Sandown Saturday

Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (Grade 1)

JONBON (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) had to show mettle as well as class to win the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on Saturday, with testing ground making conditions tough for all the runners. Only four took part in the end, but Haddex Des Obeaux made sure the race was a test, and the bold-jumping six-year-old tried to stretch his rivals from the off.

Jonbon (3/10 favourite) moved up to challenge the leader early on the back straight, with the pair trading blows and forcing an error from Edwardstone at the first of the Railway fences as the pace lifted.

Haddex Des Obeaux tried to shake off Jonbon after a better jump at the Pond fence, but the latter ranged up again at the penultimate fence, and took control from that point, keeping on strongly up the hill to score by two and three-quarter lengths from a staying-on Edwardstone (Alan King/Tom Cannon), who had two lengths in hand over a gallant Haddex des Obeaux (Gary Moore/Jack Tudor) at the line.

The winner will take in either the Game Spirit or Clarence House Chase before an intended run in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, while Alan King will step Edwardstone up to two and a half miles in the New Year, with the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton the likeliest target.

“This is a horse that likes to attack,” said Henderson of Jonbon. “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.

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

“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, but 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.”

Fighting Fifth Hurdle (Grade 1)

NOT So Sleepy (Hughie Morrison/Sean Bowen) took advantage of the withdrawal of Constitution Hill, stayed on best of all to win the rescheduled Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown, and in doing so became the oldest winner of the Grade 1 contest in its history, the 11-year-old eclipsing the great Sea Pigeon to claim that particular plaudit.

Only four lined up for the rearranged contest, with Love Envoi inheriting favouritism, but she never really travelled in the early stages, and Goshen cut out the running tracked by Not So Sleepy.

The former showed much more than in the Ascot Hurdle but was passed by Not So Sleepy before the penultimate hurdle, and although Love Envoi (Harry Fry/Jonathan Burke) belatedly moved up to challenge, the veteran powered away from the final hurdle to win by eight lengths.

“Whenever conditions are right, he is a Grade 1 horse,” said a delighted Hughie Morrison. “This is his 10th season racing and he has lost none of his enthusiasm.

“He is magnificent, he’s a legend, he is absolutely unique. He runs away with his jockey every day and you can’t take him to half the gallops because he will plant and do things like that.

“But he was in the mood today – if you looked at him today in the paddock, he looked magnificent. I thought we were beat but Sean said as soon as they came to him, he just picked up again. The reason he can keep going is you just don’t know how good he is.”

Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

GARY Moore’s Le Patron – racing in the purple and yellow quarters of owner Liz Avery – gave jockey David Noonan a first Grade 1 win in the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase.

Sent off an unconsidered 16/1 chance, Le Patron jumped superbly and that made the difference between him and favourite JPR One in the straight, that rival travelling well approaching the penultimate fence, but blundering there and immediately beaten.

With Le Patron idling after the last, Colonel Harry (Jamie Snowden/Gavin Sheehan) stayed on to get within a length and a quarter, but the winner had a bit to spare and there was no hint of a fluke about the result.

The winner was dropping in trip having shown previously he stays two and half miles well, and he’s been earmarked for the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase over that trip in February.

Noonan said: “It will take a while to sink in and I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to ride a horse of that quality, and to go and do it is amazing. They were quietly confident beforehand and thought he would run a big race, but whether they thought he would do that or not I don’t know. I’m glad it all worked out.”

Explaining the decision to step up in class from handicaps, Moore said: “It was an ambitious shout, but when a horse jumps as he does and goes in soft ground as he does, we had to give it a try.

“Liz bought this horse over a year ago and we told her he’s a chaser, he’s not a two-mile hurdler.

“That’s why he ended up with the mark he had and thank God, he has proven us right. Not often does that happen, but it has today.”

“He will come back now for the Scilly Isles. I love Sandown, it’s the best racecourse in the country – especially when you get a horse that jumps like he does, it’s a great spectacle.

“I think David is a lovely rider and very underused. All the time I need to use him, I will use him,” Moore added.

Aintree Saturday

THE Venetia Williams-trained Chambard was a plucky winner of a gruelling Becher Chase under amateur rider Lucy Turner, with the 18/1 shot surprising more fancied runners with a positive display of jumping allied to seemingly bottomless stamina, and David and Carol Shaw’s veteran returned with a spring in his step having disputed the running for much of the race.

Conditions and the fences took their toll on the field with only five of the dozen runners getting round. Percussion kept Chambard company from the outset, and Celebre D’Allen moved up menacingly three fences out, but could find nothing when let down, leaving Chambard to come away from the last to register a 13-length win over top-weight Coko Beach, who stayed on willingly despite his burden.

Turner said of the winner, on whom she won the Kim Muir at Cheltenham in 2022: “Chambard has been fantastic for me, and I am so pleased for David and Carol, who have been great supporters of mine over the last few years, so it is nice to get another big one for them.”

Around The Tracks

THERE haven’t been many opportunities for Irish trainers in Britain of late, but Ayr often provides good opportunities and Draperstown handler Noel Kelly struck in the conditional riders’ handicap hurdle there on Monday, with Gamigin scoring under James Smith.

The young rider - son of trainer Matthew Smith - hadn’t ridden a winner over hurdles until a few weeks ago, but this was his third success from as many mounts since.

Flat out

The British flat scene can be bleak in December but the 6pm Novice Stakes at Southwell might be worth remembering. It saw one of the easiest successes for the Karl Burke-trained newcomer Dark Raider.

The Clipper Logistics-owned colt by Dark Angel cruised in by nine lengths from newcomers trained by Roger Varian and the Gosdens and might be well above a typical December maiden winner.