Tingle Creek Tips: Big Race Preview for Sandown on 6 December 2025

Sandown’s Tingle Creek always delivers a mid-winter jolt of quality and the 2025 renewal on Saturday looks every inch a championship clash in waiting. The top two-mile chasers are back on centre stage, with the aging defending champion facing off with his last two conquerors. Billy Grimshaw has gone through the small but select field in detail and provided us with a runners' guide before giving his predicted 1-2-3...

1. Boothill - 10YO - Harry Fry - Bryan Carver

Boothill arrives as the outsider of the quintet but is far from a no-hoper, especially with his proven record of relishing his racing around Sandown. He lacks the Grade 1 pedigree of his rivals, yet he consistently runs above market expectations and has a habit of picking off tired horses late. Sandown’s layout suits him, as he travels smoothly and jumps economically when allowed to bowl along in a controlled rhythm.

The key for Boothill will be surviving the mid-race squeeze when the big guns apply pressure. This is where he has come unstuck on many occasion behind the big guns - notably Jonbon - in this sort of race. If he can maintain contact without being pushed beyond his comfort zone, he has the tools to stay on strongly up the hill. His best chance hinges on others making mistakes or failing to fire truth be told, but he’s tough and could be underestimated at 80/1. In a small field where tactical nuance matters, Boothill could grab a place and as we saw in the Fighting Fifth last weekend, you never know...

2. Il Etait Temps - 7YO - Willie Mullins - Paul Townend

Il Etait Temps has developed into a street-wise, battle-hardened two-miler who thrives when a race becomes tactical and stamina comes into play. He’s not always flashy, but he is relentlessly effective, and his ability to handle any ground makes him a serious contender for this Tingle Creek.

Last season was a non event until the very end, when his win here marked him out as a chaser with a far stronger engine than many first assumed, and his finishing effort has become a notable weapon. Sandown’s stiff uphill run-in plays right into his strengths on the evidence of his Celebration success and the pace in here could be manor from heaven for him.

His jumping has tightened up with experience, despite the long absences, and he now shapes like a horse who is coming into his prime at the right time. While he may not carry the same aura asJonbon just yet, he is still only seven so has time on his side. Il Etait Temps often finds more under pressure and is as good fresh as he is second time out, so is the most likely winner.

3. Jonbon - 9YO - Nicky Henderson - Nico de Boinville

Jonbon brings established Grade 1 class to the Tingle Creek and remains one of the most reliable two-mile chasers in training. His forward-going style, accurate jumping and ability to apply pressure from an early stage make him a nightmare to reel in around Sandown, where rhythm is often everything and where he has produced his very best performances.

He is at his best on a right-handed track and on ground with a bit of cut, both of which he should get on Saturday. The key question now is whether he still has the same mid-race gear change that once put top rivals under the pump, because the younger brigade are closing the gap. L'Eau Du Sud saw him off with relative ease at Cheltenham last time out (more on him later) but we know Jonbon is a better horse here than at Prestbury Park.

Jonbon is still capable of producing a blistering performance when conditions fall his way, but he can also throw in the odd untidy leap when stressed for pace. If he gets into his comfort zone early, he will be a major player once again but the big danger is the horse who brushed him aside last time they met here, Il Etait Temps.

4. L'Eau Du Sud - 7YO - Dan Skelton - Harry Skelton

L’Eau Du Sud may not yet possess the CV of the market leaders, but he has always shaped like a horse with serious untapped potential and came of age last tiem out. His hurdling campaign showed flashes of high-class ability, particularly in strongly run contests where stamina at this minimum trip began to separate the contenders.

That trait should be an asset in a Tingle Creek that often turns into a survival test late on, especially on soft December ground at Sandown. His jumping over fences has always been impeccable but there were some doubting his desire for a battle after just being done for a place in an Arkle where they finished in a heap. 

He dispelled that in style with his Shloer win last time out, relentlessly grinding his way to glory and his biggest win to date. He had Jonbon languishing behind him that day and this clash could well determine whether the torch is ready to be passed just yet on this side of the Irish Sea between two mile chasers - assuming Sir Gino is not ready to attack fences again.

Il Etait Temps is a whole different proposition to an aging Jonbon for L'Eau Du Sud to contend with, and the worry that this horse is best fresh won't go away until he runs at his peak second time out, but if he jumps as well as he can he will have everything in the race on red alert.

5. Libberty Hunter - 9YO - Evan Williams - Harry Cobden

Libberty Hunter arrives here with something to prove after fluffing his lines int he Shloer last time out, blundering at fence one and unseating at the sixth. On his day he has the natural pace to hold a position early but also the stamina to keep finding when others begin to falter, a combination that often proves crucial around Sandown, but his jumping is always the issue.

On a going day he tends to warm into a race rather than show everything in the early strides. The Tingle Creek represents a sizeable task given the ability of the top three in the market, but he’s earned the right to take his chance after stringing together performances that hinted at a higher ceiling last season. What makes him a wildcard is his ability to quicken off a solid gallop, especially when the ground is testing. Should the principals set off like scolded cats, he could pick up the pieces. 

If he is still there swinging come the final furlongs and is travelling strongly into the home straight, he could make this far more competitive than the market suggests.