The seven-year-old, partnered by Lisgoold jockey Paul Townend for trainer Willie Mullins, previously won the Celebration Chase at the track, a win which helped Willie Mullins claim a second British Jump trainers’ championship last April.

9-length winner

This afternoon, Il Etait Temps travelled strongly throughout the race having taken the lead from the J.P. McManus-owned Jonbon (3/1) three out.

The gelded son of Jukebox Jury then moved clear for an easy nine length victory to give Mullins a second win in the race after Un De Sceaux in 2016, with the victor of the race the past two seasons, Jonbon, having to settle for the runner-up spot this time.

L’Eau du Sud (7/2) was a further nine lengths back in third for Dan and Harry Skelton.

Living up to all the promise

Successful jockey Paul Townend said of the Hollywood Racing and Barnane Stud-owned winner:

“He is tiny, but he answered every question I asked of him today. I feel silly for not picking him so many times in his career now! He is living up to all the promise he showed as a young horse and went through the race really easily today. He is so relaxed now, and you can do what you want with him. In years gone past, you’d be afraid to ask him for a jump because you’d set him alight and you wouldn’t get him back.

”Willie always has a plan, and he’ll tell us what he wants to do”

What next for Il Etait Temps? Rishi chats to the winning owner pic.twitter.com/u3MgyFLLVb

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 6, 2025

Nicky Henderson, trainer of runner-up Jonbon, said post-race:

“When the winner beat us here last year it was at the end of a long season, but today proves that over two miles he is a sharper horse than we are. You have to be tempted to look at going over further with him now. But let’s just see. Nothing is in and nothing is out.

Dan Skelton, trainer of third-placed L’Eau du Sud, stated:

“I don’t think we were at our best today, but I am very happy. We’ll have to get him super fresh, and he’ll go straight to the Champion Chase now – we’ll try and have him in the form he was in for the Shloer at Cheltenham.”

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