Good Time Jonny
Good Time Jonny stayed on to take fifth place behind Heart Wood in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase. Well back in the field early on, his jumping wasn't great in the main and, in particular, he made a mistake at the first fence and he pecked quite badly on landing over the fourth last fence. Only about 13th or 14th as they left the back straight, and only 11th or 12th over the second last fence, he stayed on well from there. It never looked like he was going to catch the impressive winner Heart Wood, and he would have been only sixth or seventh had Percival Legallois and Chavez not come down at the final fence, but there was a lot to like about the manner in which he kept on up the hill to take fifth place over a trip that should have been sharper than ideal.
This was just Good Time Jonny's third run of the season, and it was his best by some way. Tony Martin's horse could be running into form now, and he will be of interest if he goes to Cheltenham, wherever he goes at Cheltenham. He does hold an entry in the Stayers' Hurdle, and he would be an interesting outsider in that, but it may be that he will go for the Pertemps Final again, if he can get qualified between now and then, or a handicap chase. He was an impressive winner of the Pertemps Final last year, coming from the rear in a race in which not everything went right, and he followed up with a big run in the three-mile handicap hurdle at Aintree, just eighth jumping the final flight and staying on well to finish fourth. He won the Pertemps Final last year off a mark of 142, his Irish rating this year. His chase rating in Ireland is 133, 9lb lower than his hurdles rating at home and, on the assumption that his British chase rating will be around 9lb lower than his British hurdles rating, he could be even more interesting in a handicap chase, in the Kim Muir or the Ultima. He should be happy returning to Cheltenham, and a step back up in trip should be a positive.
Leopardstown, 5th February 2024
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