Jonbon shines on yet another trying day for troubled home of jumps racing

Popular chaser victorious but ground issues, horses slipping and the low sun are all negatives for Cheltenham One of the more remarkable career records in jumping was extended again on Friday as Jonbon, one of the most popular chasers in training, won the Shloer Chase for the thi

Popular chaser victorious but ground issues, horses slipping and the low sun are all negatives for Cheltenham One of the more remarkable career records in jumping was extended again on Friday as Jonbon, one of the most popular chasers in training, won the Shloer Chase for the third time in the last four seasons and maintained his lifetime streak of never having finished outside the first two in 29 starts under National Hunt rules. On the opening day of Cheltenham’s second-biggest meeting, though, it also felt like a somewhat flat success, out of keeping with the setting and occasion. Jonbon was left with just two rivals to beat after Gidleigh Park, the second-favourite on Friday morning, was ruled out a couple of hours before the race due to concerns about the drying ground.

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