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."
Your favourite horses, jockeys and trainers with My Stable
