ITV Racing viewers have a trio of Graded contests to look forward to on Saturday. The Grade 2 duo of the Sky Bet Supreme Trial from Haydock and the BetMGM Warfield Mares’ Hurdle set the ball rolling, before the two-mile chasers’ step into the spotlight in the headline act.
First run as a handicap contest in 1989, the Clarence House Chase made a flying start, with the inaugural edition falling to everyone’s favourite grey, Desert Orchid. Promoted to Grade 1 status in 2007, the 2m1f contest invariably attracts runners with an eye on Queen Mother Champion Chase glory. Seven horses have won the Clarence House Chase and the Day 2 feature at the Cheltenham Festival in the same season, with the most recent being the Nicky Henderson-trained Altior in 2019.
With the clock ticking down to the 2026 edition of the £175,000 event, five runners remain in contention. The hugely popular 2025 champion is back to defend his crown, but it is a runner from the all-conquering Willie Mullins operation who dominates the market.
Six on the Spin for Il Etait Temps?
Willie Mullins is responsible for the most successful horse in Clarence House Chase history, Un De Sceaux, who won three consecutive editions between 2016 and 2018. Paul Nicholls’ dual Champion Chase winner, Master Minded, is the only other horse to win the race more than once.
Thus far, Mullins has not won the Clarence House Chase with a horse not named Un De Sceaux. However, there is a good chance that this may change in 2026. Arriving on the back of five successive victories, the Mullins-trained Il Etait Temps is a general 4/7 chance to make it six in a row.
Good enough to win the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, Il Etait Temps was no slouch over the smaller obstacles. However, he has scaled new heights since tackling fences. Having won two of eight starts over hurdles, his strike rate has improved to seven wins from nine outings over fences. Five Grade 1 triumphs feature on that list, including a nine-length romp in the Tingle Creek Chase last time out.
He is yet to race at Ascot but enjoys going right-handed and is six pounds clear of the field on official ratings.
Jonbon to Extend Henderson’s Lead?
First successful with Big Matt in 1996, Nicky Henderson claimed a sixth Clarence House Chase when landing the 2025 edition with Jonbon. That tally places him one win clear of long-time rival Paul Nicholls at the top of the all-time trainers’ table.
This year, Jonbon will attempt to add his name to the list of multiple winners. With an incredible ten Grade 1 wins, the JP McManus-owned runner is thoroughly proven at the highest level and comfortably accounted for the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene 12 months ago.
However, he hasn’t hit anything like his best levels in his two starts so far this season. Fifteen lengths behind L’Eau du Sud on his return in the Shloer Chase, he was then nine lengths adrift of Il Etait Temps in the Tingle Creek Chase.
That December defeat at Sandown confirmed the result of the 2025 bet365 Celebration Chase, in which Jonbon finished five and a half lengths behind Il Etait Temps over the Tingle Creek course and distance. Those efforts suggest Jonbon has work to do to turn the tables, but, on the plus side, he is unbeaten in two previous outings at Ascot. With Harry Cobden taking the ride for the first time, he may at least give the favourite something to think about.
Thistle Ask to Continue Incredible Ascent?
Next best in the market is a horse who has emerged as one of the big stories of the first half of the season. Formerly based with James Ewart, Thistle Ask joined the Dan Skelton operation in September 2025. Arriving with a chase rating of 115, his most recent outing had come in a Class 3 handicap at Musselburgh. Four starts later, he is on a five-race winning spree and has climbed 43 pounds to a new mark of 158.
That three-stone improvement is a result of a series of brilliant front-running displays, with his ability to jump accurately at speed seeing him gallop his handicap rivals into submission. He faces a different calibre of opposition here but is likely to make his usual bold bid from the front.
The potential field is completed by Harry Fry’s Gidleigh Park, who drops to two miles for the first time since mastering Caldwell Potter at Windsor in January, and Joe Tizzard’s JPR One, who has finished third in his two previous outings in Grade 1 company.
Will Il Etait Temps strike for Ireland? Can Jonbon bounce back to his brilliant best? Or will Thistle Ask be up to the task? Tune in at 3:30 pm on Saturday to find out.