Jonbon shines on yet another trying day for troubled home of jumps racing
Jonbon won the Shloer Chase for the third time in four seasons while maintaining his remarkable record of never finishing outside the first two in 29 starts under National Hunt rules.
The victory extended one of the more remarkable career records in jumping racing, though it came amid a challenging day for Cheltenham, with multiple withdrawals and track issues complicating proceedings. Jonbon, one of the most popular chasers in training, defeated just two rivals after Gidleigh Park was ruled out hours before the race due to concerns about the drying ground.
The opening day of Cheltenham's second-biggest meeting saw nine horses withdrawn from the card, including two favorites for the Listed novice chase. The racecourse now faces the prospect of more non-runners in Saturday's showpiece Paddy Power Gold Cup card, with the going description changing from 'good, good-to-soft in places' to 'good' later in the afternoon.
Track Challenges
Riders in the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle were forced to bypass several obstacles due to the low sun, while horses slipped on the bend into the straight. Every possible element seemed to disrupt proceedings, with the sole exception of the Microsoft outage. The track was hit by an unexpected overnight frost before Friday's card, limiting options for maintaining going conditions.
At the spring festival on the other side of Christmas, Jon Pullin, Cheltenham's clerk of the course, would almost certainly be able to turn on the taps overnight and put on enough water to maintain the current going, at least.
Jonbon's Remarkable Record
Despite the challenging conditions, the going was ideal for Jonbon, whose career-long 29-race streak of finishing either first or second remains intact. The 10-year-old made all the running and jumped with accuracy and enthusiasm on the way to a two-and-a-quarter length success at odds of 1-2.
The victory came despite Jonbon's notorious record at Cheltenham's festival meeting in March, where he has been the runner-up in all four of his starts. There was little sign of advancing years catching up with him as he approaches his 11th birthday ahead of next year's festival.
Saturday's Prospects
Saturday's card features a much-anticipated early match-up between Old Park Star and Kabral Du Mathan, the top two in the betting for the Arkle Trophy next March. However, both horses are understood to be doubtful runners as a result of the ongoing issues. Henry de Bromhead's Workahead is now the likely beneficiary if the race cuts up as expected.
Blueking D'Oroux has been tipped as a potential winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup, with the seven-year-old's prominent racing style likely to prevail over the track and trip. The dual Grade Two winner over hurdles switched to Dan Skelton's championship-winning stable in the summer and starts the new campaign on a mark that offers plenty of scope for further progress.
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