Former champion jockey Richard Johnson hailed seven-times Grade One winner Defi Du Seuil as “one of the best” he has ridden, after the nine-year-old was retired by owner JP McManus.

Dan Skelton expects it will be a long time before Marracudja returns to the winner's enclosure after a hefty rise in the weights for finishing third in the Clarence House Chase.

Defi Du Seuil confirmed his superiority over Un de Sceaux in no uncertain terms and enhanced his Cheltenham Festival claims with a dominant performance in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot.

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Philip Hobbs believes Ascot will suit Defi Du Seuil perfectly as his stable star bids to add another Grade One to a growing list in the Matchbook Clarence House Chase on Saturday.