Latest news with #Jonbon
Irish Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Willie Mullins shells out close to €500,000 on unraced horses at Goffs Sales
Willie Mullins shelled out close to €500,000 on unraced stock as horse racing's biggest hitter gathered at the Goffs Arkle Sale on Tuesday. Mullins and his bloodstock agent Harold Kirk got the cheque book out to buy a trio of unraced three-year-olds. With the price of point-to-pointers seemingly increasing every year, many of jump racing's top trainers are now breaking in young horses themselves before readying them for the racetrack. Although there is also a premium to be paid on the best pedigrees. Mullins and Kirk paid €175,000 to land a It's Gino gelding called Mistral Le Du from Roger Marley's Church Farm Stables. Kirk, as reported by the Racing Post, said: Kirk said: 'He was one of the standout horses in the sale, and by a very good sire [It's Gino] in France. "He is a beautiful individual, a very good mover, and he stood out for me. I knew he would make money, but I didn't think it would be that much. There is always somebody else interested." Mullins also bought another French-bred Altesse du Luy from Altesse du Luy for €145,000. And they completed their purchases on the first of two day of the Arkle Sale by splashing out €110,000 on a Zarak filly called Karak de Faust. The sales topper on the first day, though, was a €190,000 purchase by Ellmarie Holden on a No Risk At All gelding from Sluggara Farm. Holden has previous with big-money store purchases, having shelled out €140,000 to buy a horse called Jonbon at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale. That turned out to be a very shrewd bit of business as Jonbon would go on to win a point-to-point for the Holdens before being sold for a record-breaking £570,000. And Jonbon, of course, has lived up to his price tag, winning ten Grade 1 races and counting for Nicky Henderson and his owner JP McManus. Holden said: 'Jonbon worked out. He cost €140,000 and we were lucky he worked out. If this guy is anything like Jonbon it will be very straightforward. Jonbon was very easy to do anything with, he never had any issues." British trainer Dan Skelton was also present at the sale, and he paid €165,000 for another No Risk At gelding. In total, 188 horses were sold on the opening day of the sale for a combined sum of €10,306,500.
RTÉ News
26-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Il Etait Temps overcomes absence to win Celebration Chase at Sandown
Il Etait Temps stunned Jonbon to run out an easy winner of the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown. Off the track for almost a year, the seven-year-old breezed to victory under Danny Mullins. The form was in the book, when he was last seen he beat Gaelic Warrior at the Punchestown Festival having also won at Aintree, but the fact he had missed the whole of the season saw him go off a 9-2 chance. Ridden by Danny Mullins, he pinged every fence and appeared on the bridle at the Pond Fence. Jonbon, who had shifted marginally right at some of his fences but in the main jumped well, had no excuses as Il Etait Temps breezed by on his way to a five-and-a-half-length win to hand Jonbon his first defeat away from the Cheltenham Festival. The winner's stablemate Energumene was third. What a return to action for Il Etait Temps who cruised in to contention, passes Jonbon and puts in a superb jump at the last, to give @WillieMullinsNH victory in the Grade 1 @bet365 Celebration Chase 😲 — Sandown Park (@Sandownpark) April 26, 2025 Willie Mullins said: "I didn't expect that and I was hoping both him and Energumene would finish, pick up some place money and both be sound. But to do what he did, I couldn't believe it there in the stands and that has to be one of the moments of the whole year I think, for him to come out and do what he did. "He looks top class and that's his fifth Grade One I think. He's not a big, chasing type and to put him against Jonbon it looked like father and son, but he can jump and he's athletic and stays and he does everything." On the near season-long absence, Mullins added: "He had a little knee problem and was supposed to be back at Christmas and then Easter and every time we got close it went wrong. "We said we'd put him by for Punchestown but then we needed him for today and thank god we did, but he has been working very well at home." Nicky Henderson said of Jonbon: "He's run well and he's jumped and travelled and done everything right. "He's danced every dance this season and unfortunately Cheltenham didn't work. He had his hardest race there in finishing second, trying to get into the race and that flattened him enough. "Aintree was great and we are all starting to think that extra half-mile might help him. He's a very good two-miler but we'll be having a chat about it." Resplendent Grey was an appropriate winner of the bet365 Gold Cup for new champion jockey Sean Bowen and chief supporter Olly Murphy. Murphy