Dec 07,2024
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.
"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.
"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.
"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."
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.
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.
