Walk In The Park’s Jonbon Secures Seventh Grade 1 Success

Jonbon (8g Walk In The Park – Star Face, by Saint Des Saints) followed up his terrific win in the Grade 1 Melling Chase at Aintree to win his seventh top-flight success in Saturday’s Grade 1 Celebration Chase at Sandown.

Nicky Henderson’s charge dropped back to two miles on the final day of the national hunt season and was ridden to make all by regular pilot Nico de Boinville. Asked for more from the second last, he kept on well on the run-in to beat the favourite El Fabiolo by four lengths.

“It's great to see Jonbon come back and put on a display on like that,” Henderson said after the race. “He's a brave horse as he had a hard race at Aintree and I'm proud of him. Jonbon is a flagship horse and there's a lot to look forward to. He means a lot to JP McManus and a lot to me.”

Henderson added that de Boinville recommended stepping Jonbon up to three miles next season, once again demonstrating his wonderful versatility. The son of Walk In The Park first advertised his talents when bolting up in a four-year-old maiden at Dromahane, after which handler Ellmarie Holden sold the bay to JP McManus for £570,000.

Bred by Lotfi Kohli, he is inching closer to the eight Grade 1 victories of his full-brother Douvan (Walk In The Park).