Jonbon wins Tingle Creek at Sandown but unchanged in Champion Chase betting ahead of El Fabiolo's return

JOB done for Jonbon - but this performance won’t leave El Fabiolo quaking in his boots.

Nicky Henderson’s top two-miler had a penalty kick in the Betfair Tingle Creek and slotted it in the bottom corner under Nico de Boinville.

But he put in a handful of scruffy leaps and had to work harder than expected to get past game front-runner Haddex Des Obeaux.

This was by no means a vintage Tingle Creek, a race won by legends like Moscow Flyer, Kauto Star and Sprinter Sacre in the not too distant past.

Edwardstone’s form has nosedived since he won this race 12 months ago, Haddex Des Obeaux was stepping up from handicaps and Grade 1s have always been too much for Nube Negra.

So defeat was out of the question for Jonbon, and at the end of the day he did add another ‘1’ next to his name.

But you’d want to see a little more from the 3-10 favourite going forwards with the Champion Chase in mind, for all he would be more at home on a sounder surface.

Cautious Hendo had taken some stick earlier in the day for taking out Constitution Hill and Shishkin of the Fighting Fifth because of the testing going at Sandown.

It’s a good job Jonbon’s owner JP McManus encouraged him to run Jonbon - because you can bet your bottom dollar Hendo's inclination would have been to scratch him, too.

All said and done he was two and a bit lengths clear of Edwardstone, and the bookies left him unchanged at 5-2 for the Champion Chase in March. 

All eyes are now on Willie Mullins’ hot favourite El Fabiolo, who will show us what he is made of at Cork this afternoon.

Henderson said: “I think you will see a better horse on better ground, but he was good today and he has really grown up over the last 12 months.

“His jumping has improved and the pre-race antics, the sweating up and all the rest of it, that’s gone now.

“Willie’s horse will run tomorrow and we will watch that with great interest, but I’m thrilled with our horse.”

Edwardstone ran on after the last to snatch second, and he might’ve finished closer but for a bad mistake down the back.

Alan King said: “The mistake could have knocked the stuffing out of him but he battled on well and I’m very proud of him.”

Earlier on the card, Gary Moore’s Le Patron sprung a 16-1 shock in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase.

He led from pillar to post under David Noonan and had enough up his sleeve to fend off the late charge of Colonel Harry (2-1f).

Moore said: “I’ve been telling his owner to be patient and that he would improve for fences, it makes a change but I was right.

“I’ll admit I am surprised he was good enough to win, and he’ll come back here for the Scilly Isles in February.”

And the old boy and outsider of the field Not So Sleepy (9-1) galloped to an easy win in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Trainer Hughie Morrison said: “He’s an 11-year-old now and this is his tenth season racing, but he still has all his old enthusiasm. He's a legend."

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