KING OF ASCOT DOES IT AGAIN

12th top-level win for remarkable Jonbon

- BY DAVID YATES

JONBON once more showed his mettle through the final rounds of the fight to land a 12th career Grade One triumph in the Ascot Chase.

The betting suggested Nicky Henderson’s stable stalwart, who pulled victory from the fire to defend his crown in the two-mile Clarence House Chase at the royal racecourse four weeks ago, faced a straightforward task with an additional five furlongs expected to play to his strengths.

But among the 4-9 hotpot's five foes was Pic D’Orhy, the Ascot specialist who had proved impossible to pass in the 2024 and 2025 runnings — and the veteran pair served up a thriller.