There may be only four runners in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday but it features a clash between Energumene and Jonbon, two of Timeform's five highest-rated chasers in training.
Galopin des Champs (Timeform rating 179)
Galopin des Champs was beaten on his return to action in the John Durkan but, as was the case in the previous season, he showed much-improved form to run out an impressive winner of the Savills Chase at Leopardstown.
The winning margin was seven and a half lengths this time around, compared to 23 lengths the year before, so understandably didn't rate quite as highly on Timeform performance ratings, though it was still the joint-best effort this season.
The way Galopin des Champs powered clear up the run-in last time strongly suggests that he's again capable of reaching the sort of level he showed in the 2023 Savills Chase.
Energumene (177)
Energumene has won 11 of his 13 starts over fences, including two editions of the Champion Chase. But his career-best Timeform rating of 180 actually came from when he was narrowly beaten by Shishkin in the Clarence House Chase three years ago.
A Timeform master rating expresses the level of form a horse is considered capable of showing under optimum conditions, and Energumene's figure has been pulled down slightly from its very peak but still sits at 177, which is the level of form he displayed when winning his second Champion Chase in March 2023.
He missed all of last season and didn't need to perform near his best to make a winning return in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork, where he was in receipt of 10 lb from Banbridge who unseated at the final fence when a couple of lengths down, but the enthusiasm he displayed there suggests he has retained a good chunk of his ability.
El Fabiolo (173)
El Fabiolo's campaign ended with a bit of a whimper last season as he was pulled up in the Champion Chase after making a bad mistake at the fifth and his jumping also let him down when no match for Jonbon in the Celebration Chase.
It shouldn't be overlooked, however, that he inflicted a rare defeat on Jonbon when winning the Arkle as part of a flawless novice chase campaign in 2022/23 and he also showed top-class form in the Dublin Chase last season when the subsequent Champion Chase one-two, Captain Guinness and Gentleman de Mee, were beaten around 15 lengths.
Gerri Colombe (172)
Gerri Colombe was slammed 23 lengths by Galopin des Champs when runner-up in the Savills Chase last season but ran to a much higher level when filling the same position in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, reducing the deficit to three and a half lengths.
In getting that close to the outstanding performer in the division, and pulling nearly ten lengths clear of the third, Gerri Colombe ran to a higher level than for any of his victories.
He was disappointing when a well-beaten third at Down Royal in November, but he seemed rusty on his return around a track that is sharper than ideal and, under the right circumstances, he is still deemed capable of reaching the level he showed in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Jonbon (172)
Like Energuemene, Jonbon has won 11 of his 13 starts over fences. He may not have reached the same outstanding level of form that Energumene has shown in the past, but he too has comfortably exceeded the rating of 165 that Timeform deems the benchmark for a top-class performer.
He ran up to his best when emphatically winning a second Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last month to reassert his status as the top chaser based in Britain. No chaser this season has registered a higher Timeform performance rating, though Galopin des Champs equalled that level in the Savills Chase.
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