Can Un De Sceaux emulate Florida Pearl, Monet's Garden and Sizing Europe?

Un De Sceaux is bidding to emulate Florida Pearl, Monet's Garden and Sizing Europe in Saturday's Matchbook Clarence House Chase by winning a Grade 1 chase as a 12-year-old, with the illustrious trio the only runners to achieve the feat in Britain and Ireland this century.

Florida Pearl

There is compelling evidence Willie Mullins can get Un De Sceaux to win at the top level as a 12-year-old, as the Irish champion trainer achieved the same feat with Florida Pearl on his last start.

Florida Pearl was a 5-1 shot at Leopardstown for the 2004 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, a Grade 1 he had won three times previously (1999, 2000, 2001), but also a race he had flopped in for the last two seasons.

12-year-old Grade 1 chase runners in Britain and Ireland this century

52 Runners
3 First
5 Second
6 Third

Held up by Richard Johnson, Florida Pearl moved through the field before keeping on well under pressure to beat favourite Le Coudray by three lengths.

Monet's Garden

Although he finished his stellar career with victory in the Old Roan Chase the following season – a race now named in his honour – Monet's Garden's final Grade 1 win came in the 2010 Ascot Chase.

Monet's Garden rolled back the years to win the Ascot Chase in 2010Credit: Mark Cranham

The bold-jumping grey rolled back the years to beat Albertas Run by a length and a half eased down under Barry Geraghty. His two Ascot Chase victories – he also won in 2007 – remain trainer Nicky Richards' only wins at the Berkshire course.

Sizing Europe

It was not the final appearance many thought it was at the time, but Sizing Europe brought the house down at Punchestown with an exuberant round of jumping to win the 2014 Boylesports.com Champion Chase.

The race was lacking Cheltenham Champion Chase winner Sire De Grugy, Sprinter Sacre and Simonsig and so arguably lacked depth. However, Sizing Europe had the field under pressure entering the straight and extended away to win by five and a half lengths from Ballynagour.

Can Un De Sceaux join them?

The chief obstacle to a Grade 1 win at the age of 12 for Un De Sceaux is Clarence House favourite Defi Du Seuil, who was arguably value for more than the neck margin which separated the pair at Sandown last month.

However, Un De Sceaux is unbeaten at Ascot, has never been beaten when completing in heavy going and he is not your typical 12-year-old.

His Racing Post Rating of 170 from the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown is only 4lb shy of his best and his RPR has stayed in the range of 166 and 174 on his last 13 starts, a sequence dating back to December 2016. To put that figure in context, Defi Du Seuil has only posted a figure that high twice, albeit those runs were his most recent, with his Tingle Creek victory a career-best 171.

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