quilixios (red silks) during Tingle Creek (David Davies/PA)

“He jumped great and is seven years old so hopefully he has a great future and to finish second in a Tingle Creek is great.

“I think better ground would suit and I liked the way Johnny (Burke, jockey) understood that Jonbon had gone and he looked after the horse. He then ran on again.

“He has proved himself today and all the top two-mile races are open to him. He has shown he belongs there and it’s great to have a horse that can compete in Grade One company.”

Jonbon heads eight contenders for Tingle Creek crown

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Jonbon will face a maximum of seven rivals when he bids for back-to-back victories in the Betfair Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday.

Nicky Henderson’s star chaser was a decisive winner of the Grade One contest 12 months ago and will be a warm order to successfully defend his title after winning Cheltenham’s Shloer Chase for the second successive season in mid-November.

He is likely to renew rivalry with the runner-up in that Grade Two contest, Harry Fry’s Boothill, as well as the third-placed Edwardstone, who claimed the 2022 Tingle Creek for Alan King and finished best of the rest behind Jonbon last term.

Henry de Bromhead’s Quilixios is a major contender from Ireland after comfortably beating Marine Nationale on his reappearance at Naas, while Joseph O’Brien could send Solness.

Joe Tizzard’s Haldon Gold Cup hero JPR One, Dan Skelton’s Unexpected Party and the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Master Chewy complete the potential field, with the latter expected to improve for his comeback run when fourth in a valuable handicap at Ascot a month ago.

Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father, said: “He’s an intended runner, definitely. He deserves his shot at a race like this.

“He ran a very good race at Aintree in the spring (beaten a head by Found A Fifty) and was running a very good race in the Arkle (before falling).

“He’ll definitely improve for the run at Ascot. He had a lot of weight on good ground that day and he’s much more effective on soft ground.

“We’re quite excited about running him on Saturday. Obviously we know the task ahead, but I think he has an each-way chance and I wouldn’t be shocked if he sprung a surprise.”

Race sponsors Betfair make Jonbon their 1-2 favourite, with old rival Edwardstone next at 11-2 and Quilixios a 13-2 shot.

Boothill on course for another Jonbon clash

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Boothill is set to renew rivalry with Jonbon in the Betfair Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday week.

Harry Fry’s high-class two-mile chaser made a flying start to last season with back-to-back handicap wins at Ascot, but fell on his next two starts at Kempton and Newbury.

He rounded off his campaign with a creditable performance in finishing fourth behind Jonbon in Sandown’s Celebration Chase – and finished best of the rest behind Nicky Henderson’s runner on his reappearance in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham earlier this month.

Jonbon will be odds-on to win his second Tingle Creek next weekend and Fry admits he will be a tough nut to crack, but he is happy to roll the dice nonetheless.

Fry said: “Boothill is very much on target for the Tingle Creek. He’s come out of the Shloer Chase in really good form and we were delighted with his run.

“He deserves to take his chance at Sandown, albeit we’re going to be coming up against Jonbon and Edwardstone for sure and if Jonbon turns up and runs his race, he’s going to be very hard to beat.

“We deserve to be in there pitching, so we’ll throw our hat in the ring and you never know. One day one might go his way.”