Tag Archive for: Tingle Creek

King happy to send Edwardstone into Jonbon battle again

Alan King’s Edwardstone will have another crack at the tough nut that is Jonbon in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on Saturday.

The two horses have plenty of history and one previous victory in the race apiece, with Edwardstone’s coming in 2022 and Jonbon’s the following season when he beat the reigning champion by two and three-quarter lengths.

Both started their season in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham, where again it was Jonbon who prevailed but Edwardstone was not disgraced when beaten into third with Boothill narrowly ahead of him.

”Edwardstone will be 11 on New Year’s Day, but his enthusiasm and work at home has been as good as its ever been,” King said on his website.

“I was delighted with his comeback run behind Jonbon in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham last month, and he took a bit of a blow going to the last fence, which suggests that he might come on for the run.

Edwardstone winning the Arkle in 2022
Edwardstone winning the Arkle in 2022 (Nigel French/PA)

“No doubt Jonbon will improve as well, but Edwardstone was less than three lengths behind him in this race last year and there has never been much between the pair.

“Edwardstone won the Tingle Creek in 2022 and it’s one of my favourite steeplechases. Obviously, I’d love to win it again, but, while Jonbon is a worthy odds-on favourite, I have seen no reason at home not to run, and if I opted out where else would I go?”

As alluded to by King, Jonbon is the horse to beat in the race and will head the field for the Grade One for trainer Nicky Henderson.

The eight-year-old has a flawless record at the track, winning all four runs there to date including his Tingle Creek success over Edwardstone last term.

His winning comeback in the Shloer Chase should now stand him in good stead as he bids to return another trophy to the mantelpiece at Seven Barrows.

Jonbon winning the Melling Chase last season
Jonbon winning the Melling Chase last season (David Davies/PA)

“We are now in a crucial part of the year where you need to be winning these sorts of races,” said Henderson.

“It is nice if you have horses, like Jonbon, that can at least go in there with a good shout, but as always it is going to be competitive.

“We know that he quite likes Sandown. He seems to get into a good rhythm around there, which some horses don’t find as easy as he possibly does.

“It is a real test as those fences come up in all shapes and sizes and sometimes very quickly, which he seems to enjoy.

“He has already won a Tingle Creek, so let’s try to bag another one.”

Boothill is also back for the rematch for Harry Fry having gone down by a length and a half in the Shloer Chase.

Harry Fry's Boothill at Kempton
Harry Fry’s Boothill at Kempton (Nigel French/PA

“He’s come out of the Shloer in top form, and we couldn’t be more pleased with him. He did a great piece of work during the week and he seems in really good order,” the trainer told Grosvenor Sport.

“Obviously, we’re taking on Jonbon again, and of course Edwardstone too. It’s a Grade One and so we knew it was going to be as competitive as it’s turned out.

“Jonbon sets the clear standard and is the one we’ve got to beat, but they’re not machines and they’ve all got to turn up and run their races. As do we, of course, but our guy definitely deserves to be taking his chance and hopefully he won’t be too far away where it matters most.

“It’s encouraging that Boothill has run so well at the track before, so that gives us confidence, as does the quality of his run in Cheltenham in November. He’s definitely come forward from that day at Cheltenham and hopefully that sees him in contention come Saturday.

“We’ll be hoping they don’t get the rain they’re fearing, as our guy is really at his best on better ground, so we’ll just have to cross our fingers as far as that’s concerned.”

JPR One en route to Haldon Gold Cup victory
JPR One en route to Haldon Gold Cup victory (David Davies/PA)

Joe Tizzard has a contender in the seven-year-old JPR One, who caught the eye with a neat Haldon Gold Cup victory when returning to action at Exeter last month.

“The plan is to run him, it’s a step (back) up to a Grade One, but he’s a progressive horse and I wouldn’t mind finding out where we stand with him,” said Tizzard.

