Is the best yet to come? Jonbon puts Champion Chase credentials on the line against Edwardstone and co in super Shloer

The Shloer lost its shine last year as punters were robbed of a decent match between Edwardstone and Nube Negra due to the unseasonably fast ground. Edwardstone’s withdrawal meant Nube Negra strolled home at odds of 1-10 from two waning chasers who are now rated just 125 over fences. That Shloer was a non-event. This one is anything but.

The Edwardstone-Nube Negra match is back on with the bonus of Grade 1 pair Jonbon and Editeur Du Gite also in the line-up. 

Not since 2017 has the winner of the Shloer smashed through the 170 ceiling on Racing Post Ratings. That will all change here if the same Jonbon who registered a 170 RPR in the Celebration Chase meets a peak Edwardstone, who recorded an RPR of 172 on his return in the Tingle Creek last season before going off the boil in the Champion Chase. Editeur Du Gite’s 169 RPR in the Clarence House here in January, when he repelled Edwardstone in one of the season's most memorable finishes, is also in that ballpark.

It is interesting Jonbon and Edwardstone run as they are the first two in the market for the Tingle Creek at Sandown in 20 days’ time and that is a tight enough turnaround. Will they be ready to run their hearts out in both races? Or might the Shloer be the day?

If Edwardstone and Jonbon are being trained primarily for the Tingle Creek, we can assume the opposite is true for Nube Negra. He bids for a Shloer hat-trick and is always best fresh, while the ground at the November meeting is usually quicker than it is on Tingle Creek day. 

Whether it will be fast enough for Nube Negra to show his best is another matter. It is also offputting that the last time he recorded an RPR above 162 was in the 2021 Champion Chase.

Nube Negra: winner of the last two Shloer ChasesCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Usually a top-class novice would arrive with something to prove against seasoned chasers, but for Jonbon that does not apply. His ready Sandown dismissal of Champion Chase runner-up Captain Guinness and course specialist Greaneteen, two excellent markers in the two-mile chase division, is concrete evidence he is already at the top. 

Jonbon is seven and the other three are nine. His prime years are likely ahead of him and a CV with defeats only to Constitution Hill and El Fabiolo is something to marvel at.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Starting point

With dual Champion Chase winner Energumene out for the season, there is a gap at the top of the two-mile division and Jonbon is an obvious candidate to fill it.

He has long looked like a top-notcher in the making and won five of his six chase starts last season, culminating in Grade 1 triumphs at both Aintree and Sandown in April.

Jonbon is set to return to top-level company in next month’s Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, and trainer Nicky Henderson said of the Shloer: “It's very competitive but everything has gone according to plan. He's in good form. Being such a good mover, you'd think he'd want better ground, but I think he handles any.”

'Edwardstone looks terrific'

Better late than never. Edwardstone was pulled out of this race last year due to unsuitably quick ground, but he will have conditions in his favour this time.

His trainer Alan King hopes to see him bounce back from a modest run in the Champion Chase here last March, having found nothing to explain that effort subsequently.

The 2022 Arkle winner had proven himself a high-class two-miler by landing another Grade 1 success in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last December, although a step up in trip could be on the cards after this.

Edwardstone: bids to bounce back from disappointing run in the Champion ChaseCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

“This race will tell us where we are likely to be heading for the rest of the season,” his trainer said. “If it looks as though he wants further we’ll aim him at the Peterborough Chase and he has an entry in the King George. 

"I've been very happy with him, he's been working well and looks terrific.”

What they say

Steve Preston, owner of Editeur Du Gite
He has questions to answer after his run at Exeter where he went well for three-quarters of the race but had nothing at the end and we don't really know why. It was first time out, he came back fine and the ground should be perfect for him here, so we hope he can bounce back.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Nube Negra
He's in great form at home. He comes into this looking for a third win in three years and it's going to be hard to do, as it's a really good renewal, but we're very happy with him.
Reporting by David Carr 

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