A GIFT FROM THE GREYS

Andrew Newton reveals an unusual recent trend of the popular Haydock Park contest

- Andrew Newton

Jump racing fans will be getting super-excited now, as this month sees the start of some familiar top races including the Betfair Chase - which, this year, will be staged on Saturday November 25 at its normal venue - Haydock Park.

The Grade One contest is run over 3m 11/2f, and unlike a lot of the National Hunt contests that are steeped in history, the Betfair Chase is a fairly new race with just 18 renewals.

The sponsors have stayed very loyal to the cause too with the first running back in 2005, when the Robert Alner runner Kingscliff won the prize.

Since then, the race has been given high-profile started, helped by the classy Kauto Star winning the race four times between 2006 and 2011, while former King George VI Chase winners, Cue Card and Silviniaco Conti, are other stars that have graced the winners' circle.

In more recent times, the Betfair Chase has been dominated by the popular grey, Bristol De Mai, winning the pot three times between 2017 and 2020.

Then, in the last two years, A Plus Tard won in 2021 and went into win the Cheltenham Gold Cup that season and 12 months ago the Skelton's won the race for the first time when Protektorat bolted up by 11 lengths.

If running again, he'll be looking to add his name to the growing list of multiple Betfair Chase winners.

So, what are the main Betfair Chase trends? Trip The Betfair Chase is run over a trip of 3m 11/2f, so it's no surprise that 16 of the last 18 winners had won a race over fences over at least 3m in the past. Yes, most of the 2023 Betfair Chase runners will tick this stat - but it's still one to double check in case an improving sort is stepping up in distance for the first time.