Missing the holiday cheer of Christmas time races? Well, the holidays might be over but after a short break, racecourses around the country are opening their gates to welcome horse racing enthusiasts for the second part of the jump racing season.
One of the most prominent British racecourses, Ascot, will start the year with the Clarence House Chase. And since this is Ascot we are talking about, you know you will be in for a majestic spectacle!
Even if you are a newcomer in horse racing, you have heard of at least one Ascot race, and that’s the Royal Ascot. But this top tier racecourse is more than just that. With tracks fit to serve both flat and jump races, it stays open throughout the year and hosts 18 flat meetings between April and October and 8 jump meetings between October and March.
Ascot Racecourse is also home to 13 of Britain’s 36 annual flat Group 1 races and three Grade 1 jump races. Besides Royal Ascot, some of its notable races include the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (July, flat) and Ascot Silver Cup (December, jump).
This year, Clarence House Chase will take place on Saturday, 17 January. The BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle Race will open the meeting as its first race, while The BetMGM EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle Race will close the event.
The eponymous BetMGM Clarence House Steeple Chase is scheduled right before the end of the meeting.
Key Dates & Timings
The Clarence House Chase 2026 meeting will be conducted in the third week of January and last for one day. The event will include seven races. The name of the meeting stems from its headline race.
Day One: Clarence House Chase
- When: Saturday, 17 January 2026
- Gate opening: 10:45 am
- First race: 12:25 pm
- Headline race: 3:30 pm
- Last race: 4:05 pm
The daily race card for the Clarence House Chase 2026 is as follows:
Saturday, 17 January
Going: good to soft
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 12:25 pm | THE BETMGM JUVENILE HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | About two miles
(1m 7f 157yds) |
4YO £25,000.00 |
| 1:00 pm | THE BETMGM HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | About three miles
(2m 7f 185yds) |
5YO+ £20,000.00 Rating 0-140 |
| 1:40 pm | THE BETMGM WARFIELD MARES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles
(1m 7f 157yds) |
4YO+ £60,000.00 |
| 2:20 pm | THE bet365 HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Two miles about five furlongs (2m 5f 13yds) | 5YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 2:53 pm | THE BETMGM HOLLOWAY’S HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Two miles about three and a half furlongs
(2m 3f 63yds) |
4YO+ £30,000.00 |
| 3:30 pm | THE BETMGM CLARENCE HOUSE STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about one furlong (2m 172yds) | 5YO+ £175,000.00 |
| 4:05 pm | THE BETMGM EBF ‘NATIONAL HUNT’ NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (Qualifier) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | Two miles about five and a half furlongs
(2m 5f 146yds) |
4-7YO £25,000.00 |
Headline Races at the Clarence House Chase
The Clarence House Chase 2026 meeting includes 7 races conducted during one day of the event. The races offer a variety of tracks, conditions, and participating horses to make sure everyone who visits the Ascot Racecourse on 17 January will discover something to cater to their horse racing tastes and interests.
BetMGM Clarence House Steeple Chase (Saturday, 17 January)
The BetMGM Clarence House Steeple Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (2 miles and 167 yards, or 3,371 metres) and includes thirteen fences to be jumped.
The inauguration of the Clarence House Chase was a bit bumpy. It was originally planned to be launched in 1987 but the race had to be cancelled due to frost. The organisers made another attempt next year, but it fell flat again, as fog prevented the race from being conducted. Finally, in 1989 Clarence House Chase held its first race which was won by the legendary Desert Orchid who was 10 years old at the time. This was the only appearance of the grey gelding in this race.
From its first run to 2007, Clarence House Chase was a handicap race, with its distance set at 2 miles (3,219 metres). 2007 saw it being promoted to a Grade 1 race, after which it was no longer run as a handicap race.
Currently, there are 5 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Gidleigh Park (age 8, jockey Bryan Carver, trainer Harry Fry)
- Il Etait Temps (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Jonbon (age 10, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- JPR One (age 9, jockey Brendan Powell, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Thistle Ask (age 9, jockey Harry Skelton, trainer Dan Skelton)
Other Notable Races at the Clarence House Chase
Another notable race held during Ascot’s first racing meeting of the year is the BetMGM Holloway’s Handicap Hurdle. It is a Class 2 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and 3 1⁄2 furlongs (2 miles 3 furlongs and 58 yards, or 3,875 metres) and includes ten fences to be jumped.
The Holloway’s Hurdle is a handicap race that has changed its status three times. From its launch to 2016 it carried the Grade 2 status, then was demoted to Grade 3. This changed again in 2022 when it received the status of Class 2.
Only one horse won the Holloway’s Hurdle more than once, and that’s Lough Derg. He won the first two runs of the race in 2008 and 2009, both times led by jockey Tom Scudamore.
The latest winner of the race is Altobelli together with jockey Bryan Carver in 2025.
Currently, there are 17 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockey, and trainers runs as follows:
- Bowmore (age 8, trainer Charlie Longsdon)
- Came From Nowhere (age 7, jockey Lorcan Williams, trainer Jeremy Scott)
- Faivoir (age 11, jockey Harry Skelton, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Glynn Brae (age 6, trainer Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Marche d’Aligre (age 5, trainer Jamie Snowden)
- Metier (age 10, jockey Bryan Carver, trainer Harry Fry)
- Milldam (age 8, trainer Jamie Snowden)
- Minella Missile (age 8, trainer Evan Williams)
- Moveit Like Minnie (age 9, trainer Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Patriotik (age 7, trainer Evan Williams)
- Roc Dino (age 5, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Samuel Spade (age 7, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Scorpio Rising (age 6, trainer Olly Murphy)
- Surrey Lord (age 7, trainer Toby Lawes)
- Thanksforthehelp (age 9, jockey Jack Tudor, trainer David Pipe)
- Tripoli Flyer (age 7, trainer Fegal O’Brien)
- Wandering Ego (age 6, trainer Olly Murphy)
Betting at Clarence House Chase
And what would any horse racing be without a bit of betting? If you choose to visit the Ascot Racecourse for the meeting, you will have three options to try your luck and place a wager on your favourite horse.
