Jonbon beats El Fabiolo in eagerly awaited Celebration Chase clash.
Having finished runner-up to Willie Mullins' warm favourite in the Arkle at Cheltenham twelve months ago, Nicky Henderson s Jonbon made it two-one in the ongoing match between himself and El Fabiolo when jumping his rivals into submission in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase at Sandown on Saturday.
Sent off a 15/8 chance to back up his commanding victory over two and a half miles in the Melling Chase at Aintree earlier this month, Jonbon was confidently ridden from the front under Nico de Boinville and the pair jumped well throughout the Grade 1 prize on their drop back to the two-mile trip.
JP McManus' charge turned for home with a healthy advantage and with proven stamina in the book, success never looked in doubt as Jonbon fairly skipped up the Sandown hill to beat the rallying 4/6 market leader, El Fabiolo, by four lengths.
Alan King's Edwardstone (10/1) had to settle for third after coming out the wrong side of the photo-finish.
El Fabiolo, who made a handful of jumping errors throughout, did ensure Willie Mullins would land the British trainers' title when battling on bravely to get up late on to fill the silver medal position.
Henderson joked: "I said to Nico after to Fantastic Lady (who came from last to first in the Oaksey Chase), 'don't do that in the next' as that was meant to make the running and he ended up at the back. He knows he has my full trust, but I can't believe he was ever going to drop this lad out and he didn't.
"We knew a week ago whatever happens we were going to have to go out and drum this race and make it a proper test. We had to test the stamina because we stay two and a half and we had to test everyone's jumping.
"He's not flawless as we saw at Cheltenham but he's brave and two brave people went out there today and thank goodness they're all in one piece and we start again next year.
"It was just a shame he couldn't be at Cheltenham because once El Fabiolo had popped out of the race, then it looked winnable from Jonbon's point of view. He would have to have jumped around himself, but he couldn't because he wasn't there.
"I think he's regained his place in the pecking order of two-mile chasers. He gets from A to B very quickly.
"He's flown the flag all year and it was a brave horse to do that today and a brave jockey as well to be fair, as he had to ask him questions."
With Jonbon now proving his versatility over a variety of distances, Henderson has plenty of options going forward for the JP McManus multiple Grade 1 winner, who is now four from four at Sandown.
: "I was always thinking the Ascot Chase might be the place to start him next season, but Nico's now talking about three whereas at Aintree he was saying go back to two! I don't know what he's
thinking but it doesn't matter. We've got all summer, and we can't ask the horse. We've just got to decide for ourselves where is his optimum," explained the Seven Barrows-based handler.
"Dusting it up like that and making it a proper test of jumping and galloping is pretty damn good."
Jonbon was cut to 3/1 favourite (from 5s) for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next season, with Unibet making him an 8/1 chance (from 12s) for the King George Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
