Energumene will make it fast and furious, but is he a freak like Shishkin?

Only a handful of runners will gather for a potentially explosive Grade 1 SBK Clarence House Chase at Ascot on Saturday, but don’t expect it to be marred by a lack of pace.

Exciting Irish raider Energumene, who is unbeaten in five starts over fences, looks the most likely leader, having made all in four of those victories.

He appears a relentless, high-class galloper at two miles, and it could prove pertinent that Notebook, who took him on up front in the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork last month, was simply legless from the third-last, eventually beaten 42 lengths.

Clarence House Chase card and betting

That suggests it will prove mighty difficult – perhaps impossible – to get Energumene out of his comfort zone if his rider wishes to dictate.

Notebook is a dual Grade 1-winning chaser, yet was made to look strictly third-rate after attempting to play Energumene at his own game.

Connections of last year’s Clarence House winner First Flow will be only too aware of how bruised and battered Notebook looked in the closing stages, and are unlikely to repeat their 2021 tactics which saw him power past front-running Politologue after the seventh fence.

First Flow: last year's winner will be back on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

First Flow, who won over 2m4f at Huntingdon last time, stayed on strongly to slam Politologue by seven lengths, but it’s hard to envisage him getting the better of Energumene mid-race and then having enough in the tank to repel the mighty Shishkin.

SBK Clarence House Chase betting

Coral: 4-9 Shishkin, 9-4 Energumene, 6 First Flow, 11 Hitman, 50 Amoola Gold

Nicky Henderson’s superstar, who is unbeaten in six starts over fences, possesses an abnormally high cruising speed and a lethal burst of acceleration.

Factor his fast, slick, accurate jumping into the equation and it will be a shock if he doesn’t arrive at the second-last still hard on the bridle.

He’s reported to have come on considerably for his impressive Kempton reappearance win – which came less than a month after a training setback – and that surely spells doom for his rivals.

It’s blindingly obvious that Shishkin is something of a freak – in the same mould as his former stablemates Sprinter Sacre and Altior.

Energumene, who is being talked up as a monster in many quarters, will need to possess similarly freakish ability to fend him off.

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