Jonbon ground Energumene into submission to land another fantastic triumph in the BetMGM Clarence House Chase at Ascot.
Nico de Boinville was positive from the outset and soon established an advantage at the head of affairs on the 8-13 favourite.
There was a point in the race where Nicky Henderson's charge was not so fluent at the fences and that allowed Paul Townend to close up on Energumene entering the home straight.
However, Jonbon kicked again and got his act together in the jumping department when it mattered most, galloping on strongly to prevail by six and a half lengths.
The JP McManus-owned nine-year-old made it 17 wins from 20 races under rules and strengthened his position as favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
William Hill now go 5-4 about Jonbon’s Cheltenham chances and while Henderson is not banking on a repeat in March, he felt the victory over a dual Champion Chase winner in Energumene was a perfect prep for the Festival.
He said: "It was always going to be a big match, two heavyweights fighting for a title.
"It was not the Champion Chase today, but that was for the right to head to Cheltenham as the one to beat and probable favourite.
"Energumene has been a very good horse over the years and he might be getting older, but he is still a very good horse and it was a nice, clean fight really.
"Jonbon is still quite young and he’s very professional now and his jumping is just so slick. I just loved the way he quickened up going to the last, he fought off the enemy and still wanted to make a good show of it and that was great.
"I think we were waiting for a bit of cat and mouse early on and to see who was going to make it. They are both natural front runners and Nico quite rightly grabbed hold of it and said 'we’re off’. He said he was really fresh and there wasn’t much else he could do, Jonbon wanted to make it and that was that.
"You thought Energumene was going to come there and I think Nico was having a little bit of a play and maybe encouraging him to come there as he needed to fill up (the lungs). You know once you’ve put petrol in the tank, you will get home and the way he quickened up was the most impressive thing – he was gone."
The Willie Mullins-trained Energumene shared an epic battle with Henderson’s Shishkin in this race in 2022, with the Seven Barrows runner rallying to a famous one-length victory after the Irish raider looked to have sealed victory.
While Energumene might not be quite the force of old, Henderson is all too aware of Mullins’ strength in depth, with Gaelic Warrior and El Fabiolo also to the fore in the Cheltenham betting.
He added: "It was the other way round to the Shishkin race and Energumene went on that day and looked to have us beat two out and then stamina came into play. Shishkin was always a stayer and should have won a King George and was a very good horse.
"That’s the second time against Energumene and where he goes now, I’m not sure, but Willie has a horsebox full of them to take us on in March. That’s not the end of Willie Mullins and the Champion Chase, that’s what you can be sure of.
"I think that is nine Grade Ones now for Jonbon and that takes a bit of doing, so we have to appreciate him, he’s been a great hero for Seven Barrows. We’re very lucky and we just mind them the best we can and enjoy him the best we can."
De Boinville revealed his race plan was focussed solely on Jonbon, rather than riding to beat Energumene.
He said: "They’ve done a tremendous job with him at home and I only ever school him, I don’t get on him any other time.
"The race went really smoothly and I felt like we were only doing a half-speed, but I think we were trapping along really. It was always the plan (to go forward) and I was aware horses can get caught late on here, so I just kept nudging him out to the line. I honestly just rode my own race today and if Energumene was good enough, then he was good enough.
"He’s a fantastic horse and he was good at the last – it might have made a nice picture!"
Sean Graham, racing manager to Energumene’s owner Tony Bloom, felt the good ground at Ascot had favoured Jonbon and conditions could now be key to future targets.
He said: "Paul just said on that ground Jonbon had too much speed for him and the race probably didn’t pan out in a way that suited us.
"He got alongside them four out and Jonbon just picked up and went away from them. On that ground, we’re going to struggle. Our fella is 11 and Jonbon is a nine-year-old reaching his peak.
"We probably just need to pick our battles and that might mean very soft ground. There will be no decision made on the Champion Chase yet and that will be left to Willie and Paul and we’ll go along with whatever they decide. But certainly if the ground came up heavy like it did at Cheltenham last year, you would maybe have a pop.
"I don’t want to put anyone wrong or put anyone off, but Willie and Paul will make the decision.
"He’s bounced back from defeat in this race before and when we were stood in this position after the defeat to Shishkin, I turned round and said ‘how do we turn that around at Cheltenham?’.
"He did and then he was even more disappointing when he got beat in the Clarence House at Cheltenham (when third in 2023) and went and won the Champion Chase again that year, so the horse keeps surprising us. So he might surprise us again."
Townend added: "He ran well, but wasn’t good enough today. Cheltenham is a different place."
