Tony McFadden reveals the state of play in the two-mile division on Timeform's ratings following a big weekend that featured the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown and Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork.
Energumene (Timeform rating 177)
Energumene had been off the track since winning the Punchestown Champion Chase in the spring of 2023 but the style of his success in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork on Sunday suggests that much of his ability retains intact.
Energumene, who was winning the Hilly Way for a third time, raced with plenty of zest, impressed with the accuracy of his jumping (with the exception of a blunder at the third last) and probably would have won by a few lengths had Banbridge not departed at the final fence.
He was receiving 10 lb from Banbridge, which limits the view that can be taken of the form, and the performance rating of 162 is some way below his very best. However, this was a highly satisfactory return and his Timeform master rating of 177 reflects that he is still considered capable of reaching the level he showed when winning his second Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023.
Perhaps he won't be able to repeat the very pick of his form, which was his runner-up effort to Shishkin in a Clarence House Chase for the ages that earned him an outstanding Timeform rating of 180, but even his slightly revised figure marks him out as the one to beat in the division.
El Fabiolo (173)
El Fabiolo has questions to answer following a disappointing end to his campaign last season as he was pulled up as the 2/9 favourite in the Queen Mother Champion Chase following a bad mistake, and his jumping also let him down when turned over by Jonbon in the Celebration Chase.
His jumping may be under the microscope but there's no doubting his raw ability, and prior to his shock defeat at Cheltenham he had produced top-class displays in the Hilly Way Chase and Dublin Chase.
The performance that perhaps best highlights his talent, however, is a five-and-a-half-length defeat of Jonbon in the 2023 Sporting Life Arkle, one of five wins during a flawless novice campaign.
El Fabiolo, who isn't expected back before the new year, clearly has the class to make his mark if he can get his jumping together, though Mullins also has Energumene and Gaelic Warrior for this division so perhaps the Ryanair could come into the equation.
Jonbon (172)
Energumene might have the higher ceiling of ability, but Jonbon's remarkable consistency means that the dual Champion Chase winner will likely have to recapture something approaching his best form if he's to join Badsworth Boy as a three-time winner.
Jonbon took his record under Rules to 16 wins from 19 starts when winning a second Betfair Tingle Creek and ran right up to his very best as he drew eight lengths clear of Quilixios.
That performance reinforced Jonbon's status as the top chaser based in Britain and was the best performance in the Tingle Creek since Altior beat Un de Sceaux in 2018.
Jonbon's performance rating of 172 was 10 lb superior to the bare form shown by Energumene in the Hilly Way, though that's not the performance to judge the returning champion.
Gaelic Warrior (169)
It wasn't all plain sailing for Gaelic Warrior during his novice chase campaign as he suffered odds-on defeats at the Dublin Racing Festival and Punchestown Festival, but there were some stunning successes along the way, including in the Arkle at Cheltenham where he put up the best performance in the division by Timeform's reckoning.
Gaelic Warrior had been tried over intermediate trips early in his novice chase campaign but coped really well with the drop in trip at Cheltenham, impressing with how he tanked through the race before storming eight and a half lengths clear.
That performance earned him a Timeform rating of 169, comfortably passing the benchmark for a top-class chaser (165).
Banbridge (168)
Banbridge has the King George VI Chase over three miles on his agenda, so there has to be some doubt about how often he competes in the two-mile division. However, he won the Punchestown Champion Chase last season and was in the process of showing top-class form under a Grade 1 penalty at Cork on Sunday so is worth highlighting.
Banbridge had looked rusty when a well-beaten fourth in the Fortria Chase on his return at Navan last month and looked to face a stiff task at Cork where he was attempting to concede 10 lb to Energumene.
He probably would have come up slightly short had he completed, but he was running a cracker and looked set to post a career-best performance on the figures.
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