The Betfair Chase, Britain’s first Grade 1 of the National Hunt season, takes place on Saturday at Haydock and, with a purse that totals £200,000, it looks set to be a fantastic race as the field of just four go in search of securing the Grade 1 contest.
Charlie Sharp provides his analysis on the big race as well as giving some other selections at Haydock, where they race from 12.05-3.35, with the feature Betfair Chase itself due off at 3.00.
3.00 – Betfair Chase (Grade 1, 3m1½f )
A field of just four, including last year’s champion Protektorat and Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame, will battle for Haydock’s famous Grade 1 Chase.
The latter, a Paul Nicholls-trained chaser, will be ridden by three-time Grade 1 winner Daryl Jacob as regular jockey Harry Cobden has a full book of rides at Ascot.
Bravemansgame comes here off the back of defeat in his seasonal reappearance where, despite an error at the final fence, he was the best horse in the race. With a run under his belt and redemption in his sights, it’s going to take a very good horse to beat Britain’s highest-rated chaser.
Last year’s champion Protektorat is his closest rival in the field. The Dan Skelton-trained chaser only ran three times last season, with this Grade 1 being his sole victory of the campaign.
The Betfair Chase is Protektorat’s “Gold Cup” and the Warwickshire-based trainer will have his chasing star in tip-top condition for the defence of his Grade 1 title although he has been having some issues with the form of his runners first time out recently, boasting just a 14.5% strike-rate coming from horses who have had a break of more than 150 days. It has been 251 days since Protektorat finished 5th in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup and he may have his work cut out on Saturday.
Royale Pagaille will run in the Betfair Chase for the second time in his career after finishing runner-up in 2021 behind subsequent 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard. Without ‘heavy’ showing up in the going description, it is hard to imagine he’ll be able to put in a performance that splits the two aforementioned runners.
Grand National winner Corach Rambler completes the field and he would have to come on a lot following his extremely disappointing reappearance at Kelso 28 days ago.
1.50 - Graduation Stakes (2m5½f)
What a race this could be! National Hunt Chase winner Gaillard Du Mesnil heads the market, but he’s giving away close to a stone to most of his challengers and it would be hard to imagine that this endless-stayer will have the speed to fend off some of these rivals with that added weight.
Grey Dawning was narrowly beaten by the impressive late run of Stay Away Fay on his chasing debut at Exeter and, with the run under his belt, he could be the answer here, unless the Lucinda Russell-trained Apple Away makes an extremely impressive debut over fences.
The winner of the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle has always been touted as a horse whose career will really start over fences, and she could be very exciting if being as impressive as anticipated over these obstacles.
12.05 - Newton Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2, 1m7½f)
Bowenspark has shown he’s one to keep on the right side of and bids to make it two from two over obstacles following his 11-length debut victory at Stratford. He was entitled to win the race as he did but he hit the line strongly and jumped well.
Primoz and Making Headway look his closest challengers but Kamsinas carries the best form into the race having finished second behind Lookaway in the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham’s October meeting and could run the selection close.
