bet365 Celebration Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race)

Off time: 15:00 | Winning time: 3m 48.00s

Boothill^t⁷⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: J J Burke| T: H Fry| OR: 158

40/1

Grade 2 novice winner last term and further progress when landing valuable back-to-back Ascot handicaps in November However, he has hit the deck the last twice (around 10 lengths behind Edwardstone when falling 2 out at Newbury latterly) and this assignment is probably beyond him.

Form: 23-11FF

Editeur Du Gite^p1⁹¹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: N F Houlihan| T: G & J Moore| OR: 161

80/1

Bold-jumping front runner who landed the Desert Orchid at Kempton for the second year running in December (Nube Negra second). Well held when bidding for a second successive Clarence House at Cheltenham last time, though, and was a long way behind Jonbon in this 12 months ago. Cheekpieces applied.

Form: 44-5415

Edwardstone⁴⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: Tom Cannon| T: A King| OR: 164| C| D

10/1

C&D Tingle Creek winner last term and chased home Jonbon in this season's edition. Looked back to his top-class best under a change of tactics when easily making all in the Game Spirit at Newbury in February, and probably went off too fast in the Champion Chase last time (held when falling 2 out).

Form: 5-2241F

El Fabiolo⁴⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| OR: 175| BF

4/6

Impressive winner of 3 Grade 1s during his novice chase campaign last season, which includes a 5½-length beating of Jonbon in the Arkle. Fluffed his lines for the first time over fences when pulled up after a bad mistake in the Champion Chase last month but, otherwise, he is hard to fault.

Form: 111-11P

Elixir De Nutz^p,t⁴⁵

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: Freddie Gingell| T: J Tizzard| OR: 159| C

66/1

Better than ever this season at the age of 10, winning 3 times, notably a neck defeat of Jonbon (bad mistake 4 out arguably cost him the race) in the rearranged Clarence House at Cheltenham (17f, good to soft) in January. However, pulled up in the Champion Chase last time and he looks vulnerable.

Form: 51131P

Jonbon¹⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-10| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| OR: 170| CD

15/8

Grade 1 winning hurdler and top-class chaser, winner of 8 of his 10 starts in this sphere and 3-3 over C&D, which includes a decisive victory in this last year. Shocking mistake 4 out cost him at Cheltenham in January and duly regained the winning thread upped to 2½m in the Melling Chase at Aintree.

Form: 11-1121

Nube Negra^p1,t⁹¹

Age: 10| Weight: 11-10| J: Harry Skelton| T: D Skelton| OR: 154

40/1

Very smart chaser on his day but hasn't been at his best this season, comprehensively outpointed by several of these rivals already. Likely to come up short once more, unless the first-time cheekpieces have a dramatically positive effect.

Form: 2P-3424

Forecasts

El Fabiolo (4/6), Jonbon (15/8), Edwardstone (10/1), Boothill (40/1), Nube Negra (40/1), Elixir De Nutz (66/1), Editeur Du Gite (80/1)

An absorbing clash awaits between heavyweights EL FABIOLO and Jonbon. They've met twice before and the score stands at one apiece, with Jonbon drawing first blood when narrowly outpointing Willie Mullins' charge over hurdles in 2022. However, El Fabiolo was firmly in command when they locked horns in this sphere in the Arkle last spring and, despite fluffing his lines in the Champion Chase, he remains the star attraction in the two-mile chasers' division. Edwardstone is best of the rest.