AINTREE — Jonbon, being a full brother to the outstanding Douvan, was box office before he even set hoof on a racecourse and all eyes will be upon him again when he runs in the Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday afternoon.
No matter that the first three in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham last month – Protektorat, Envoi Allen and Conflated – will be lining up against him.
Jonbon is the horse with the compelling backstory and a formidable career record of 12 wins and three seconds from 15 starts.
But now he is vulnerable. That’s what makes him, and this race, so watchable.
First, this brilliant two-miler is running over two and a half miles for the first time. Douvan, who had an uncannily similar career path and win to run ratio, wasn’t tried over further than two miles until his final outing before retirement. He won, but didn’t convince Willie Mullins that he stayed the trip well enough to consider taking the experiment further.
Anyway, this is not an exact science, even with such close relations involved, so, we’ll have to wait and see. Aintree’s sharp circuit is perhaps the best place to try out a step up in distance, but it will still take some getting against the best specialists and on such testing ground.
Jonbon is also coming off a shock defeat on trials day at Cheltenham in January when he could never quite recover from an appalling blunder coming down the hill that would have put less nimble horses on the floor.
But of course the main worry is the Nicky Henderson stable bug, which caused him and other yard stars to miss the Festival. Was he affected? If so, is he over it?
Jonbon is the best horse in the race and should win if he stays the trip, if he’s 100 per cent healthy, and if he’s on top of his game after his complicated preparation. But that’s a lot of ifs.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp provided some football pizzazz at Cheltenham with three winners between them on the third afternoon and they’re back for more in Liverpool this week.
Ferguson is a part-owner of Protektorat and Monmiral (who won the preceding race and runs again on Friday), while his old foe weighed in with Shakem Up’arry and for all the world looked like doing a double himself the following afternoon until The Jukebox Man ran out of juice and was nailed at the death.
Shakem Up’arry did have a Grand National entry, but just missed the cut and so runs instead in the Topham Trophy over two miles six furlongs of the National course.
Aintree Grand National Festival tips, day two
1.45pm Iroko (Best Bet) 4-1
2.20pm Kateira (Next Best) 7-1
2.55pm Mystical Power 28-15
3.30pm Jonbon 9-4
4.05pm Shakem Up’arry 13-2
4.40pm Kyntara (Each-Way) 10-1
5.15pm Afadil 12-1
Odds correct on 11 April via Oddschecker
Solid, assured jumping is his strong point and this race could be right up his street. Life In The Park, a fast-finishing fourth at Cheltenham and now better off at the weights, is a viable alternative.
The Jukebox Man, also trained by Ben Pauling, has the form to win the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. There have, though, been a couple of shock results in this contest in recent years and if there is to be another it may be provided by Mel Rowley’s admirably consistent handicapper Kyntara.