“He’ll tell us where we need to go for the rest of the season, he’s in wonderful form and seems to have come out of Exeter really well.

“He travelled well into the race, he got there easily, it was a nice performance and hopefully he’s come on for the run.”

Henry de Bromhead’s Quilixios is one of two Irish-trained runners and comes into it having started his season in good form with a comprehensive defeat of Marine Nationale in the Barberstown Castle Chase at Naas.

Quilixios winning the Triumph Hurdle in 2021
Quilixios winning the Triumph Hurdle in 2021 (David Davies/PA)

Last season brought about mixed fortunes for the seven-year-old, who was twice a winner as a novice but did not stay the trip when stepped up to three miles for the Florida Pearl at Punchestown.

“We started him off over two and a half at Limerick last season and then we stepped up in trip and we just got that wrong. We’re very happy over two to two and a half,” De Bromhead explained.

“He’d been in (training) quite a while because he’d been out the previous season with an injury. I’d say his run at Naas was the race to take out of last season and maybe we were starting to peter out after that.

“Things probably didn’t go right for him in the Arkle and I’d say Aintree was too much at that stage.

“His first run this season was going to tell us a lot as to where we were and I think ridden positively like that, he really enjoyed it and he showed what he is.

“He won a Triumph Hurdle, beating Zanahiyr, so he’s a fair horse.”

Joseph O’Brien’s Solness is the other Irish challenger and was last seen finishing a neck behind Found A Fifty in the Fortria Chase at Navan.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Master Chewy was beaten a head by the same horse in the Maghull at Aintree last season and lines up having returned to action when fourth in an Ascot handicap last month, with Dan Skelton’s Grand Annual winner Unexpected Party completing the field.



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Jonbon all set to bid for Tingle Creek double

Nicky Henderson would love to see Jonbon become the first horse since the great Kauto Star to claim back-to-back victories in the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on Saturday.

The master of Seven Barrows has trained a whole host of top-class two milers including Remittance Man, Travado and two recent Tingle Creek heroes in Sprinter Sacre (2012) and Altior (2018).

Henderson believes seven-time Grade One winner Jonbon “matches up” with all of those horses as he looks to defend his Sandown crown, as Kauto Star did in 2006.

Trainer Nicky Henderson (left) with Jonbon
Trainer Nicky Henderson (left) with Jonbon (David Davies/PA)

“I think you have to give him pretty high star status as he certainly compares with all the others. To be fair any horse that has won the amount of Grade Ones that he has done has to be pretty good,” said the trainer.

“They have all been completely different. Sprinter was unique as he was just a big, beautiful, mighty horse and Altior was great.

“He matches up with all the other lads. He is a solid person and a great character.”

Just as he did last season, Jonbon will be looking to follow up a comeback victory in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham.

The eight-year-old will be reopposed by the second, third and fourth from that Grade Two contest in Boothill, Edwardstone and Unexpected Party respectively and Henderson is optimistic his charge can confirm his superiority on a track where he is unbeaten in four starts.

He added: “We are very happy with Jonbon. Paddy (Murphy) who rides him every day tells me he is very happy, but he is an eternal optimist so I hope he is right!

“The whole idea of the Shloer is that it is a nice stepping stone, and although it comes quite close to the Tingle Creek, it brought him on really well last year, and I’d be disappointed if it hasn’t brought him on again this year.

“Edwardstone was there with us in the Shloer and I expect Alan King thinks and hopes he will have come on for that race, and the second Boothill as well. They were all making their seasonal debuts, but we would hope we can confirm the placings.

“They are all entitled to come on for the Shloer run, but so is Jonbon and I think we are in a good place with him.”

Henderson is unconcerned about the prospect of conditions deteriorating ahead of Saturday’s feature event, saying: “I gather there is plenty of rain to come so we have got to be prepared for soft ground, but I think he is pretty versatile as far as ground is concerned. Like any top-class horse, he can handle most things.

