Jonbon put an odds-on defeat in the Champion Chase behind him to win the Melling Chase for the second year in a row.
Jonbon was a distant second in the Champion Chase after losing all chance with a rare mistake five out, but he put in a clean round of jumping under a positive ride from Nico de Boinville at Aintree and, despite idling up the run-in, the 4/6 favourite still had three and a quarter lengths to spare over Protektorat.
Jonbon's task was made easier when El Fabiolo, the 5/2 second favourite, fell at the open ditch down the back straight and outsider Matata blundered at the next fence.
It was a tenth Grade 1 success for Jonbon who took his record under Rules to 18 wins and four seconds from 22 starts for Nicky Henderson. It was a welcome win for the trainer and rider after stable star Constitution Hill had fallen in the Aintree Hurdle on Thursday.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
De Boinville said: "Jonbon gets us out of trouble again! You would have said it's been a tough week, but all credit to the staff, particularly to the guv'nor and JP [McManus] and his team. They've kept the faith in us. You have to pick yourself up after yesterday and luckily I've got really nice horses to ride, like Jonbon. He's an absolute superstar.
"He was a very different horse to the one I rode at Cheltenham. He really enjoyed it out there today and you can see when he's right and on song he loves his jumping and can come up from anywhere, and is also able to fiddle."
On bouncing back from the disappointment of Constitution Hill's fall, De Boinville added: "You just have to roll with the punches and when you're on the floor pick yourself up. It's like that famous Rocky saying 'you've got to get up and keep moving forward', and that's what we keep trying to do."
Jonbon was ridden more patiently than usual at Cheltenham after he was slowly away following a standing start, but De Boinville seemed keen to let him stride on here and he contested a strong early gallop with Protektorat and Matata, with El Fabiolo jumped ponderously in behind.
Protektorat eventually secured the early lead but Jonbon jumped on at the fence in front of the stands with a circuit to go and always seemed to be in a good rhythm. Victory took his record at Aintree to four from four, all in Grade 1 company, following wins in the Top Novices' Hurdle, Maghull Novices' Chase and last year's Melling Chase.
'He jumped so well'
Reflecting on what went wrong at Cheltenham and why today's performance was much smoother, Henderson said: "That Champion Chase just doesn't seem to work for him. It's a pity because it just went all wrong in Cheltenham and he proved today he just loves doing that. That's some gallop they were going but that's what he does best.
"He just couldn't get out there at Cheltenham, the start went wrong and he was on the backfoot the whole way. Nico went wide [today] as he [Jonbon] loves his own space."
Praising horse and rider, Henderson added: "He was brilliant. He jumped so well. They know each other so well, they trust each other. It's lovely to watch."
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
