The Clarence House Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase held annually at Ascot. While it’s not as popular as Ascot’s highlight the Gold Cup, the Clarence House Race is still a valued race. It is run over a distance of 2 miles and 1 furlong with thirteen fences to be jumped. As such, it’s a highly challenging race with only experienced horses aged 5 and over allowed.
This year, the race will take place on 23 January. The new year of racing in the UK gets off to a great start, with this Saturday’s racing drawing the attention of thousands of viewers. Everyone’s excited to learn if who the new champ is. Historically, the Clarence House Race has provided leading contenders for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, making this race all the more important.
Who Wins in 2021?
The prestigious Grade 1 race has so far provided elite two-mile chasers that have done great in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Some of those include the legendary Altior, Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre, and Viking Flagship. All these horses have won the Cheltenham showpiece two times, cementing their place among horse racing legends.
Last year, the Clarence House Race was won by Defi Du Seuil. The Phillip Hobbs-trained horse had a great run and many believe that the horse has a great chance of a repeat in 2021. Defi Du Seuil’s is one of the two odds-on favourites with most bookies placing it at 10/3 or 5/2.
The horse will have its work cut out against Politologue, the favourite this year. Politologue is a strong contender (10/11) for the Clarence House Race after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase last year as well as Tingle Creek. Having already won twice in his younger years at Ascot, it’s no wonder why bookies give it the top chances this Saturday.
Other possible contenders include Duc Des Genievres who won at Arkle in 2019. First Flow flies high up the list as well as well as Riders Onthe Storm, the 2020 Betfair Ascot Chase winner. These three horses have odds of 8/1 each.
Confirmations Closing In
The confirmations for this race are made on January 18 with the final field confirmed on January 21st. The race will take place at 3.35 AM on Saturday, January 23rd. The two-mile event comes with a massive £100,000 prize pool so there’s no doubt that all trainers and jockeys will do their best to lead their horses to victory.
Experts believe that we’re in for a highly thrilling renewal. From a punter’s perspective, it’s a bit hard to look past the two major favourites. Defi De Seuil is a solid pick and is likely to bounce back to the level we saw late last season. However, many will back Politologue and others will likely choose Duc Des Genievres.
The popular race has seen its fair share of twists and turns in the past, so there’s no question that the race will be exciting.