“It would be good if he could win this for a second time as this is one of the first big Grade One tests on the calendar and it is a historic race in memory of what was a great horse in Tingle Creek, who I remember well.”

Jonbon successfully stepped up to two and a half miles in the Melling Chase at Aintree in the spring, raising the intriguing possibility he could test the water over three at some stage, potentially in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

However, he looks set to stick to the minimum trip for the time being as his trainer aims to add the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham to the Walk In The Park gelding’s CV.

Jonbon with connections after winning last year's Tingle Creek
Jonbon with connections after winning last year’s Tingle Creek (Steven Paston/The Jockey Club)

“He was supposed to go to Cheltenham for the Queen Mother in March, but as you know we weren’t happy with the horses on the whole at that time, and we had to just pass the meeting by,” Henderson went on.

“We then wanted to go to Aintree, where there isn’t a two-mile race, but a very good two-and-a-half-mile race – and two and a half miles around Aintree is a different ball game to two miles around Cheltenham as one is a very easy track, and one is a very stiff one.

“He was always going to come back to two miles for the Celebration Chase after that. It would have been very interesting to have tried three miles, and if you were ever going to do it, I suppose the obvious thing would have been to look at the King George, but if you do that you then take him out of the Tingle Creek.

“He hasn’t won a Champion Chase, and that would be nice, but you just take things one race at a time.”

Nicky Henderson with Constitution Hill
Nicky Henderson with Constitution Hill (David Davies/PA)

Henderson also gave an update on Constitution Hill, who was forced to miss his eagerly-awaited return to action in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, after being found to be lame following a public workout at Newbury.

“We are just working away on Constitution Hill. He will be working away this weekend and we have then got another couple of weeks until the Christmas Hurdle (Kempton Park, Boxing Day),” he said.

“Hopefully everything is on schedule. It is just routine work he will be doing at the weekend.”



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Quilixios primed for Tingle Creek and ‘pretty adaptable’ ground-wise

Thirteen years on from the success of the hugely popular Sizing Europe, Quilixios will bid to provide Henry de Bromhead with a second victory in the Betfair Tingle Creek on Saturday.

Sizing Europe was the reigning Queen Mother Champion Chase hero when justifying favouritism at Sandown in 2013, and while Quilixios has not yet managed to scale those heights over fences, he could hardly have been more impressive on his reappearance at Naas last month.

The 2021 Triumph Hurdle winner missed the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign through injury and results were mixed after his return last season, with wins at Limerick and Naas followed by disappointing efforts in the Arkle at Cheltenham and a Grade One at Aintree.

However, he showed his true colours when leading Marine Nationale a merry dance in the Grade Three Barberstown Castle Chase in early November, teeing him up perfectly for this weekend’s feature event.

“He seems in great form and we’re looking forward to going over,” De Bromhead said on Tuesday.

“He’s got good form on everything. I was probably a little bit concerned about the better ground at Naas the other day, but he seemed to handle that really well, and he won a good race at Naas back in January on very testing ground, so I think he’s pretty adaptable.

“I was very happy with the performance (last month). I thought he jumped great and galloped to the line well and I was delighted with him – it was great to see him back.

“He had a bit of a mixed season last year, so we wanted to see where we were. He answered all our questions really well, we hope he’ll improve for the run as well and the Tingle Creek was an obvious race to have a go at.”

Henry de Bromhead with Quilixios after winning at Naas
Henry de Bromhead with Quilixios after winning at Naas (Gary Carson/PA)

Quilixios is the 11-2 second-favourite for the Tingle Creek with Betfair, who make Nicky Henderson’s defending champion Jonbon their 1-2 market leader.

De Bromhead added: “Jonbon is obviously very good and he’s going to be very hard to beat, but at least we’ll know where we stand for the rest of the season.

“I have a fondness for any of these Grade Ones, but the Tingle Creek is a famous race and we’d love to win it again.”

