"We couldn't be happier with him" - Jonbon ready for Tingle Creek clash with Quilixios

The odds-on favourite for Saturday's Tingle Creek Chase is defending champion Jonbon, who boasts a perfect record around Sandown Park. Nicky Henderson's star clinched the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham before scoring at Sandown 12 months ago and Jonbon returns to Esher having won that Grade Two at Cheltenham for a second time last month.

"We went the Shloer and Tingle Creek route last season and they come on top of each other a bit quickly, but the race would have brought him on nicely and it's put him in the perfect place." Henderson said.

"He jumped very well at Cheltenham – in fact it's the best I've seen him jump. He's in brilliant form and we couldn't be happier with him. He's enjoyed it at Sandown every time he's been there and you have to be confident he will do so again. It seems to bring out the best in him and he's always liked the jumping test."

"He enjoys his racing. He's a very enthusiastic boy and we hope there's still even more improvement to come. He's been very consistent and keeps on proving he's a genuine two-miler. We know he'll get further if you want him to, but there's no need to switch at the moment. If this goes well, we're looking at the Clarence House Chase next and will be hoping he makes it to Cheltenham this time."

Boothill and Edwardstone were no match for Jonbon at Cheltenham and both have ground to make up on the favourite from their meetings at Sandown in 2023/24. The favourite will, however, have a new rival to contend with in the form of Quilixios.

Henry De Bromhead's star won the Triumph Hurdle in 2021 and took to chasing well last term. Quilixios was backed into 11/2 ahead of the Arkle, but was caught out at the start and gave up stacks of ground to the field, a disadvantage that he failed to overturn.

Having comfortably seen off Marine Nationale with a career-best performance at Naas last month, De Bromhead set his sights on Sandown and he's excited about the showdown with Jonbon this weekend.

"He seems in great form." De Bromhead said. "We're looking forward to going over to Sandown."

"I was very happy with the performance at Naas. He jumped great and galloped right to the line, so it was great to see him back. The Tingle Creek is a famous race and we would love to win it again. Obviously Jonbon is very good and is going to be very hard to beat but at least we'll know where we stand for the rest of the season."

"He's got good form on every sort of ground. I was probably a little bit concerned about the better ground for him at Naas, but he seemed to handle that well and he won a good race at Naas in January on very testing ground, so he's pretty adaptable."

Jonbon currently leads Quilixios in the betting for the 2024 Tingle Creek, which can be found here on our website...