32RED KING GEORGE VI

CHASE (GRADE 1)

PAUL Nicholls made the 32Red King George Chase his very own Grade 1 speciality a long time ago. However, at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day he scaled another peak as 12/1 chance Clan Des Obeaux mastered the gallant Thistlecrack to give the former champion trainer a magnificent 10th success in the famous old race.

The contest did not work out as many people expected. Bristol De Mai, having been hassled in the early stages, fell heavily at the ninth, bringing down northern challenger Waiting Patiently, considered to be the main threat to uneasy favourite Might Bite.

The front-running Coneygree is sadly a light of other days and faded quickly after four out, leaving his stable-companion Thistlecrack in the lead.

At that stage, Might Bite – last year’s winner but very disappointing at Haydock recently – was still travelling well enough towards the outer but it was Clan Des Obeaux who moved through to track the leader, with Harry Cobden looking as if he could go on whenever it suited him.

PUSHED ALONG

Gold Cup hero Native River, who needs a stiffer track and more cut in the ground, was pushed along at various stages by Richard Johnson but never quite joined issue as Cobden brought Clan Des Obeaux level approaching the last.

Landing in front, the six-year-old had too much pace for Thistlecrack on the run-in and went away to beat him by a length and a half, with Native River a dozen lengths away in third.

The winner’s stablemate Politologue ran well in fourth but did not quite stay three miles, and Might Bite now has much to prove after dropping back to finish last of the seven to complete.

Clan Des Obeaux is an improving horse however, the outcome will have many form pundits baffled. He finished fourth of five behind Bristol De Mai in the Betfair at Haydock and was beaten over 10 lengths when third to Might Bite in the Betfair Bowl at Aintree last April. Trained by a lesser name than Nicholls’, he might well have started at 20/1 or bigger this week.

Having said all of that, Kempton is an easier three miles than most and, once he settled into a rhythm, Clan Des Obeaux never came under pressure at any stage. Part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, he won with some authority and William Hill have him as short as 5/1 for the big one in March.

“Horses progress and get better,” Nicholls said. “We’ve always thought a great deal of him. I actually thought he ran a very good race in the Betfair, he just got a bit tired. To win races like this one means more than anything, I promise you.”

The trainer first landed the King George in 1997 with See More Business, the horse who set him on the road to the top.

Things have been quieter lately, with Nicky Henderson and his arsenal of talent taking over. But Nicholls has been quietly rebuilding, the perfectionist in him seeing Dan Skelton and Harry Fry achieve their full potential while Cobden and Bryony Frost are so good that Nicholls could afford to let the very talented Sam Twiston-Davies edge towards freelancing.

Cobden had one stroke of luck in the big race because he was just on Bristol De Mai’s outer when the incident occurred at the ninth. Otherwise he was in control of events as they unfolded.

“I knew as soon as I got to the front he wouldn’t do anything so I tried setting him up for the last and he outjumped Thistlecrack and scooted away brilliantly. I just hoped nothing was flying at the finish because we were idling,” he said

Cobden spent time with the Tizzards in his early days and will have been thrilled with former winner Thistlecrack’s performance. Nor should Native River’s effort be undervalued. Wednesday’s race underlined the huge difference between the Gold Cup and the King George. Allowed to dominate at Johnson’s chosen speed, Native River will still be a force in March.

Whether Might Bite will be able to shadow him all the way this time is another matter altogether.