Unbeaten chasers Shishkin and Energumene set to meet for the first time at Ascot in Saturday's Clarence House Chase, live on Sky Sports Racing; defending champion First Flow, Dan Skelton's Amoola Gold and Paul Nicholls' Hitman complete field of five
Wednesday 19 January 2022 16:21, UK
Trainer Kim Bailey says Saturday’s potential Clarence House clash between heavyweights Shishkin and Energumene is “great for racing” as he sends defending champion First Flow to Ascot as the “forgotten horse”.
Nicky Henderson's Shishkin, last year's Arkle winner, is unbeaten in six chase starts and looks set to meet the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene - yet to be beaten in five races over fences - for the first time.
The pair were due to face-off at the Cheltenham Festival last year only for Energumene to suffer a late setback and Bailey says the overdue meeting could be "the best two-mile chase we've seen for a long time."
Asked if First Flow - winner of the Grade Two Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last time out - can spoil the party for the big two, Bailey told Sky Sports Racing: "I'd love to do so but I don't think so.
"I'm looking forward to it as well because, to be involved in a race like that, I think is going to be the best two-mile chase we've seen for a long time. We've got two of the best horses running in it.
"We're number three and the forgotten horse. The horse is very well and loves Ascot.
"He's in a really good place. Is he good enough? Probably not, but he's done shocks before. Horses can rise to the occasion, especially on courses they like.
"This is a slightly different ball game to what he's run in before and we go there as the outside of the three, with two other runners as well.
"It's great for racing to have a race like this and I really hope that all five horses will get there on the day and show racing in its best light."
Dan Skelton is happy to let course specialist Amoola Gold face a similarly impossible task at Ascot.
Amoola Gold is the lowest rated of the five entered for the Grade One feature but with prize money down to the fifth, Skelton is not afraid to take on the challenge.
A similar exercise proved profitable for the Skelton stable two years ago when Marracudja picked up £16,000 for finishing third of five behind Defi Du Seuil.
However, there was a sting in the tail as Marracudja was put up 11lb for his pains.
What Amoola Gold has in his favour is an excellent course record that reads two wins and two second places from four visits to Ascot.
"It's unrealistic to think we can win, obviously, against probably all of them on numbers but he definitely excels at Ascot and you've got to be in those races. When they cut up to small numbers you've got to give it a go," Skelton told Sky Sports Racing.
"I ran Marracudja quite controversially in this race two years ago. He went up all that weight and there was a bit of a discussion about that. He finished third that day and picked up a chunk of prize money. You've got to be in it."
