- Henderson’s star clear favourite for Champion Chase
- Ascot winner is now 5-4 for Cheltenham showpiece
Jonbon emerged as a convincing winner of his much-anticipated first meeting with the dual Champion Chase winner Energumene in the Clarence House Chase on Saturday, making all the running on the way to a six-and-a-half-length success which confirmed his status as the warm favourite for this year’s Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.
The two principals went into Saturday’s race at Ascot with near-identical records of 11 wins from 13 chase starts, but Jonbon had a narrow 7-6 lead in Grade One races over fences and is also two years younger than his 11-year-old opponent.