Quilixios is set to be joined on the trip from Ireland by the Joseph O’Brien-trained 20-1 shot Solness.

A winner over fences and hurdles already this season, the six-year-old was last seen pushing Found A Fifty close in the Fortria Chase at Navan and O’Brien is hoping for another bold showing at Sandown.

“He’s a tough horse. He’s been very consistent, he had a good run at Navan last time and I think he has a realistic chance to collect some prize money,” he said.

“He’s pretty durable, he’s won over hurdles and over fences this year. We’ll continue to mix and match it wherever he can collect some money throughout the season.

“He jumped very well last time. He was a shade unlucky, there was a bit of argy-bargy over the last and he arguably would have got even closer without that, but he was beaten a neck by a very good horse. It sets him up well for here.

“He’s very straightforward but he likes to be ridden positively. He’ll stick to two miles, we tried him over further at Clonmel and it just stretched him out a bit. A fast-run two miles with an emphasis on jumping suits him well and that’s what he might get at the weekend.

“He ran well in a Grade Two last time, it’s going to be a small field and he’s earned a crack at it.”



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Sandown officials keen to avoid ‘nasty piece of weather on Friday’

Sandown officials are on “weather watch” due to an unsettled forecast ahead of the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase on Saturday.

Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon, who won the race on heavy ground last season, is set to return to defend his crown in the Grade One at the weekend.

Conditions at present would allow him to do so on less challenging ground, but after a mild start to the week, there is a less agreeable band of weather that could sweep in towards the latter end.

“If we were racing here today over fences, I would describe the backstraight as good to soft, good in places – the good bit being the water jump to the last railway,” said Andrew Cooper, Sandown’s clerk of the course.

“The home straight and the bends, I’d say are more good to soft, soft in places, as we speak. There’s a bit of run-off from the stands here, the stand side does tend to get a little bit softer as the season goes on.

“The backstraight, being based to a large extent on sand, is very quick drying and quick draining.

“Fundamentally, at the moment we are good to soft, with bits and pieces either side of that.

“We’re enjoying a nice, benign start to the week and it looks dry tomorrow until the evening, 10 or 11 o’clock, then that looks as though it could be the first of a number of fronts potentially carrying a lot of rain.

“Though there isn’t any great confidence in this forecast at the moment, there is some suggestion that it could turn quite wet and very windy overnight on Friday through to Saturday.

“That could also head towards France and the Channel and it would be good if it did, quite frankly.

“We’re on weather watch a bit, with no immediate concerns but it’d be nice if that nasty piece of weather on Friday did take a different route across to France instead of over the south of England.”



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Jonbon hangs tough for Tingle Creek success

Jonbon showed a different side to his character when running out a gritty winner of the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

The two-mile Grade One was run in very testing conditions and Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old was not seen to best effect but took his record to 12 wins from 14 career outings.

Only four went to post with Boothill a non-runner but Gary Moore’s Haddex Des Obeaux made sure there was no hanging about.

Nico de Boinville had Jonbon settled in second but when the runners went out down the back straight he was jumping so well he soon found himself upsides.

Edwardstone survived a bad blunder at one of the Railway Fences but did not lose much momentum and he soon got involved on the turn for home.

Briefly Jonbon looked like he may have a real fight on his hands but his class come to the fore and he was soon back on the bridle.

Having safely jumped the last fence Jonbon, sent off the 30-100 favourite, stayed on strongly to beat Edwardstone by two and three-quarter lengths.

“You have got to say it is always going to be tough in this ground and rightly we said hang on to him as long as possible today as that is the sort of ground where you can get caught out,” said Henderson having saddling his third winner in the Grade One event.

“This is a horse that likes to attack it, but it was essential to keep his powder a bit dry today. It was the plan to just hold on to him a bit longer than you might do. He is an attacker and you can really let him rip, but that is dangerous in these conditions.