has provided Bowen with over 100 winners as the Welshman secured a first title, and it was apt the two took out the last major handicap of the season together. Bowen has made a name for himself for winning from unpromising positions and this was another one. While Resplendent Grey travelled better than he had done all season in first-time cheekpieces, he was still flat out as Rachael Blackmore cruised to the front on Lombron. However, with Bowen, who heads off for his stag party in Tenerife on Sunday, still in striking distance after jumping the last, there appeared to be an inevitability about the result and the 9-2 chance won by a length. Given Willie Mullins was second, third, fourth and fifth with Lombron, High Class Hero, Spanish Harlem and Grangeclare West, he was confirmed as champion trainer for a second successive year. A fitting winner, as the champion jockey @Sean_Bowen_ shows his class, guiding the game Resplendent Grey to a sweet success in the @bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase, for the @O_J_murphy91 yard 👏 — Sandown Park (@Sandownpark) April 26, 2025 Murphy said: "That was brilliant. I told him I wasn't going on his stag do yesterday but I might go now! "What can I say to top today off, for Sean more importantly, today is his day. I've been a small cog in his wheel, I'm very proud of him and he's been a massive part of Warren Chase. "I'm an emotional man when I'm happy, I always have been. There's a big team behind me and a big team behind Sean. Andrew Thornton (Gold Cup-winning jockey) does an awful lot with him, I'm just a small part but he's champion jockey and just won a big race, so it's brilliant. "You have to pinch yourself sometimes, I'm very hard on myself. I text Sean this morning to say 'I'm sorry I haven't given him a Grade One winner this year' but that was great." Bowen told ITV Racing: "That's amazing, it's been the best two weeks of my life and I hope it carries on forever! "To have my family here is great but I've got to give a big mention to Olly Murphy, how someone has kept his horses in that good a form all season I'll never know. "He's got a 25% strike-rate which is unheard of really and 56% of the horses he has run have won which is also unheard of, so he's doing something right."
The Herald Scotland
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Il Etait Temps stuns Jonbon with Sandown Celebration
The form was in the book, when he was last seen he beat Gaelic Warrior at the Punchestown Festival having also won at Aintree, but the fact he had missed the whole of the season saw him go off a 9-2 chance. Ridden by Danny Mullins, he pinged every fence and appeared on the bridle at the Pond Fence. Il Etait Temps and winning connections (Steven Paston/PA) Jonbon, who had shifted marginally right at some of his fences but in the main jumped well, had no excuses as Il Etait Temps breezed by on his way to a five-and-a-half-length win to hand Jonbon his first defeat away from the Cheltenham Festival. The winner's stablemate Energumene was third. Willie Mullins said: 'I didn't expect that and I was hoping both him and Energumene would finish, pick up some place money and both be sound. But to do what he did, I couldn't believe it there in the stands and that has to be one of the moments of the whole year I think, for him to come out and do what he did. 'He looks top class and that's his fifth Grade One I think. He's not a big, chasing type and to put him against Jonbon it looked like father and son, but he can jump and he's athletic and stays and he does everything.' On the near season-long absence, Mullins added: 'He had a little knee problem and was supposed to be back at Christmas and then Easter and every time we got close it went wrong. 'We said we'd put him by for Punchestown but then we needed him for today and thank god we did, but he has been working very well at home.' Nicky Henderson said of Jonbon: 'He's run well and he's jumped and travelled and done everything right. 'He's danced every dance this season and unfortunately Cheltenham didn't work. He had his hardest race there in finishing second, trying to get into the race and that flattened him enough. Jonbon given a heroes reception after tasting defeat at Sandown for the first time — Adam Morgan (@Adam_Morgs) April 26, 2025 'Aintree was great and we are all starting to think that extra half-mile might help him. He's a very good two-miler but we'll be having a chat about it. 'It's tempting to go Shloer, Tingle Creek and then have a look. But I think we're all thinking that extra half-mile – and dare I say plus – might just help him out. There's one way to find out and that's to try him, but we'll see. 'He'll go back to Martinstown (Stud) and have a lovely summer of champagne and caviar and then we'll have a chat and work it out.' Connections of third-placed Energumene felt the ground was too quick for him to play a significant role but there are no plans to retire the dual Champion Chase winner.
