Clan Des Obeaux Over Priced At 9/1

The dual King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux is looking to give Paul Nicholls his first Cheltenham Gold Cup since 2009 and we believe at 9/1 he is hugely over priced.

Nicholls can join a very elite club this season if landing his fifth Gold Cup having witnessed some great year's with Kauto Star, Denman and See More Business.

Clan des Obeaux is his best shout this season having seen the demise of Cyrname throughout the term and his star chaser Topofthegame being ruled out for the campaign and the King George winner looks to have a huge chance at a big price.

(Credit - Racing Post) "I've been very lucky to have won four," Nicholls said.

"I think the most anyone has ever won is five and it'd be nice to win a fifth, it'd be wonderful. Especially for Paul Barber, who puts so much into it and the Gold Cup is what his life is about.

"He's been lucky to win it with See More Business and Denman, so fingers crossed with Clan and everything going right in the next few weeks."

The eight year old last season was raced more frequently than his preparation this season having headed to Ascot in February in the Denman Chase before his fifth in last years Gold Cup.

However, this season he has been very lightly raced which might prove to give him the cutting edge up the hill that he did not have this season, having only raced twice.

He started his term off over in Northern Ireland in November with Nicholls sending him into the Grade One Champion Chase at Down Royal and he finished a smart second behind Road To Respect and it worked it to be the perfect prep run ahead of the King George VI.

December 26th has been a great day for trainer, horse and connections in the last two years after the gelding landed back to back King George's at Kempton.

The difference this season is that he has not been seen since his win over the Christmas period and he should massively benefit for the extra time off and he also looks a much bigger and stronger horse compared to last season which could make all the difference.

"He doesn't know what price he is and I think it's an open race between the top four or five. He's definitely in the form of his life and definitely better than he was last year," Nicholls added.

"Everyone says he hasn't got a great Cheltenham record, but he should never have run in the Triumph – he was the wrong type for that – then he was beaten half a length in the Dipper by Whisper, running well, and then carried 11st 12lb as a five-year-old when second in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup. He was half the horse then, while he ran a blinder in last year's Gold Cup."

Nicholls spoke on Sunday about the chances of his star chaser and does believe he is a much better horse than he was last season.

He said: "He didn't really do anything wrong. We probably made too much use of him on the front end all the way and the rain the night before probably didn't help his stamina.

"He'd run at Ascot a few weeks before, so was trained differently to what we're doing now, having not run since Boxing Day. He's a horse who needs to be very fit and very fresh.

"The year Kauto Star was beaten by Denman in the Gold Cup, he'd run in the Ascot Chase [the month before] and we learned our lesson, so then went straight from the King George to the Gold Cup the following season.

"We're hoping this year we've got a stronger horse, who will stay the trip well and be in a better place than last year.

"If you win two King Georges, you have to stay, so I don't think there's an issue with his stamina. We just have to get him to his very best and hope it's not bottomless ground, while we'll take our time with him this year and try to produce him late. I think he's got a leading chance."