Blast From The Past: Clarence House Chase

For a range of reasons, the two-mile Clarence House Chase has had a number of different titles and race conditions this century, and been run at a number of different courses, including Kempton and Sandown. It’s spiritual home has always been Ascot, though, and since the race was registered as the Clarence House in 2008 it’s been run there all years bar 2013 when it was transferred to Cheltenham's trials day after Ascot's January fixture was lost to snow.

The racehas played host to some staggering performances in recent history, including from Master Minded, when regaining his crown in 2011, and from Sprinter Sacre in that transferred renewal in 2013. However, the pick of the lot on Timeform ratings was Well Chief’s incredible weight-carrying effort as a six-year-old in 2005—also run at Cheltenham with Ascot being redeveloped—when he gave stacks of weight and a beating to nine rivals in the penultimate running of the race as a handicap (and also when it was still a Grade 2).

The Victor Chandler Chase, as it was known then, saw Well Chief carry 11-10, which meant that half the field was out of the handicap proper (though that still doesn’t take away from Well Chief’s performance). Well Chief's weight equated to a BHB (British Horseracing Board, now the BHA) handicap mark of 176, which was 8 lb higher than that allotted to Azertyuiop when he was just touched off by Isio in the race the previous year, and 2 lb higher than that allotted to Azertyuiop when that gelding made a winning return in the 2004 Haldon Gold Cup.

Well Chief himself had been beaten in a handicap (off 153) at Cheltenham on his reappearance, though he had all but got up against Armaturk (who was conceding him 1 lb) after being dropped out in last and still having plenty to do two out. When he lined up for the Victor Chandler, Well Chief, who had fallen four out when seemingly going well in the rescheduled Castleford Chase at Wetherby on his previous start, was without a win since landing the Arkle/Maghull double the previous spring.

Though easy to back in the Victor Chandler at 5/1, Well Chief looked well (more settled beforehand than usual) and won decisively by a length and three-quarters from Thisthatandtother (receiving 20 lb from the winner), coming close to repeating the form he showed when a close third behind Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop in an outstanding renewal of the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown less than two months earlier. Well Chief jumped soundly and moved up to lead two out before quickening smartly under Timmy Murphy, who, through his association with the gelding’s owner David Johnson, had first ridden Well Chief on his aforementioned return and would partner him in all of his subsequent outings. Kadarann finished third, with such notable names as Seebald, Turgeonev, Armaturk, Cenko and Flagship Uberalles all well beaten.

The Tingle Creek and Victor Chandler displays established Well Chief as possibly the best horse Martin Pipe trained in a long and illustrious career, on a par with Carvill's Hill whose runaway victory under top weight in the 1991 Welsh National still ranks as one of the finest weight-carrying efforts in Timeform's experience. Well Chief won three more races, including the Celebration Chase at Sandown later that same season, and the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February 2007 on his first start since. He’d run in the 2010 Victor Chandler at Ascot but would finish a well-held fourth of seven to Twist Magic, before wearing first-time cheekpieces and finishing last of the seven finishers behind Big Zeb in the Queen Mother Champion Chase (in which Well Chief had finished second in 2005, separating Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop) on what would prove his final outing.