Jonbon shows character to claim gritty Tingle Creek Chase victory at Sandown

The conditions made it a difficult race for the 30/100 favourite and he was not at his best, but he took his impressive record to 12 wins from 14 career outings.

Boothill was a non-runner, so only four went to post and Gary Moore's Haddex Des Obeaux made sure there was no hanging about.

Nicky Henderson's seven-year-old was settled in second under the stewardship of Nico De Boinville, but when the runners came down the back straight he was jumping extremely well.

Edwardstone soon found himself in the thick of the action as they reached the turn for home and it looked like he was going to challenge for the win, but Jonbon showed his class and won by two and three-quarter lengths.

“You have got to say it is always going to be tough in this ground and rightly we said hang on to him as long as possible today as that is the sort of ground where you can get caught out,” said Henderson having saddling his third winner in the Grade One event.

“This is a horse that likes to attack it, but it was essential to keep his powder a bit dry today. It was the plan to just hold on to him a bit longer than you might do. He is an attacker and you can really let him rip, but that is dangerous in these conditions.

“He’s jumping very well this year, but there is no reason why. He was a novice last year and when he was here at the back-end of last season he was taking on the very old professional chasers. He’s grown up now and has to be a senior and he’s doing that well.

“The way he moves, he is still a better horse on better ground because a classy horse can cope with everything.

“Do any of them really want it like that? It is miles better on the chase course than it is the hurdles course but there was never a worry about not running him compared to the other guys because the chase course is generally just very soft winter ground.

“There are only two options for him (on the way to the Champion Chase) and that is the Game Spirit (Newbury, February 10) or the Clarence House (Ascot, January 20) and I suspect he will have one run on the way.

“He’s growing up all the time and we had a gallop at Windsor believe it or not earlier on in the year and a little away day at Newbury and he got himself very geed up in those sort of preps. But by the time he got to Cheltenham the other day and here today he has travelled well in the horsebox and he’s settled in well. He’s not sweating anymore and he’s growing up on that score.”