IL Etait Temps delivered one of the most authoritative performances of his career to capture the Tingle Creek Chase 2025 at Sandown Park on Saturday, reaffirming his position among the season’s leading two-mile chasers and securing another major British success for Willie Mullins.
The seven-year-old, who played a crucial role in Mullins’ UK Jump trainers’ championship earlier this year, travelled with striking ease under Paul Townend. Always well in rhythm, he moved through the field smoothly before taking control from Jonbon three out. From there, IL Etait Temps surged clear, stretching the margin to nine lengths over the dual former winner, with L’Eau du Sud another nine lengths behind in third.
IL Etait Temps extends Mullins’ Sandown record in the Tingle Creek Chase 2025
The victory marked Mullins’ second success in Sandown’s flagship early-season Grade One, following Un De Sceaux’s win in 2016, and reinforced IL Etait Temps’ growing maturity and reliability at the highest level.
Townend was full of praise for the horse’s development. “He is tiny, but he answered every question today,” he reflected. “He’s so relaxed now. In years past, you’d worry about lighting him up at a fence, but he’s become straightforward, clean, and confident. He went through the race very easily.”
Wayne Kieswetter of Barnane Stud — co-owners alongside Hollywood Racing — highlighted the significance of IL Etait Temps’ performance. “Paul said his jumping was magnificent. You ask him for a jump, he stands back, then immediately switches off again. That’s his weapon now,” he said. “We have no jump racing in South Africa, so watching him win here has created real interest back home. What began as a hobby has really grown into a passion.”
Jonbon’s trainer Nicky Henderson was gracious in defeat. “Over two miles, the winner is sharper than we are,” he conceded. “We wanted to let him roll on today, and he enjoyed it. He’s improved since Cheltenham, and what he did here would probably have won the last two runnings. There are no excuses with the ground.”
Dan Skelton, trainer of L’Eau du Sud, looked toward future targets. “We weren’t at our very best today, but I’m happy,” he said. “He’ll go straight to the Champion Chase now. We tried to have him as fresh as he was at Cheltenham. Nothing went wrong — it just didn’t come together. We knew Jonbon would improve and that IL Etait Temps would be tough to beat.”
With another commanding Sandown success behind him, IL Etait Temps now heads deeper into the season as one of the most compelling contenders in the two-mile division, leaving Mullins’ team with several enticing options for the months ahead.
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