The Betfair Chase 2023 at Haydock might lack quantity, but it certainly doesn’t lose any points for quality. Just four horses will be heading to post for the £112k first prize at 3pm on Saturday but these include last year’s winner Protektorat, the 2022 King George VI Chase hero Bravemansgame and a certain Corach Rambler, who won the Grand National back in April.
So, here at Bettingsites.co.uk we thought we’d take a look at the latest betting and the runners in more detail – in what is by-far the best UK chase race of the 2023 season so far.
Current Betfair Chase Champ Protektorat Returns To Defend Title
The best UK betting sites have put in last year’s Betfair Chase winner Protektorat as the Haydock second favourite – with last season’s King George VI winner Bravemansgame the one ahead of him in the betting.
This Dan Skelton-trained 8 year-old ran away with the prize 12 months ago (watch below) and will make his seasonal reappearance in the race on Saturday.
However, he was last seen running fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup to Galopin Des Champs in March and prior to that was down the field (4th) in the Cotswold Chase at the end of January.
Protektorat, therefore, has a bit to prove off those runs but racegoers will know he’s a horse that goes well fresh and loves the Haydock track, plus soft ground.
He’ll head into the race as the second top-rated in the field at 166, which is 6lbs lower than Bravemansgame, and will be looking to become the first back-to-back winner since Bristol De Mai (2017/2018).
- Back Protektorat at 15/8 with BetMGM.
Bravemansgame Looking To Put Charlie Hall Disappointment Behind Him
The next chasing superstar to be gracing the Haydock turf this Saturday is the 2022 King George Chase VI winner Bravemansgame and all the pre-race money has been for him.
However, the Paul Nicholls 8 year-old, who is set to be the 2023 Betfair Chase favourite, hasn’t won a race since that big Boxing Day Kempton triumph – running three times since without success.
That said, these runs in defeat were still top efforts, with a silver in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup and a bronze in the Punchestown Gold Cup.
He did disappoint though on his first run back this season, when seemingly having the Charlie Hall Chase in the bag until fluffing the last fence and going down by 1 3/4 lengths in the end to Gentlemansgame (watch below).
Therefore, like Protektorat – Bravemansgame will come here on a bit of a recovery mission, but the good news for his backers is the Betfair Chase is a race his trainer Paul Nicholls loves – the Ditcheat handler has won the prize six times over the years.
- Back Bravemansgame at 10/11 with BetMGM
A First-Class Betfair Chase Supporting Act
As well as last year’s winner and the 2022 King George VI Chase hero in the race, the other three runners are certainly no slouches either.
Royale Pagaille, who loves Haydock and Grand National hero Corach Rambler will certainly have their supporters against the top two in the market that have something to prove.
Course Specalist Royale Pagaille Can’t Be Ignored
Royale Pagaille was runner-up in the Betfair Chase in 2021 and overall has a top Haydock record to suggest he can’t be ignored on ground he’ll love. This Venetia Williams-trained 9 year-old revels in heavy/soft conditions, which he’ll get on Saturday at Haydock. His form at the Lancashire venue reads 1-1-2-1.
The Williams runners are also in great form at the moment – with a 38% strike-rate (10-from-26) as of Tuesday 21st November.
Grand National Hero Now In With The Big Boys
Last, but not least, is the 2023 Grand National hero Corach Rambler.
However, he returned last month at Kelso to run well down the field in the Edinburgh Gin Chase – beaten 23 lengths at the line – so is another that needs to win back some of his fans.
The Lucinda Russell horse looked in need of that last run and was in trouble a long way out. We can, therefore, expect him to have blown away the cobwebs and be better this time, while this bigger stamina test will be more up his street.
However, the question marks are if he’s good enough now into a Grade One Chase and taking on the big boys at level weights. Don’t forget, he’s still rated a massive 13lbs inferior to Bravemansgame.
While the jury is also still out on if the Grand National has left a mark. Despite winning with ease at Aintree that day, the Merseyside marathon has a habit of taking a lot out of horses – we’ll see on Saturday.
When Is The Betfair Chase 2023?
📅Date: Saturday 25th November 2023
🕙Time: 3:00pm
🏇Racecourse: Haydock
💰 Winner: £112,540
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV
Betfair Chase Betting Odds
See below the latest betting odds for Saturday’s Betfair Chase, with the odds supplied by BetMGM.
- Bravemansgame 10/11
- Protektorat 15/8
- Royale Pagaille 9/1
- Corach Rambler 10/1
Note: Odds are subject to change and others on request
Betfair Chase (Last 10 Years)
2022 – PROTEKTORAT (15/2)
2021 – A PLUS TARD (11/10 fav)
2020 – BRISTOL DE MAI (9/4)
2019 – LOSTINTRANSLATION (5/4 jfav)
2018 – BRISTOL DE MAI (13/2)
2017 – BRISTOL DE MAI (11/10 fav)
2016 – CUE CARD (15/8 fav)
2015 – CUE CARD (7/4)
2014 – SILVINIACO CONTI (10/3)
2013 – CUE CARD (9/1)
WATCH: Protektorat Winning The 2022 Betfair Chase at Haydock
Andy Newton is a well-known horse racing and sports betting writer that specialises in using key trends and stats to help find winners and unique betting approaches. Over the years, Andy has built up many industry contacts, including with some of the leading horse racing stables in the UK with his time running the Trainers-Quotes site and has also ghost-written for former top jockey Richard Dunwoody. Andy is also the former sports betting editor of odds comparison site Easyodds and JuiceStorm and appeared on many betting podcasts for MatchBook and BetBright. You can also find his views via his monthly Racing Ahead magazine column, which he’s held a slot for over 10 years. Now a regular on Bettingsites.co.uk too giving his views, trends and tips mainly on horse racing and football - so if there's a stat to be unearthed and it's a sport, Andy is sure to find an interesting betting angle. Here’s a look at a sampling of where Andy’s expertise has been mentioned: Racing Ahead Magazine Trainers-Quotes JuiceStorm GeeGeez