You can either visit any of the Bet With Ascot kiosks, try a Betfred Betting Shop, or go old school and take your stake to the bookies in front of the racetracks. Of course, you always have the option to bet online too.
Before you finalise your bet, make sure to check the race card, gather information from valid online sources to learn about the runners’ physical condition and chances, and if you are at the racecourse, see them for yourself at the Parade Ring, if you can.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the Clarence House Chase 2026 will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the Clarence House Chase 2026 includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular ones being:
- Win: The idea behind this betting market is as simple as the name suggests. As a punter, you are trying to predict the horse that will win the race. If you have your eyes on a horse that has all the potential to become a winner, you can place your wager on it to come to the finish line first. Should your prediction come true, your wager will be eligible for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size. As in every other sport, this betting market is directly connected with the main concept of the game, that’s why it is so straightforward and often recommended to newbie bettors who are still making their first steps in horse betting. For the same reason it is also highly popular among seasoned punters.
- Place: This betting market operates on a similar mechanism but has a completely different objective. You place your wager on one horse but your prediction here is that the horse will be placed in the race. The horse racing term “placement” means that the horse finishes the race within the winning top, which can vary from top two to top four. This will be defined before the start of the race depending on the number of runners that have been announced to participate. This betting market provides lower risks because the horse has more opportunities to be placed given the number of winning places. But also, as a punter you don’t have to predict the exact placement. Any place within the winning top will count toward your wager and bring you a payout. This bet works especially well if your favourite horse competes against rivals that have equally strong chances to win.
- First Two (or First Three): If you are more interested in predicting the entire winning top instead of one winner or a placed horse, this betting market is just for this. The number of horses within the winning top will again be determined based on the number of participants who have entered the race, so you can place a bet on either the first two or the first three horses to reach the finish line. But instead of placing a separate wager on each of these horses, you put one combined stake on the entire winning top. This is where your main risk lies. Every horse you mention in your bet has to finish the race within the winning top. Moreover, they have to come to the finish line in the exact order you specified. If at least one horse from your bet doesn’t make it into the winning top or they do it in a different order, you will lose your wager.
- Two From Three: If you would still like to place a wager on the winning top but somewhat control your risks, try this betting market. Here you are trying to predict two out of the three winning horses in the race. What works in your favour is that your task doesn’t include predicting their exact placement. If these two horses come to the finish line within the top three, it doesn’t matter which place they took, you will still qualify for a payout. The only time your wager loses is if one of the two horses falls behind and doesn’t finish within the top three.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
Clarence House Chase Past Winners
The Clarence House Chase conducted its first successful race in 1989, and since then it has welcomed and celebrated an entire parade of magnificent horses, gifted jockeys, and seasoned trainers who would show exceptional team work, beat their rivals, and emerge triumphant at the finish line.
The races of 2023 and 2024 were initially abandoned in Ascot due to weather conditions and rescheduled to take place at Cheltenham during the Festival Trials Day. The horses who won the Clarence House Chase in the past 6 years since 2020 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2020 | Defi Du Seuil | 7 | Barry Geraghty | Philip Hobbs |
| 2021 | First Flow | 9 | David Bass | Kim Bailey |
| 2022 | Shishkin | 8 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2023 | Editeur Du Gite | 9 | Niall Houlihan | Gary Moore |
| 2024 | Elixir De Nutz | 10 | Freddie Gingell | Joe Tizzard |
| 2025 | Jonbon | 9 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
For the bay gelding Jonbon, the victory at the Clarence House Chase 2025 was his first out of two wins of the year. Just three months shy of his 10th birthday, trainer Nicky Henderson’s charge was one of the two clear favourites from the start, the other one being the 11 year old brown gelding Energumene.
Even though his rival tried to pressure him, Jonbon, led by seasoned jockey Nico de Boinville, didn’t succumb and kept his advantage. For a moment it looked like he might have lost that position at the third last, but Jonbon managed to head into the home straight without any threat from other runners. He took the final two fences beautifully, and sealed his victory by six and a half lengths.
For jockey Nico de Boinville this was his third win at the Clarence House Chase, the previous ones being in 2019 with Altior and 2022 with Shishkin. Trainer Nicky Henderson bagged his seventh win at the race, solidifying his status of the most successful trainer at the Clarence House Chase.
Jonbon has already been announced to participate in this year’s race. His riding jockey has not been confirmed yet.
Clarence House Chase Records
The rules of the Clarence House Chase state that once a horse reaches the age of five, it can participate in the race. As the competition doesn’t have an upper age limit and accepts participants of both genders, it is fully possible for one horse to win the race and take the trophy home more than once throughout their career.
The most successful runners, jockeys, and trainers to win the Clarence House Chase multiple times were as follows:
- Leading horse: Un de Sceaux with 3 wins (jockey Ruby Walsh 2016, 2017, jockey Paul Townend 2018)
- Leading jockey: Ruby Walsh with 4 wins (Master Minded 2009, Twist Magic 2010, Un de Sceaux 2016, 2017)
- Leading trainer: Nicky Henderson with 7 wins (Big Matt 1996, Isio 2004, Tysou 2006, Sprinter Sacre 2013, Altior 2019, Shishkin 2022, Jonbon 2025)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org