It will be all eyes on the Betfair Chase on the weekend at Haydock, where it is expected to be soft going on the day. This is a mightily important as well because there is a 1 million lure which has been offered up but the Jockey Club. The Betfair Chase is the first leg of a treble which if landed, will see the big money handed over. The pot is available to any horse which wins the Betfair Chase, the King George and the Cheltenham Gold Cup this season.
That’s three mighty races to be won and it would take something legendary to win it. It just wouldn’t be an easy fear for anyone to pull it off because of different distances and different challenges in each. Bristol De Mai is the current market leader at 11/8 with Ladbrokes and Nigel Twiston-Davies’ charge has taken plenty of backing for the feature race. But it hasn’t stopped punters taking a flutter on the Cue Card, the great Grade 1 legend who has at least got the track recording Betfair Chase to get the win and potentially deny everyone else’s shot at the million.
The 11 year old would be unlikely to go on and claim victory in the other two races in the million pound quest, but Cue Card has received pretty solid ante-post betting for the Betfair Chase. He started last week as big as 5/1 but in the early stages of build-up week, he was coming in as 10/3 with Ladbrokes, the industry best price. Cue Card has won the Betfair Chase three times before in his stunning career and will be looking to strike if for the third consecutive year this season.
Bristol De Mai took a win at Wetherby at the start of November by a length and a half over Blaklion on soft going. Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has talked up Bristol de Mai chances as well saying that the conditions and the track are likely to be right on the money for the six-year-old to run his best race. After all, he does have a couple of wins at the Merseyside track in his career and with his win at the Charlie Hall Chase at Whether a couple of weeks ago, with Cue Card falling there, he certainly looks a fit challenger here.
2017 Gold Cup winner Sizing John has started to go on the drift this week and trainer Jessica Harrington has voiced concerns about him perhaps having done too much this season. But he is a champion having collected the Irish Gold Cup, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Punchestown Gold Cup last year. If the ground is on the heavier side it won’t suit his chances though on the weekend, with certainly Bristol De Mai likely go better on the softer stuff.
Extra effort needed this year
The course for the Betfair Chase has changed this year with extra distance being added on (about a furlong). This is to give stayers a bit of a chance to find their feet in the race and it means that the final fence will just three times this year.
Betting Tip
Who knows how strongly Cue Card will have gone for the line at Wetherby were it not for that fall? There is no fall out from the injury or anything from it at all as he goes to try and emulate Kauto Star’s four wins in the race. He has a new jockey as Harry Cobden takes over in the saddle from Paddy Brennan. He could well be up there challenging Bristol De Mai if they both get around the course. It could be a real slog, but sentiments aside, it is Bristol De Mai who looks the more assured.