Aintree: Jonbon notches another Grade 1 for McManus in Melling Chase

AINTREE, England – A month later than expected, Jonbon won his first Grade 1 race of 2024 in Friday’s $314,125 Melling Chase at 2 1/2 miles at Aintree Racecourse, the fourth consecutive favorite or co-favorite to win in as many races on the seven-race program.

Jonbon, who paid $3.20 in American pools and was 11-10 with ontrack bookmakers, gave prominent owner J.P. McManus a sweep of the first three of four Grade 1 races on the program. Earlier on Friday, McManus won Grade 1 races with Inothewayurthinkn ($4.40) in a novices’ chase at 3 1/4 miles, and with Mystical Power ($3.40) in a novices’ hurdle at 2 1/4 miles.

McManus’s green and yellow hoop silks are the most familiar in jump racing in Britain and Ireland.

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Jonbon is trained by Nicky Henderson, who scratched many of his leading contenders at the prestigious Cheltenham festival last month after an apparent illness swept through his British stable. Jonbon was among the favorites for the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham before his withdrawal.

Henderson’s stable, one of the country’s annual leaders, has been more active this week. He won a Grade 1 for 4-year-old hurdlers with the promising gelding Sir Gino on Thursday.

In the Melling Chase, Jonbon was confidently handled by jockey Nico de Boinville, who kept the 8-year-old French-bred gelding in a stalking position in the field of seven for the first two miles.

Entering the stretch, with three fences remaining, Jonbon was urged closer to the front. Jonbon took the lead from 14-1 Conflated before the final fence and won by 1 1/4 lengths over that rival.

Protektorat (9-2) was always near the front and finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths.

Jonbon has won 13 of 16 starts, including six Grade 1 races.

The streak of early favorites on Friday included a win by the mare Kateira in a handicap hurdle at 2 ½ miles. Kateira paid $11 as the favorite in American pools and was a 5-1 co-favorite with ontrack bookmakers.

Friday’s program was the second of the three-day Grand National festival which concludes on Saturday with the $1.24 million Grand National at about 4 1/4 miles.

McManus has six of the 34 runners – Adamantly Chosen, Capodanno, I Am Maximus, Limerick Lace, Janidil, and Meetingofthewaters.

A win by one of them is highly possible. As of Friday afternoon, Corach Rambler, the winner of the 2023 Grand National was the 8-1 co-favorite with I Am Maximus. Limerick Lace (10-1) and Meetingofthewaters (11-1) were third and fourth on the list of contenders.

Limerick Lace, a 7-year-old mare, is a full-sister to Inowhaturthinkn.

Further changes in the odds are widely expected before the Grand National post time of 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.

McManus, 73, won the Grand National in 2020 and 2021.

In Friday’s final Grade 1 race, the 7-year-old gelding Dancing City won his second race at the highest level in his last three starts in a novices’ hurdle at 3 1/16 miles.

Ridden by Danny Mullins for his training father, Willie, Dancing City ($9.40) closed from off the pace to win by 5 1/2 lengths over 5-2 favorite The Jukebox Man. Dancing City has won 4 of 8 starts.

McManus did not have a starter in that race.

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