Elixir Du Nutz (22/1) and Freddie Gingell shocked Jonbon in the rearranged My Pension Expert Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham.
The Grade 1 contest was supposed to be a cakewalk for Nicky Henderson's top two-miler but Jonbon was outjumped by both the winner and Editeur Du Gite at several fences before making a juddering mistake at the fourth last.
James Bowen did well to keep the partnership intact and was cool in the saddle, allowing Jonbon to regather himself and ease back into contention.
The pair headed Elixir Du Nutz at the last but Jonbon was far from fluent once again and then hung in behind Elixir Du Nutz as they raced up the hill. He did rally but, agonisingly for connections, was a neck adrift at the line.
It's been a remarkable year for Elixir Du Nutz and teenage jockey Freddie Gingell whose mother - and sister of trainer Joe Tizzard - who died aged 43 of cancer in 2020.
Elixir Du Nutz improved from his reappearance to record an emotional win in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter with Gingell in the saddle. Gingell and his gallant grey mount then followed up at Newbury before the 10-year-old finished third under Brendan Powell in the Desert Orchid at Kempton.
Elixir Du Nutz won't live as long in the public's memory as that famous grey but he will hold a cherished place in the homes of the Tizzard and Gingell families having recorded a first Grade 1 success for trainer and jockey.
Jonbon, who traded at 1.09 in-running on the Betfair Exchange, was pushed out to 4/1 (from 5/2) by the firm's Sportsbook for the Queen Mother Champion Chase; El Fabiolo was cut to 4/7 from 4/5.
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Tizzard said: "A special day. I didn't come here thinking I was going to win a Grade 1 but we were happy to take our chance. He bounces off this ground so the drying ground all week has helped.
"Jonbon.....what a mistake at the top of the hill.....he came back like he had us beat and then we probably outjumped him at the last; as long as they're all alright that's fine but it was our day today, it's special.
"He (Gingell) could have panicked and gone for his stick and sent him on but he didn't, he just saved a little. He's got it all in front of him. I am totally bias but he's doing me proud at the moment and she (Kim, Gingell's mother) would be so proud, it's what she put into Freddie in bringing him up that's made him the man he is.
"The big days don’t phase him, but I need to wake him up for a Monday or Tuesday at Plumpton and places, but on the big day he doesn’t panic and he proved that today. I’m chuffed to bits for Fred as he gets a real good tune out of that horse.
"At the start of the season I didn’t think I had a genuine Grade One horse, but I’ve bagged one. Haldon Gold Cup day in a handicap was supposed to be a big one, then Newbury was even better again and then we have today. I had an emotional day back at Exeter with Fred, but it always just does stir the emotions a bit. Terry (Warner) has been a big supporter of the yard as well.”
Gingell paid tribute to his mother Kim, saying: “It is an amazing day.
"We came here thinking we might run a big race finishing second or third. I got a lovely start and he travelled and jumped. Editeur Du Gite hit either the third or the fourth, and that really boosted us up there. From there he was travelling away lovely. Coming to the top of the hill I was going quite well there, and we know he gets two and a half miles so I wanted to make it a real staying test where they had to come and catch me.
“We got headed coming to the last, and he has then winged the last, but he was amazing after that.
“I’m three from three on him this season and he has been an amazing horse for this season, but he has been an amazing horse in general. Thanks go to Terry Warner (owner) as he has been amazing to me. They had the choice of either me or Brendan Powell and Terry was very good to let me ride him and I have now won two nice races on him.
“That was definitely the most emotional success I’ve had today. Mum was definitely up there looking down on me today. She has been a massive part of me in helping me to become a jockey.
"Crossing the line today I looked up to her and she looked back, and I could tell she was up there doing something.”
'I only saw one mistake'
Nicky Henderson said of Jonbon: “James said he did remarkably well to get back to where he did, but he had a fair bit of ground to make up.
“He didn’t see a nice stride at the last and I think if he had winged that – he just lost the momentum that let the other horse back. He’s lost a battle but not the war. I only saw one mistake.
“He’s quite a busy person and lives on his wits a little bit. The extra week wasn’t exactly what he wanted, because he is a clock that you wind up. We can now unwind it and start again.
“We were really looking forward to El Fabiolo last weekend and I can’t believe that has changed anything dramatically. We’ve just got to go and let him off a little bit and start the preparations for March.”
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