Billed as a two-horse race between odds-on favourite Energumene and the relatively short-priced 2022 Arkle winner Edwardstone, few would have expected 14/1 outsider Editeur Du Gite to romp up the Prestbury Park hill and land the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day last month.
But that is exactly what happened in the Cotswolds on the January 28 card. The three were in contention at the last, but Energumene (4/9) made a mistake at the final fence, which cost him a few lengths on the leaders. Edwardstone and Editeur Du Gite then matched each other stride-for-stride up the stretch, but it was the latter who got their head over the line first.
What’s most interesting, had the Clarence House taken place at its usual stomping ground Ascot earlier in the month as it was intended to before being frozen off due to subzero temperatures in Berkshire, the Gary Moore-trained nine-year-old would not even have taken on the Grade 1-winning duo in the top-level two-mile contest.
Now though, Editeur Du Gite has thrown a major spanner in the works ahead of next month’s jumps showpiece. Energumene was being heavily backed to retain his Champion Chase crown in the horse race betting, but has since lost that favouritism to Clarence House Chase second Edwardstone — who now has the edge in the market at 7/4, with Willie Mullins’ star slightly adrift at 9/4.
It does make for a more interesting contest at the Festival though. Last year’s Champion Chase didn’t live up to the billing after Shishkin pulled up in his highly-anticipated rematch with Energumene, but this year’s renewal of the championship race now has the potential to be a wide open affair— with fellow Mullins runner Blue Lord and Editeur Du Gite as short as 5/2 and 5/1 respectively to keep the pressure on front runners Energumene and Edwardstone.
It is certainly an exciting market at this stage, and Editeur Du Gite might go off shorter if he receives the backing of the punters closer to the Festival. After all, his victory in the Clarence House Chase over course and distance was far from a stroke of luck.
It was a good run from the front for the majority of the race from maiden Group 1-winning jockey Niall Houlihan, and while Energumene blundered at the last, he held off a very good horse in the form of Edwardstone gamely to win by a head.
Of course, had Energumene not hit the final fence and lost around three lengths on the leading pair then it might have been a different conclusion as he was prominent and shifting through the gears towards the finish. A better round of jumping on March 15 and the form could easily be reversed.
Mullins remains upbeat despite the loss due to a first crack at the newly introduced white fences before the Festival, claiming: “It was his first time going to England and jumping the new white fences, even though he had jumped them at home, and he just baulked at the first.
“It was definitely a useful exercise for us and I’d say it’s something a lot of Irish horses are going to have to prepare for because if you miss the first at Cheltenham, your race could be gone.”
Who wins the Champion Chase now is anyone’s guess, but it certainly makes for a more interesting feature race on the second day of the Festival.
