We're a week away from a miniature Champion Chase - and it's time to hype it up

Time to get out the old hype machine, I reckon. It may so far have escaped your attention but Ascot is once more going to be staging what is in effect the Queen Mother Champion Chase in miniature when the Clarence House Chase is run there a week on Saturday.

Last year, it was Shishkin versus Energumene, the pair fighting out a thrilling finish to make it one of the most memorable races of the whole year. It was certainly a more entertaining contest than the rematch at Cheltenham, which gave us the first indication that Shishkin's aura of invincibility had somehow gone up in smoke.

Energumene romped home at the festival, and the Ascot clash remains his only defeat over obstacles.