Irish Examiner
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Il Etait Temps stuns Jonbon with Sandown celebration
Il Etait Temps stunned Jonbon to run out an easy winner of the bet365 Celebration Chase at Sandown. Off the track for almost a year, the seven-year-old breezed to victory under Danny Mullins. The form was in the book, when he was last seen he beat Gaelic Warrior at the Punchestown Festival having also won at Aintree, but the fact he had missed the whole of the season saw him go off a 9-2 chance. Ridden by Danny Mullins, he pinged every fence and appeared on the bridle at the Pond Fence. Jonbon, who had shifted marginally right at some of his fences but in the main jumped well, had no excuses as Il Etait Temps breezed by on his way to a five-and-a-half-length win to hand Jonbon his first defeat away from the Cheltenham Festival. The winner's stablemate Energumene was third. Willie Mullins said: "I didn't expect that and I was hoping both him and Energumene would finish, pick up some place money and both be sound. But to do what he did, I couldn't believe it there in the stands and that has to be one of the moments of the whole year I think, for him to come out and do what he did. "He looks top class and that's his fifth Grade One I think. He's not a big, chasing type and to put him against Jonbon it looked like father and son, but he can jump and he's athletic and stays and he does everything." On the near season-long absence, Mullins added: "He had a little knee problem and was supposed to be back at Christmas and then Easter and every time we got close it went wrong. "We said we'd put him by for Punchestown but then we needed him for today and thank god we did, but he has been working very well at home." Nicky Henderson said of Jonbon: "He's run well and he's jumped and travelled and done everything right. "He's danced every dance this season and unfortunately Cheltenham didn't work. He had his hardest race there in finishing second, trying to get into the race and that flattened him enough. "Aintree was great and we are all starting to think that extra half-mile might help him. He's a very good two-miler but we'll be having a chat about it. "It's tempting to go Shloer, Tingle Creek and then have a look. But I think we're all thinking that extra half-mile - and dare I say plus - might just help him out. There's one way to find out and that's to try him, but we'll see. "He'll go back to Martinstown (Stud) and have a lovely summer of champagne and caviar and then we'll have a chat and work it out." Connections of third-placed Energumene felt the ground was too quick for him to play a significant role but there are no plans to retire the dual Champion Chase winner.
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Nicky Henderson confirms two huge names to replace Nico de Boinville on Constitution Hill and Jonbon
NICKY HENDERSON has confirmed two huge names will replace Nico de Boinville on Constitution Hill and Jonbon. Hendo's No1 rider spent a night in hospital after a terrible fall at Plumpton on Easter Monday. He was kicked in the back by As The Fella Says when departing at the first. The extent of his injuries means he will miss the money-spinning end to the jumps season which takes in Sandown this weekend and Punchestown Festival in Ireland next weekend. And Henderson confirmed on Wednesday that Mark Walsh will replace De Boinville on Jonbon when he goes for a third straight Celebration Chase at the Surrey track. Walsh, who won the Gold Cup on Inothewayurthinkin, is Jonbon owner JP McManus' No1 rider and a logical choice. While James Bowen, brother to Irish Grand National-winning rider Sean, is the man picked for two possibly seismic rides on Constitution Hill and Lulamba in Ireland next week. Henderson said in a statement: "Firstly I want to say thank you to everyone for their thoughts and kind messages following Nico's fall, which we have passed onto him. "He is now back at home and will need to rest. We don't know exactly when he'll be back riding but we wish him a speedy recovery. "In the meantime we do have to make riding plans for our horses and Mark Walsh will come over to Sandown Park on Saturday to ride Jonbon. "Constitution Hill has an important gallop on Friday and he will be partnered by James Bowen. "If that goes well they will school together over the weekend and if we get a double green light so to speak then we can all head over to Punchestown. "Everything hinges on how this weekend goes. "Lulamba is in great form and could also head over. "It's a brave shout but I'm very happy with him and James would also take ride if we line up." More to follow. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
