Cork 8 December 2024 Energumene and Paul Townend win for trainer Willie Mullins © Photo Healy Racing
Energumene made an exuberant comeback in the Hilly Way Chase on Sunday at Cork and looks likely to head into battle with Tingle Creek winner Jonbon in the Champion Chase in March. It has the potential to be a mouthwatering dual after both scored with ease at the weekend.
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5/2 Jonbon (from 10/3) after winning the Tingle Creek at Sandown
Trainer quote: He’s returned with a little nick and I hope it’s just superficial, but it will get cleaned off straight away. The mistake at the first ditch — he’s jumped it so many times you’d think he’d know there wasn’t a crocodile in there but today he thought there was! So many horses do that. He was up for a battle today, he wanted to battle earlier than even Nico wanted him to. He’s just a real true terrier but he’s a very classy terrier. He loves a scrap and wanted to go faster the whole way. Surely we go to the Clarence House next and then hopefully we’ll get into a fight with whoever they send over from Ireland at Cheltenham. (Nicky Henderson)
9/2 Energumene (from 8/1) after winning the Hilly Way Chase at Navan
Trainer quote: That was a very exuberant display from him. I thought Dinoblue would make more of the running but Paul (Townend) said his horse was just looking for fences to jump and wanted to go a better gallop, so he left him on instead of fighting him. I was very happy with how he jumped and he had been doing everything right since his came back in August. Hopefully he can keep going that way and it was a nice performance to build on for the season. He didn't look like he needed the run, galloped the whole way to the line and had looked excellent since he came in. Normally we skip Christmas (with his Hilly Way Chase winners) and the Clarence House Chase was what we did previously so we'll see how he comes out of it before making any decision. (Willie Mullins)
13/2 L’Eau Du Sud (from 9/1) after winning the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown
Trainer quote (ITV Racing): I’m delighted as it’s the first time he’s been in a bit of a fight. He was very unpolished over the last and second last but that’s just him getting it done over the jumps in pretty sticky ground. The whole way around he was travelling particularly well. He definitely wants that slightly better ground to be seen at his absolute best. We’ll give him his flu vaccination, we’ll give him a little freshen up and he’ll either go for the Kingmaker at Warwick or he could go to Super Saturday (at Newbury). It depends where Harry’s got to be. I want to get him at his absolute peak for the Arkle and I think, after that, we’ve got a pretty exciting contender. (Dan Skelton)
16/1 Ile Atlantique (from 33/1) after winning the QuinnBet Beginners Chase at Navan
Jockey quote: He does (have a cut at his fences) and I just let him learn today on it as well - he had to figure it out a bit himself. We could have gone out and winged everything, but he would learn more if he could do it himself. He rides a stronger horse this year. There were question marks of him seeing out his races before, but I think he has just needed all the time. A fence will help him with that as well and maturity. (Paul Townend)
Also introduced at 14-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
14/1 He Can’t Dance (from 16/1) after winning a bumper at Navan
Trainer quote: He's a big galloper. He's better than that, they just didn't go much of a gallop. He will be a nice horse. He's probably more of a jumper than anything, more of a two and a-half miler, but we will take our time with him this year. He mightn't have to do a whole lot this year. (Gordon Elliott)
10/1 Only By Night (introduced) after winning a (Grade 2) Novice Chase at Cork
Trainer quote: She was good in Tipperary and has built on that. I thought today was coming plenty soon but with a race like this, you have to go for it. She is a very big mare, jumps very well and I’m looking forward to plenty more from her. The Grade two mares’ novice chase at Thurles in January would look to be her next race. (Gavin Cromwell)
