Altior takes on two rivals at Ascot as Un De Sceaux misses out

Hopes of a second stirring clash between Altior and Un De Sceaux in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday were dashed on Thursday when the latter was not declared for the Grade One feature.

Willie Mullins had indicated earlier in the week that Un De Sceaux was likely to to seek a historic fourth successive win in the race and on Wednesday his part-owner, Colm O’Connell, also said they were leaning towards running.

However, the prolific 11-year-old’s name was missing when the entries were revealed shortly after 10am and, in his absence, Altior is now a general 1-8 to chalk up a 17th successive win. He will face only Fox Norton, who will be making a belated return, and Diego Du Charmil, a 19-length runner-up to Altior at Kempton over Christmas. They are chalked up at 8-1 and 16-1.

“When the going report came this morning of good to soft and there was no real rain coming, it just wasn’t going to be soft enough, and the frost is another problem," O’Connell said.

“It just wasn’t meant to be. I wish the next generation all the best in trying to achieve four wins in the Clarence House, but unfortunately it won’t be us.

“We’ve been aiming at this race since the summer as we wanted to create history. Last year he was swimming in mud coming round Swinley Bottom, and the year before the race had to be run at Cheltenham because of frost. Yesterday I was walking around without a coat, it’s crazy weather.”

The presence of the best steeplechaser in training combined with unseasonably good ground has given one of the biggest two-mile chases of the year a wholly uncompetitive look and no doubt some owners will be left regretting not making an entry earlier in the month.

For instance, fourth prize alone last year was worth £9,000.

There were nine initial entries earlier this month but connections of God's Own, Hell's Kitchen, Politologue, Saint Calvados and Waiting Patiently all declined standing their ground at the five-day stage.

Fox Norton and Diego Du Charmil will not be expected to pose much threat to Altior but, provided they complete, their connections will share more than £50,000 between them.

The former has been absent more than a year but Joe Tizzard, assistant trainer to his father, Colin, believes the race was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“We haven’t been able to run him as he pulled a bit of a tendon of the back of his knee in the King George last season,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“We were never going to run him until after the new year, but thinking of Cheltenham we need to get a run or two into him beforehand.

“He’s taking a lot of work, but he still looks a little burly so we’re keen to run. There’s rain around so it will be safe and he’ll take his chance. On his best form, he’s a really good horse.”

Plans for Un De Sceaux, meanwhile, remain fluid.

“We’ll try to get a run into him somewhere," o'Connell said. "There’s the Game Spirit, the race (Ascot Chase) over two miles and a half miles Waiting Patiently won last year, or he could go to Leopardstown, but that means taking on stable companions which is never ideal.

“That’s racing and it’s a brave call from Willie. But that’s why in my opinion he is the best in the business, because he makes calls the rest of us don’t have the courage to make.

“He did the same when Un De Sceaux was a young horse regarding the Champion Hurdle. If he’d run him, I doubt very much we’d still be here talking about him as a Grade One horse as an 11-year-old.”