UN De Sceaux will be aiming to win the Clarence House Chase, sponsored by Matchbook, at Ascot on Saturday for the fourth time.

It looks likely the Willie Mullins-trained 12-year-old will only have four rivals to beat in this £150,000 contest, but one should prove a particularly dangerous rival.

Defi Du Seuil, five years his junior, came out on top when the pair met in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last month, albeit by just a neck in a thrilling finish.

But with plenty of rain around this week, conditions could be more in the Irish raider's favour.

Colm O'Connell, son of Un De Sceaux owner Edward O'Connell, said: "He has destroyed horses on soft and heavy. He's got that ability to tear the heart of a horse – especially when the ground is desperate."

He continued: "It looks like we've got a rematch with Defi Du Seuil and we're really looking forward to it because it is at a racecourse he likes. "There wasn't much in it at Sandown. We were coming back at the line, and this is almost a furlong-and-a-half further."

The original entries for this 2m1f race included Nicky Henderson's superstar Altior, but the Lambourn trainer withdrew his dual champion chaser, preferring to wait for the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 8.

Henderson will instead be represented by Janika, who was fourth in the Tingle Creek Chase and subsequently filled the same position in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

Paul Nicholls is due to saddle Capeland, who was fourth at Kempton last month, while Dan Skelton has entered Marracudja, a winner at Wetherby last time out.

So not many runners for the big race due off at 3.35, but as Colm O'Connell commented: "It's a small field, but you don't need many to make a great race, we've seen that plenty of times."

SkyBet prices: Defi Du Seuil 4/5, Un De Sceaux 13/8, Janika 9/1, Capeland 20/1, Marracudja 50/1.

In all, there are seven races on Saturday, the first at 12.40pm.