The Celebration Chase, the final Grade One of the British National Hunt season, is set to be an exciting event. El Fabiolo, Jonbon, Gaelic Warrior, and Captain Guinness are among the top contenders. Despite a disappointing run in the Champion Chase, El Fabiolo leads the odds. Jonbon, the defending champion, is also a strong contender after a victory at the Melling Chase at Aintree. The event is filled with potential for captivating competition as the sport's finest chasers battle at Sandown.
Odds and betting predictions for the 2024 Celebration Chase
This Grade One will take place at Sandown on April 27th
We're backing Edwardstone over El Fabiolo and Jonbon
Expired
El Fabiolo (right) beating Jonbon in the 2023 Arkle. (Getty)
The final Grade One of the British National Hunt season takes place at Sandown on Saturday, as many of the sports top chasers battle it out in the Celebration Chase. This two-mile Grade One has been won by many of the sport's finest chasers and viewers look set for a stunning renewal this weekend.
Let's take a look through the latest Celebration Chase betting and run through the headline entries.
2024 Celebration Chase Odds
Name
Odds
El Fabiolo
4/5
Jonbon
5/2
Edwardstone
8/1
Editeur Du Gite
20/1
Boothill
25/1
Nube Negra
33/1
Elixir De Nutz
50/1
2024 Celebration Chase Entries
Crashing through an obstacle or two had failed to stop El Fabiolo from winning his first six starts over fences. That run came to an end at Cheltenham, where Paul Townend was quick to pull his mount up after four decidedly dodgy jumps.
Sandown is a track where momentum is important. The fences come at you thick and fast, especially down the back straight, so it's very difficult to regather rhythm once it goes missing. If El Fabiolo is foot-perfect, then he should win this comfortably. If he's in a similar mood to what we saw at Cheltenham, he'll get found out again.
Jonbon has found Sandown to be a particularly happy hunting ground. Nicky Henderson's star has won all three of his starts at this venue, including this contest as a novice 12 months ago.
Jonbon did, however, produce the worst round of jumping I've ever seen from a 170-rated horse in the Clarence House. Again, his jumping wasn't brilliant in the Melling Chase, where Nico de Boinville's mount needed every inch of the two-and-a-half mile trip. Dropping back down to the minimum distance isn't ideal, and if he finds himself on the backfoot at any point, Jonbon could be cooked.
With the market leaders showing frailties in recent starts, I'm looking for a reason to take them on. Editeur Du Gite has only run well in a handicap this season, where Nube Negra was beaten three lengths in third.
Boothill has suffered heavy falls on his last two starts. Good ground and a 91-day break will suit Nube Negra well, but performances this season suggest that Dan Skelton's star is firmly on the decline.
Elixir De Nutz shouldn't be the outsider of the party. True, Joe Tizzard's ten-year-old was fortunate to beat an out-of-sorts Jonbon in the Clarence House, but he has been running well all season and vastly outperformed Editeur Du Gite and Nube Negra that day at Cheltenham.
Edwardstone winning the 2022 Tingle Creek. (Getty)
2024 Celebration Chase Tips
If there were three paid places up for grabs, I'd probably be backing Elixir De Nutz and I wouldn't put anyone off from having an outside punt at 50/1. However, if the big guns do underperform, the most likely beneficiary is EDWARDSTONE (8/1).
Like Jonbon, Alan King's star boasts an excellent record here at Sandown. Edwardstone ran away with the Henry VIII Novices' Chase here in 2021 and thrashed several decent rivals in the Tingle Creek the following year. Tom Cannon's mount was beaten by Jonbon in that Grade One this year, but Edwardstone still ran a cracker to finish a close second.
Under first-time front-running tactics, Edwardstone romped to victory in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury. Cannon tried to repeat those heroics in the Champion Chase, where Edwardstone again jumped well, but had just been passed by Captain Guinness before a tired jump at the second-last brought him crashing to the ground.
Despite that tumble, Edwardstone would certainly have finished third had he scaled the final two flights, so I expect Cannon to take a similar approach this weekend. If Edwardstone jumps around Sandown as well as he usually does, then he will be difficult to peg back.
Verdict
We're backing Edwardstone to win the 2024 Celebration Chase.
Best Bet1: Edwardstone 2024 Celebration Chase @8/1 at bet365 - 15 Units
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