My Pension Expert Melling Chase |
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| Grade 1, Aintree 15:30 £250,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 200y, Class 1  |
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1 Jonbon 4/6F
2
Protektorat 7/1
3 Matata
16/1
4 ran Distances: 3¼l, 43l
Time: 4m 53.73s (slow by 1.73s)
BACK-TO-BACK! 🏆🏆
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 4, 2025
Jonbon wins the My Pension Expert Melling Chase 🥇#ITVRacing | @sevenbarrows | @NdeBoinville pic.twitter.com/BMx8fAaHUX
Jonbon, so often the model of consistency, returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as he secured his 10th career Grade One, once again stamping his authority over two and a half miles on Merseyside.
This was no redemption story—it was a reassertion of class. After a Cheltenham campaign that went sideways before it even began, Nicky Henderson’s star was back doing what he does best: dictating, delivering, and dominating.
Only four runners lined up, and with the early exit of El Fabiolo—a clash many had billed as the day’s main event—Jonbon was left alone at the front, with Protektorat the only one able to keep him honest.
But try as he might, Dan Skelton’s charge couldn’t lay a glove on the 4-6 favourite. Nico de Boinville, cool and composed, set the tempo from flag-fall, and when it came to the business end, he simply had more left in the locker. Jonbon strode out to a three-and-a-quarter-length success, retaining his crown in fine style.
“That was a brave ride from Nico,” said a visibly relieved Henderson, still carrying the emotional bruises of Constitution Hill’s fall 24 hours earlier. “It’s been a tough few days, but the trust between horse and rider—that’s what makes it special.”
Cheltenham had been a tale of misfortune: a false start, a flying tape, and a mistake that left Jonbon with too much ground to make up. But Aintree was a different story—his stage, his rhythm, his race.
“He’s a horse who likes his space,” Henderson added. “When he gets that and when things fall right, there’s very little that can live with him.”
Looking ahead, Henderson didn’t rule out a step up in trip—even the King George has entered the conversation.
“At the start of the season, JP said we’re a two-miler, and that’s that,” he smiled. “But here he is, winning another over two and a half. It’s a brave call to stretch him further, but he’s earned the right to be in the conversation.”
Protektorat, game as ever, was once again the bridesmaid behind Jonbon, but that didn’t dampen the pride in the Skelton camp.
“We’ve had a few cracks at him and we’re still a notch below,” Dan Skelton admitted. “But you can’t fault our lad’s honesty. He turns up, he digs in, and he gives you everything. He’s a horse you’d go to war with.”
For Jonbon, it’s now ten Grade Ones, another Aintree jewel, and a reminder—if one was needed—that on his day, few can live with his speed, his precision, and his partnership with De Boinville.
My Pension Expert Melling Chase
£250,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 200y, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Jonbon 9 11-10 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 4/6F
2 3¼ Protektorat 10 11-10 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 7/1
3 43 Matata 7 11-10 Nigel Twiston-Davies J J Slevin 16/1
FELL El Fabiolo 8 11-10 W P Mullins Paul Townend 5/2
Melling Chase - Previous Winners
2024 Jonbon
2023 Pic D'Orhy
2022 Fakir D'Oudairies
2021 Fakir D'Oudairies
2020 ABANDONED due to Covid-19
2019 Min
2018 Politologue
2017 Fox Norton
2016 God's Own
2015 Don Cossack
2014 Boston Bob
2013 Sprinter Sacre Caroline Mould Nicky Henderson 07-11-10 Barry Geraghty 1/3F
2012 Finian’s Rainbow Michael Buckley Nicky Henderson 09-11-10 Barry Geraghty 13/8F
2011 Master Minded Clive Smith Paul Nicholls 08-11-10 Ruby Walsh 11/2
