Odds-on favorite Jonbon received the Melling Chase on day two of the Grand Nationwide assembly at Aintree.
The nine-year-old, who was 4-6 favorite, was a part of a entrance three initially earlier than jockey Nico de Boinville settled him in behind.
He took over on the second circuit and went clear earlier than being pushed out by De Boinville to win by three and 1 / 4 lengths from Protektorat.
It’s some compensation for Jonbon, who completed second after a shuddering mistake when odds-on favorite for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham Competition final month.
“There was actually [an awful lot riding on that],” De Boinville advised ITV. “Jonbon will get us out of hassle once more.
“You’ll have mentioned it has been a tricky week however all of the credit score to the employees and significantly the governor [trainer Nicky Henderson], [owner] JP McManus and his workforce.
“They’ve saved the religion in us – we needed to decide ourselves up after yesterday [with Constitution Hill] and fortunately I’ve acquired very nice horses to trip like Jonbon right here. He’s an absolute famous person.
“He was a really completely different horse to the one I rode at Cheltenham – he actually loved it on the market immediately. You’ll be able to see when he is proper and on tune he loves his leaping.
“Racing and all sport is a tricky place to be in. You have simply acquired to roll with the punches – and whenever you’re on the ground, you’ve got simply acquired to select your self up once more. It is like that well-known Rocky saying ‘you have to stand up and preserve transferring ahead’ and that is what we try to do.”
It’s Jonbon’s second win within the Melling Chase, which is a step up in journey to 2m 3f 200y, and his tenth top-level Grade One win, persevering with his 100% success fee in races away from Cheltenham.
Henderson, who has received the Melling Chase 5 instances, advised ITV: “That Champion Chase would not appear to work for him. It’s a pity as a result of that simply went all flawed for him. He proved immediately that he simply loves doing that – they went some gallop however that’s what he loves greatest.
“He was good and he jumped so properly. Nico and him know one another so properly – they only belief one another.
“Yesterday [with Constitution Hill] wasn’t a simple day for any of us. All of us really feel that, and I do know Nico does as properly. We now have points we’ve to type out and to return again and provides a horse a trip like that, that may be a nice man.”
Matata completed third, whereas the Willie Mullins-trained El Fabiolo fell on the second circuit.
