Patrick Mullins is confident Energumene has improved for his reappearance win in the Hilly Wall Chase at Cork – but doesn’t know if it will be enough to beat Jonbon in Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase at Ascot.
The eleven-year-old was racing for the first time for 593 days when winning at Cork but Banbridge was only a length behind when unseating rider at the last when conceding the dual Champion Chaser 10lb.
Mullins told Sporting Life: "He's definitely come forward. It was his first run in nearly 600 days and obviously when you're bringing a horse back from injury, you’re never going to be pushing them as hard as you can.
"The race has definitely brought him on and he hasn’t missed a beat since. Imran Haider who rides him out every day and looks after him is delighted with him. He’s gone over with him to Ascot.
"But we can’t turn back time, he’s eleven-years-old and that’s the main worry rather than anything else. It looked like off level weights he’d probably have been beaten by Banbridge the last day. I still think it was a good run considering everything though."
So what of the mouthwatering clash with the best two-mile chaser in Britain?
“It’s not a straight shootout. Jonbon at nine is probably getting towards the end of his prime and at eleven we’re past ours. It’s not going to be simple,” Mullins admitted.
“I think Energumene’s best form has come on heavy ground as well which it doesn’t look likely to be but if you didn’t know all of that and were looking at him here at home you’d be quietly confident but maybe experience says otherwise."
Stablemate Kargese has joined him on the trip to England. The five-year-old was one of the leading juvenile hurdlers of last season and will be making her reappearance in the BetMGM Mares' Hurdle.
Connections will be disappointed if she's beaten.
"We're delighted to get her back on the track. She’s been back in training all season, she hasn’t missed a day, it was a conscious decision to start her back after Christmas, a bit like Lossiemouth last season. We do it with some of those juvenile fillies,” Mullins said.
"She had a hard spring, she ran at the DRF, she ran at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown. She gave both Majborough and Sir Gino a run for their money and I think she could be as good as any mare in the country.
"She’s obviously going to have to settle, that was her Achilles’ Heel last season, but we’re very happy with her. She worked very well at the Curragh on Tuesday, and it looks a fantastic opportunity, with fantastic prize-money.
“It’s maybe not ideal having to travel on your first run of the season but it’s a bit different doing it at this stage rather than maybe in October or November time so we’d be disappointed if she didn’t collect.”
The early part of the race promises to be as crucial as the closing stages for Kargese in October.
"She's not an easy ride, she wears a hood, Ruth Duffield has done a wonderful job in getting to know her and settle her down at home. She's over at Ascot with her," Mullins added.
"Danny rode her in the DRF and with those keen horses it’s very hard to know how good they are because you’re not pushing them forward, you're always trying to get them to settle and relax.
"She ran a cracker there and was probably too keen at Cheltenham and again at Aintree where she sort of ran off in the middle of the race with Paul in a small field and a tactical race. She settled much better at Punchestown and that's going to be the key to her, getting her to settle and relax.
"I think the more racing she has, the older she gets, the better she’ll be and she does seem a lot better at home this year but you don’t know until you get to the track what they will be like.”
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