2021 Denman Chase Guide

Dual King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux tops the entries for this event with his trainer Paul Nicholls looking to land back to back renewals of this race.

Last season he started his term off over in Northern Ireland in November with Nicholls sending him into the Grade One Champion Chase at Down Royal and he finished a smart second behind Road To Respect and it worked out to be the perfect prep run ahead of the King George VI.

He went on to become a dual King George winner on Boxing Day 2019 and looked to add a third on the 26th December 2020 having had a superb prep run at Haydock.

Having not gone down the same route as last year with heading over to Down Royal, Nicholls took Clan Des Obeaux to the Mersyside track for the Grade One Betfair Chase.

Having ran a stormer the whole way round, the heavy ground in the final stages told and saw him finish a close second to triple winner of the race Bristol De Mai.

He headed to Kempton full of confidence, but unfortunately it was not to be with stablemate Frodon stealing the show.

Heading into this event having had some time off should see him fresh and he looks the horse to beat on the face of his form.

The eight year old last season started his term off at Carlisle when landing the Intermediate Chase in fine style which set him up perfectly for a tilt at the Betfair Chase against two time winner Bristol De Mai.

Having the run under his belt made the difference as he went on to stay on better than the Nigel Twiston-Davies horse up the straight and it saw him land his first black type event out of novice company.

This season, without the run before the race and the heavy conditions it saw Bristol De Mai reverse the form and overall Tizzard's horse gave a very below par performance.

In 2019 Lostintranslation headed to Kempton on Boxing Day for the King George VI Chase and nothing went right for him throughout the race with his jumping ultimately letting him down and he was pulled up before the finish.

With all roads leading for another crack at the King George, the son of Flemensfirth started his season off in the Betfair Chase at Ascot and he was well beaten into third by Bristol De Mai and Clan Des Obeaux.

Of the back of that poor run he still went to Kempton and like 2019 was pulled up in the Boxing Day feature and although the signals are good from the yard, he still has a lot to prove from his runs this season.

The seven year old has shown during his career how smart he can be over both hurdles and fences, finishing a narrow second in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in his first season over timber.

After that he went chasing and having always been bought to go over the bigger obstacles and in his first season, won his first two events and then went on to place in the Grade Two Wayward Lads Novices' Chase at Kempton.

After being pulled up at Cheltenham in the Arkle, he was sent to the Grand National meeting at Aintree and he managed to bounce back and land his first Grade One for the yard in the Manifesto Novices' Chase.

Last term he started his campaign off back at Aintree in the Old Roan Chase and could only finish second to Forest Bihan and although finishing second at Newbury in a decent handicap event, his form has dropped off massively.

Having given him a spin over hurdles at Haydock in the Grade Three Stayers' Handicap hurdle, it put him right for a crack at the Grade Two Peterborough Chase at Cheltenham in December where he finished a good second behind Mister Fisher.

This is a better Grade Two event over an extra half a mile and he will need to be at the peak of his form to go close.

Secret Investor is Paul Nicholls second string in the race and preferably does his best work on good ground, so will not want any more rain on the track ahead of the event.

The nine year old has been a fairly smart horse for the yard during his career, but stepping into a Grade Two against proven black type horses may see him slightly vulnerable.

This season the gelding has been twice, winning at good ground at Chepstow in a Handicap Chase back in October and used that run to had to Newbury for the Ladbrokes Trophy.

In what was a gruelling race full of some smart horses, Secret Investor was outclassed into 11th of 18, even getting his preferred ground.

It looks extremely tough for him to bounce back in an event like this.

Last season the gelding had a superb time of things having won at Cheltenham before his place in the Ladbrokes Trophy, he then headed to Warwick in a decent Handicap Chase which set him up perfectly for a tilt at the Ultima Handicap at the Cheltenham festival.

The son of Kalanisi in the Grade Three event, was superb, looking beat when jumping the last but staying the best of the rest up the Cheltenham hill to give his trainer a well deserved festival winner.

This season instead of having a prep run ahead of another go in the Ladbrokes Trophy, he made his seasonal debut in the event and again ran a superb race to finish third.

He used that last time out when a narrow second at Ascot in a good handicap chase and although stepping up in Grade today, he is a proven stayer that always runs his race and may be an each way player.

Cepage for the inform Venetia Williams may just be out of his depth in this event having been a seasoned handicapper over the years and now he steps up to Grade Two company.

The nine year old overall in this race looks up against it on ratings and will have to improve for his runs of late although winning nicely last time out at Chepstow in a Handicap Chase.

This gelding has done most of his best work at Cheltenham, winning back in January 2020 in the Grade Three Paddy Power Handicap Chase, but before winning last time out had struggled.

He is very versatile when it comes to ground having form on good and heavy, but overall he needs a career best performance to be in the mix.

The final runner of the event is the Nicky Henderson trained Terrefort who has not been seen on a racecourse since bing pulled up in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival in 2019.

Having suffered an injury setback he makes his first appearance in this event for nearly two years and although being a smart horse, may just need the run and his odds suggest that.]

The gelding was a dual Grade One winner as a novice chaser, landing races like the Mildmay Novices' Chase at the Grand National meeting and before that won the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase.

Another nice piece of old form was when he finished second to Shattered Love at the 2018 JLT Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham festival.

Although he has all this nice form it is over less than three miles and when been tried at todays trip has flopped and has it all to do after a long absence.