Greatrex gunning for £500,000 bonus with La Bague Au Roi in Peterborough Chase

La Bague Au Roi will line up in Sunday’s Fitzdares Peterborough Chase with an eye to potentially taking on the big boys on Boxing Day and a chance of winning half a million pounds.

Bookmaker Fitzdares are offering a £500,000 bonus to the Peterborough Chase winner if the horse goes on to land the King George and Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. It has been named the Best Mate Bonus in honour of the legendary runner who completed the feat in the 2002-03 season.

La Bague Au Roi was left in at the forfeit stage for the King George on Wednesday, with trainer Warren Greatrex refusing to rule out the possibility of the mare taking on the likes of Lostintranslation and Cyrname if she were to win at Huntingdon.

The look of love: Warren Greatrex and La Bague Au RoiCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Speaking on Wednesday, he said: "She worked well this morning and schooled well last week, so unless anything happens between now and Sunday we’re all systems go for the Peterborough Chase.

“We’ll possibly have a crack at the King George if she wins at Huntingdon. Obviously a lot will need to happen and it would be tough with only 18 days between the two races, but it will be very tempting if she went and won well. We’d definitely think about it.”

Among La Bague Au Roi’s potential rivals for the Peterborough Chase is the Nicky Henderson-trained Top Notch, who all being well was confirmed to run by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s racing manager Anthony Bromley.

The eight-year-old won the race in 2017 when the race was moved to Taunton, and was last seen defeating Mares’ Hurdle winner Roksana at Aintree. He will bid to give Henderson his fourth winner in the Grade 2 in the past seven years.

Janika and Sceau Royal, also owned by Munir and Souede, will not run at Huntingdon, while Venetia Williams is yet to decide whether last season’s Ryanair Chase runner-up Aso will line up or take his chance at Aintree in the Many Clouds Chase on Saturday.

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