Sandown Saturday

Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (Grade 1)

THE Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase saw Il Etait Temps (Willie Mullins/Paul Townend) sent off the 8/11 favourite to repeat his thumping of Jonbon in the Celebration Chase over course and distance last season and the Closutton stable stalwart delivered in decisive style.

Travelling well in a stalking position under Paul Townend, he moved easily to the front at the Pond Fence before sprinting up the Esher hill for a nine-length victory over Jonbon (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville), with the second the same margin in front of recent Shloer Chase winner L’Eau Du Sud (Dan/Harry Skelton), with the other pair tailed off.

Winner of the Clonmel Oil Chase on his seasonal return, Il Etait Temps had no issue dropping back to two miles, hardly surprising given the speed he showed on quick ground here in April.

It was hard to find any valid excuses for the vanquished, with Jonbon looking sharper and jumping better than he had at Cheltenham under a positive ride, but simply without the gears needed to hold off an exceptional winner, who is as short as 9/4 to win the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.

Small but mighty

“Il Etait Temps is tiny, isn’t he?” teased the winning rider. “But he answered every question I asked of him today. I feel a bit silly for not picking him so many times in his career, but thankfully we’re making up for it now.

“He’s showing us all the promise he had as a young horse. He went through the race really easily.

“In years gone by, you’d be afraid to ask him for a jump early in case it set him alight [but] he’s so straightforward and tough now.

“He’s measured and clean in his jumps, which is what you want any horse to do, whatever size.

“He’s great.”

Of the runner-up, Henderson said: “He has come on from the Shloer at Cheltenham to do what he has done today. There are no excuses with the ground. If you can’t go on the ground on the chase course here today, you can’t go on anything.”

Dan Skelton felt that L’Eau Du Sud wasn’t as good as he was in the Shloer and plans to go to Cheltenham without another run, arguing his star is at his best when very fresh.

Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

LULAMBA (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) stated his claims for top novice honours with a deeply impressive win in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown on Saturday. Winner of the Grade 1 Four-Year-Old Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival last season, Lulamba made a smooth transition to fences by beating Salver at Exeter and was heavily backed into 2/5 to make the leap to Grade 1 glory at Sandown.

A small pitch on landing at the first fence was the only real concern for Lulamba backers as the youngster jumped impeccably from that point on and de Boinville was content to track the free-going Be Aware until cruising up to join issue at the penultimate fence.

The odds-on favourite threw in an extravagant leap at the last which drew gasps from the crowd before clearing away for a nine-and-a-half-length win over Be Aware (Dan/Harry Skelton) in a time five seconds faster than the Tingle Creek. Lump Sum (Sam Thomas/Dylan Johnston) was far from disgraced in third, staying on again having been outpaced from the home turn to be beaten just a head for second.

Paddy Power immediately cut the winner to 5/2 (from 7/2) for the Arkle in March, while he is now as short as 7/4 in places with the news that Kopek Des Bordes has had a minor setback.

Options open

“He has shown today he’s a good two miler,” said Henderson “The quandary was going to be did he want further and I think he has shown today that he doesn’t. It was a fair contest today – his jumping was good, and the pace was great, they went a good gallop.

“He is effective at two miles, which is the best thing as that sorts out the plan. He stays very well but has got the pace and the class to go and do that.

“He is only a baby too; he only had three runs over hurdles last year and one chase and then we came here.

“His life is in front of him and now he is the front of the picture too.”

Lulamba joins a list of top-notch novices to win the Henry VIII for Nicky Henderson, with both Altior and Jonbon among those who have won the Grade 1 prize before going onto bigger things. The Arkle seems sure to be Lulamba’s main aim now, although his preparation for Cheltenham could take shape in diverse ways, as Henderson hinted at after the race.

He said: “It was easy to go from Exeter to here and we now need to think again. I was going Game Spirit with Sir Gino last year and he wouldn’t run again before the Game Spirit I would think and that could be an obvious place.

Regarding the possibility of running in the Wayward Lad at Kempton over Christmas, he continued: “It was quite quick, three weeks from Exeter to here, so I’m not sure I would want to do it again.

“He’s going to keep learning, but he doesn’t need bullying at the same time, he’s still a big, big baby and we’re thinking his life is in front of him.”

O’CONNELL (Sue Smith & Joel Parkinson/Gavin Sheehan) will head to Chepstow after Christmas with the Welsh National in his sights after winning the London National over an extended three and a half miles.

Despite a couple of minor errors, the Yorkshire-trained nine-year-old always looked comfortable and could be called the winner two fences from home, having joined the leaders on the inside travelling best.

His hold-up style isn’t always ideal at Chepstow, but he merits his place in the field for the festive marathon and is reportedly being aimed at the veterans’ series next season, with the final coming at this venue.