Clan Des Obeaux and Delta Work face off in Grade 1 thriller

2.25 Down Royal
Ladbrokes Champion Chase (Grade 1) | 5yo+ | 3m | ITV4, RTV

Clan Des Obeaux kicks off season

King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux makes his seasonal reappearance at Down Royal as Paul Nicholls attempts to boost his tally in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase.

Nicholls has won the race four times, twice with the mighty Kauto Star, making him the most successful trainer in the history of a race first run 20 years ago.

Clan Des Obeaux has good prospects of adding to Nicholls' tally in a race he last won with Kauto Stone in 2012.

Harry Cobden's mount is making his first appearance since finding Kemboy nine lengths too good in the Betway Bowl at Aintree in April.

"Harry loves Clan Des Obeaux and has ridden him in a racecourse gallop and in his schooling, so he's obviously getting a good feel off him," said Nicholls.

Paul Nicholls: Clan Des Obeaux 'is in very good shape and doing everything right at home'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"Clan Des Obeaux is in very good shape and doing everything right at home. He went nicely in the racecourse away day and we can do no more than run him now. It’s a tough race but he’s a King George winner and it’s a nice race to start him off in.

"The track should suit him. We’ve always felt he’s ever so slightly better going right handed. We’ll see what he does and then we can go from there, but I don’t know whether we’d want to run at Haydock if the ground was bottomless.

"He did improve for his first run of the season last year and he will be a little bit better for the run this time too."

Elliott hoping Delta plan works

Gordon Elliott and the Gigginstown team are hoping Delta Work will progress towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and the six-year-old, who won three Grade 1 novice chases last season, takes his first step on that road when he faces four rivals in the Down Royal feature.

One of three runners for Gigginstown, who are going for a seventh consecutive win in the event, Delta Work was last seen in action at the Punchestown festival in April when he landed a 3m Grade 1 by 12 lengths.

Keith Donoghue, who rides the four-time chase winner regularly at Elliott’s yard, will be on board for the first time in a race and Elliott, who is also represented by the Gigginstown-owned Alpha Des Obeaux, will be seeking a fourth victory in the race which he won for the owners with Roi du Mee (2013), Don Cossack (2015) and Outlander (2017).

Today marks Delta Work's first audition of the season and Elliott said: “We think the world of Delta Work. He had a very good campaign last season and while he isn't the biggest horse in the world, he's all heart and that is a huge asset.

Delta Work: 'He's in good form and ready to start off what we hope will be a big season for him'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"He's in good form and ready to start off what we hope will be a big season for him. He won his beginners' chase over the course at the same meeting a year ago."

Of Alpha Des Obeaux, the mount of Davy Russell, Elliott said: "He has a bit to find on ratings but he ran a blinder when losing narrowly at Punchestown last month. We think he has improved from that run. The Aintree National is his long-term target."

Respect out to give Meade third win in race

Road To Respect, who won the race a year ago by 16 lengths and was runner-up in 2017, is a triple Grade 1 winner over fences and trainer Noel Meade is looking forward to a big run from the Gigginstown-owned eight-year-old, who is returning from a 212-day absence.

Road To Respect: ' I'm very happy with him,' says Noel MeadeCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Meade said: "I couldn't be happier with Road To Respect. He's in the same sort of form as he was going for the same race a year ago. I'm very happy with him.

Seeking a third win in the race, Meade is also represented by Snow Falcon, who won the Grade 2 chase on the same card a year ago. The nine-year-old cracked a bone in that race and was off the track until reappearing in the Ascot Stakes in June.

The 2018 Kerry National winner landed the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase at Gowran Park last month and Meade said of the nine-year-old: "He's in terrific form and hasn't missed a beat since his Gowran win. Hopefully, they'll get a good drop of rain as the softer it is, the more he likes it."

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