Philip Hobbs on Defi Du Seuil ahead of the Clarence House

Philip Hobbs “very happy” with Defi Du Sueil ahead of Un De Sceaux clash in the Matchbook Clarence House Chase

Defi Du Seuil, unbeaten in two starts this season, “couldn’t be better” as he bids for a seventh Grade 1 success in Saturday’s Matchbook Clarence House Chase at Ascot

Excitement is building ahead of Saturday’s Grade 1 feature and the Hobbs team are growing ever confident that their stable star can emerge victorious again just as he did in the Tingle Creek at Sandown last month. Hobbs said on Tuesday morning:

“He schooled yesterday and worked this morning and it was all very good. Everything couldn’t be better with him.”

Defi Du Seuil was beaten in his only start to date at Ascot, but Hobbs believes that had nothing to do with the track:

“He only had two runs that season and was definitely below par – but he bounced back well last season. He’s coped very well with soft ground in the past so I don’t see that as a problem. The soft ground will make it more of a test of stamina which is fine as far as we are concerned, as we know he stays two and a half miles. He’s won on soft ground plenty of times before including the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow which he won very, very easily in desperate conditions and also the Scilly Isles at Sandown a year ago.”

Looking back on the Tingle Creek at Sandown where he beat Un De Sceaux a neck, Hobbs thought that he idled on the run in:

“I thought between the last two that he’d go and win well but he just got a bit lonely after jumping the last.”

That performance cemented Defi Du Seuil as one of the very best two milers in Philip Hobbs’ mind and Saturday’s Matchbook’s Clarence House Chase in which he is 1.8 (4/5) shot with the sponsors, will help determine whether the seven year-old takes his chance in the Champion Chase or Ryanair at the Cheltenham Festival in March:

“He’s a very tough horse and he could probably run more often but at the same time, Cheltenham is obviously the main objective and you don’t want to be going too often to the well beforehand.”

Credit photo/ content – Matchbook/ Ascot