Fakir D'Oudairies trimmed for King George after flawless return at Clonmel

Thursday: Clonmel

Fakir D'Oudairies was cut to 14-1 from 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day after an impressive dismissal of his three rivals in the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase.

For a horse who did his best work in the spring of last year, finishing second in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham before a destructive display in the Marsh Chase at Aintree, to put in a performance of this calibre first time up bodes well for the season ahead.

Tracking the front-running Galway Plate winner Royal Rendezvous, the winner just came off the bridle for a couple of strides turning in as the leader continued to travel well.

Within a matter of strides though the roles were reversed as Fakir D'Oudairies came back on the bridle, Royal Rendezvous came off it, and Joseph O'Brien's six-year-old powered clear to score by 15 lengths.

The stamina-sapping conditions saw Easy Game a further six lengths back, with an off-colour Hardline a distant last of the quartet.

Click here to watch the Clonmel Oil Chase

Winning rider Mark Walsh said: "I'm delighted with that for his first run back. He was running against three fit horses, he's a dual Grade 1 winner and that's a great start to the season."

Walsh added: "Just coming down the hill I thought he was going to struggle a bit but once I got upsides Danny [Mullins] I was happy that I was going to win. You would hope that there is plenty of improvement to come."

Talk of a crack at the King George came from owner JP McManus's racing manager Frank Berry, despite the fact that his two previous runs over 3m saw him pulled up in last season's Savills Chase at Leopardstown and an unconvincing third to Clan Des Obeaux in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Berry said: "Joseph had him fit enough to win today but he should come on for it. You probably won't see him until Christmas now in maybe the King George or the Savills Chase at Leopardstown."

There were no excuses offered from the Willie Mullins team who saddled Royal Rendezvous and Easy Game in second and third. His son and assistant Patrick said: "Easy Game just didn't handle that soft ground, he's a good-ground horse and a summer horse.

"Royal Rendezvous handles that ground but he's just not at his best on it. Danny thought turning in he might win but he was not making ground in his jumping out of that ground. There was no disgrace in it, the winner is a proper Grade 1 horse."

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