Willie Mullins has sent Energumene (2/1) to Ascot for another bid at the Grade 1 BetMGM Clarence House Chase (15:32) as he aims to make amends for his close defeat at the hands of Shishkin in the 2022 edition of the race. This year he will face another Nicky Henderson superstar in the form of Jonbon (4/6). The pair require no introduction as they've both won multiple high profile Grade 1 races over the last few seasons. They're only split by 1lb on Official Ratings, it should be a thriller.
Last month Energumene returned from 593 days off the track to win the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork. The King George hero Banbridge was close behind him before unseating at the last fence, from that point onwards the race was in the bag and the Willie Mullins charge stayed on to beat Dinoblue by 10 lengths. A more than satisfactory comeback.
Jonbon has only ran once before at Ascot and that was over hurdles. The fact he's never jumped the fences at Ascot is probably the only chink in his armour. He bids to take his career record to 17 wins from 20 races.
The Bet365 Handicap Chase (2:15) is an open looking contest and the betting is currently headed by Martator (4/1), a progressive chaser trained by Venetia Williams. Martator has been raised 35lbs in the handicap in the last year, registering five straight wins in the process. He will have to carry top weight, but is 3 from 3 at Ascot and if there's any more improvement left in the tank, this is the Course where he'll find it.
A shout out needs to be given to Bad (7/1), who is surely one of the most frustrating horses in training. He's had 11 races in Britain, although placing multiple times he's yet to register a win. It's rare for a horse to climb to a rating of 125 without tasting victory, but he's managed it. He's 5lbs out of the handicap today so is effectively running off a mark of 130. That won't make life easy.