Kingmaker: 'He looked rusty, that's all' - Jonbon out to 2-1 for Arkle after hard-fought match race win

Jonbon’s rustiness ensured he was usurped by El Fabiolo for Arkle favouritism when suffering a minor scare on the way to victory in the two-runner Virgin Bet Kingmaker Novices’ Chase at Warwick.

Edwardstone won this Grade 2 event on the way to Cheltenham Festival success last year and the JP McManus-owned Jonbon could still do the same despite drifting to 2-1 second favourite (from 5-4) for the 2m novice championship.

El Fabiolo, who finished a neck second to Jonbon at Aintree last year, now heads the betting at 5-4 (from 2-1) following an ultimately decisive five-and-a-half-length win for the Nicky Henderson-trained chaser in a field halved in number by the raceday defections of Haddex Des Obeaux and Bass Rock. It, however, was not without drama.

The race went serenely to halfway, but the interest from the 4,500-strong crowd piqued when 9-1 outsider Calico gained the lead at the sixth fence with a particularly accurate jump on the inside of the 1-16 favourite.

Suddenly Jonbon looked in a spot of bother. By the turn into the home straight he was back in front – much to the dismay of the near 2,000 students in the centre enclosure. Calico’s vociferous supporters even booed the winner in the home straight – their outsider-of-two logic had been scuppered.

Jonbon’s jockey Aidan Coleman was keen to stress this was just a trial, a theme repeated by Sir Anthony McCoy, who was on course representing McManus.

Jonbon clears the last on the way to Grade 2 success

McCoy said: “It hopefully will have done him good, he’ll have learned a bit for that and won quite well in the end. It’s just over a month away from the Arkle so there will have been plenty to work on. 

“He looked rusty, that’s all, but it’s not all about today. He’s not going to win the Arkle on today’s performance, but I’m not worried and would be more inclined to focus on his runs earlier this season. The Arkle is going to be different and he needs to be sharper, but Nicky is a master at preparing horses like this.”

Henderson, watching on from Newbury, was not deterred and hopes the race will have been of significant benefit to Jonbon.

The trainer told ITV Racing: “I'm going to look on the bright side. He's had such easy races, I think it took him by surprise when the other horse attacked him like that and he just shook his head. But he's done nothing wrong, he's not had a race since Aintree last year and it was his prep.”

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