bet365 Celebration Chase |
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| Grade 1, Sandown 13:40 £170,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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THE REMATCH IS ON ✅
— irishracing.com (@irishracing) April 25, 2024
El Fabiolo and Jonbon have both been declared for Saturday’s Celebration Chase at Sandown 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kTwAlREUdk
El Fabiolo is set to compete, as part of Willie Mullins’ bid to secure the title of Britain’s champion jumps trainer.
With I Am Maximus’ victory at the Randox Grand National in Aintree, Mullins has taken the lead in the title race. He views winning the championship as a ‘once in a lifetime achievement’ and aims to fend off competitors Dan Skelton and perennial champion Paul Nicholls.
While most of Mullins’ top horses are being prepared for the Punchestown Festival, El Fabiolo may skip an outing in County Kildare to race in the Celebration Chase, a £170,000 event that could significantly impact the championship standings.
Speaking at a press morning at his yard to promote the Punchestown Festival, Mullins said: “El Fabiolo will definitely go to Sandown.
“The Celebration Chase is an important race and it looks like a big race that we have the winning of, which would be huge.
“A lot will depend on what happens between now and Punchestown, (but) looking at it, we’re about £50,000 in front, so if we won that (Celebration Chase), one of the other guys would have to win another feature and probably another race to pass us.
“It’s a three-score game at the moment, but Paul is really a master of winning the championship and he will have his tactics in his head already. He could win the Scottish National and the bet365 Gold Cup and blow us out of the water, but you need a lot of luck to do that too.
“We’re just hoping that we can get one nice prize – and with a bit of luck, it will make it difficult then for Dan and Paul.
“We’re getting huge goodwill, especially from a lot of people across the water. They’re saying it’s adding a bit of spice to the end of the season and it’s a once in a lifetime achievement if we can manage to pull it off, so we’re going to put everything into it.”
El Fabiolo will be on a retrieval mission if he does turn up at Sandown after a bad mistake led to him being pulled up as a 2-9 favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Mullins revealed the seven-year-old was feeling the effects of his disappointing effort after returning to Ireland, but is confident he is now back on-song.
He added: “He just wasn’t right when he came back from Cheltenham, so I just gave him a break and let him find his feet, so he’s bucking and kicking the last few mornings.
“He just wasn’t himself, but there was nothing to treat when we got home. Sometimes you just give a horse a break and let him recuperate and he’s done that and seems in good form now.
“He’s as fit as a flea and one or two bits of work should see him right for Sandown, I imagine.”
In what could potentially be one of the races of the season, Jonbon, Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone will line-up, in which Mullins’ nearest rival Dan Skelton has entered Nube Negra.
bet365 Celebration Chase
7 runners
Going: Good
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 3-11FF Boothill 9 11-10 Harry Fry Jonathan Burke
2 4-5415 Editeur Du Gite 10 11-10 Gary Moore Niall Houlihan
3 -2241F Edwardstone 10 11-10 Alan King Tom Cannon
4 11-11P El Fabiolo 7 11-10 W P Mullins Paul Townend
5 51131P Elixir De Nutz 10 11-10 Joe Tizzard Freddie Gingell
6 1-1121 Jonbon 8 11-10 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville
7 P-3424 Nube Negra 10 11-10 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton
