Clan Des Obeaux joins King George greats with back-to-back victories

The day before Harry Cobden and Cyrname ended Altior’s 19-race winning streak at Ascot last month the jockey looked ahead to his potential choice between Cyrname and Clan Des Obeaux, last year’s winner, in the King George VI Chase. “Clan Des Obeaux will definitely improve for his comeback and you wouldn’t be getting off him in a hurry,” he said. “You’d be a little bit worried if he was half a length behind you turning in.”

How right he was and, as it turned out, how agonisingly wrong as well, in eventually deciding to reject Clan Des Obeaux for the showpiece event of the Christmas programme here on Thursday and to put his faith in Cyrname instead. Clan Des Obeaux could be called as an almost certain winner with three fences still to jump, just as he could 12 months ago. This time, though, Cobden could only watch as Sam Twiston-Davies swept past him in the home straight on the 11-2 chance, before crossing the line 21 lengths in front of Cyrname, the 5-4 favourite.

“I said all along it was a tough call for Harry,” Paul Nicholls, who trains both horses, said afterwards. “When I said I don’t know what I would have done, I really did mean it, and I knew that the more it rained today, the more it would suit Clan. “He was 6-1 earlier on today and I told Ged [Mason, one of Clan Des Obeaux’s co-owners] to have a good bet on him as 6-1 was massive.”

Spectacular leap

There was scarcely a moment anywhere along the three-mile trip when Mason’s bookie had any cause for optimism. Cyrname, normally a front-runner, was dropped in just behind Aso in the early stages before taking over at the fifth, but apart from one spectacular leap going away from the stands for the final time, he was never really travelling with the zest his backers would have expected to see.

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The same was true of Lostintranslation, the Betfair Chase winner, whose attempt to follow up in the second leg of the Chase Triple Crown was a lost cause long before Robbie Power pulled up the 15-8 second-favourite before the third last. He was struggling even before making mistakes at the 13th and 15th fences and Colin Tizzard, his trainer, subsequently reported to the stewards that the seven-year-old “had a breathing problem on the soft ground on this occasion”.

As Lostintranslation was pulling up, Twiston-Davies was moving serenely into the lead on Clan Des Obeaux and the seven-year-old’s complete dominance of his field was underlined by a flying leap at the last. His success was the 11th in the race for Nicholls with only four horses – See More Business, Kauto Star, Silviniaco Conti and Clan Des Obeaux – all of which have now won at least twice. If he stays sound, Clan Des Obeaux has so much time on his side that he could yet move within sight of Kauto Star’s record five wins on Boxing Day.

Cheltenham

First, though, there are the major festivals in the spring to consider and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham above all. Can Clan Des Obeaux translate his Kempton form to Prestbury Park, as See More Business and Kauto Star both did, or will he take after Silviniaco Conti, who came up short in all three of his Gold Cup runs?

The evidence of last season’s race, when Clan Des Obeaux was only fifth of 16 starters, is a concern but Nicholls believes his chaser has improved since then. “I’ve always said he’s a better horse this year, as he’s a year older and strong,” Nicholls said. “If he keeps going forward, it could put him in the Gold Cup picture. The key is to be really fresh and it wouldn’t be the worst decision to go straight to Cheltenham with him.”

Cobden, of course, will be able to take over in Clan Des Obeaux’s saddle at Cheltenham should he so wish, but Twiston-Davies, whom Cobden replaced as the stable’s main jockey, will always have Kempton.

“It was incredibly tough for Harry and obviously he knows he’s Paul’s No 1 now and these decisions are always hard,” Twiston-Davies said. “He gave me insights [into Clan Des Obeaux] that a lot of people wouldn’t and that shows the character of the man.”

– Guardian