“He’s jumping very well this year, but there is no reason why. He was a novice last year and when he was here at the back-end of last season he was taking on the very old professional chasers. He’s grown up now and has to be a senior and he’s doing that well.

“The way he moves, he is still a better horse on better ground because a classy horse can cope with everything.

The Jonbon team after Tingle Creek glory
The Jonbon team after Tingle Creek glory (John Walton/PA)

“Do any of them really want it like that? It is miles better on the chase course than it is the hurdles course but there was never a worry about not running him compared to the other guys because the chase course is generally just very soft winter ground.

“There are only two options for him (on the way to the Champion Chase) and that is the Game Spirit (Newbury, February 10) or the Clarence House (Ascot, January 20) and I suspect he will have one run on the way.

“He’s growing up all the time and we had a gallop at Windsor believe it or not earlier on in the year and a little away day at Newbury and he got himself very geed up in those sort of preps. But by the time he got to Cheltenham the other day and here today he has travelled well in the horsebox and he’s settled in well. He’s not sweating anymore and he’s growing up on that score.”

Edwardstone lost little in defeat in second
Edwardstone lost little in defeat in second (Steven Paston/PA)

Alan King said of Edwardstone: “I don’t think the mistake had much of an effect as he jumped well after that.

“Tom (Cannon, jockey) actually still thinks he is as good as ever. We have just got a superstar in front of us, and I couldn’t be happier with him really. I did expect him to get closer, but this wouldn’t really be his ground. I know he won a handicap hurdle at Market Rasen on heavy ground but that was off 130 or something.

“He has run a hell of a race and I’m very proud of him. He certainly doesn’t go to the King George, but I will have a chat with the owners.

“I might try and give him one run in the new year in January or February over two and a half miles and then decide whether we go for the Queen Mother or the Ryanair. That’s the one that is in my mind the Ascot Chase. We will enjoy today then think. I want to try him over two and a half and try to avoid Jonbon.”



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Jonbon ‘older and stronger’ for ground challenge at Sandown

Hot favourite Jonbon is on course for Saturday’s Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old has won 11 of his 13 races under rules, with his only two defeats coming at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, behind stablemate Constitution Hill and Willie Mullins’ El Fabiolo.

He gained a first course victory at Cheltenham on his reappearance last month when an easy winner of the Shloer Chase and is a long odds-on shot to follow up his victory in the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase on the same card 12 months ago.

Jonbon has plenty of course form at Sandown to his name
Jonbon has plenty of course form at Sandown to his name (Steven Paston/PA)

“He was very good at Cheltenham, he did everything well. Touch wood, Nicky and Nico (de Boinville) are both very happy with him going to Sandown on Saturday and hopefully he’ll run a big race,” said owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry.

“We just don’t know how he’ll go on really soft ground until he tries it – he has won on soft ground plenty of times.

“He’s another year older and stronger so hopefully he’ll be able to cope with it.

“He’s been unlucky at the Festival for the last two years but he’s still run two massive races, he’s just bumped into two very, very good horses.

“Fingers crossed he can carry on his progression this weekend.”



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King contemplating next step for Edwardstone

Alan King was pleased to “erase the memory” of Edwardstone’s no-show in the Champion Chase in March when chasing home Jonbon in the Shloer Chase on Sunday.

King now has to decide, with the help of connections, whether to take on Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon again in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on December 9 or step him up in trip for the Peterborough Chase the following day.

King has been musing for some time now that Edwardstone may need further than two miles to be seen at his best.

He said on his website, www.alankingracing.co.uk: ”I thought it was a smashing run, and it was such a relief to see Edwardstone erase the memory of last March.

“Cheltenham is still a mystery, but we can now look forward and it is a case of deciding whether to have a rematch with Jonbon when we defend our Tingle Creek crown on December 9 or wait 24 hours so we can step him up to two and a half miles for the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon.”



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