The Cheltenham November Meeting is now in the rear view mirror, the National Hunt season is truly underway and it is time to ramp it up several notches at Haydock on Saturday. Sizing John, Bristol De Mai and Outlander are among the superstar horses that will converge on Merseyside for the Grade 1 Betfair Chase and it should prove to be a thrilling battle. This is the biggest race this side of Christmas and it comes with a prize pot north of £200,000. If the winner goes on to claim the King George and the Cheltenham Gold Cup they will earn a £1 million bonus, so it is little wonder this race has attracted such an outrageously talented field. Here we analyse the leading contenders:
Bristol De Mai
Nigel Twiston-Davies' six-year-old grey gelding has won twice on this track, including a convincing victory in January's Peter Marsh Handicap. He loves running on soft ground and that is exactly what Haydock is set to serve up on Saturday as the rain continues to fall on Merseyside. Twiston-Davies has admitted that everything has fallen perfectly for Bristol De Mai, who ran well when victorious at Wetherby a couple of weeks ago, so there will be no excuses for a sub par performance. He is currently 6/4 favourite at the best betting sites and punters are rushing to back him amid the favourable weather forecast.
Sizing John
Jessica Harrington and Robbie Power have insisted Sizing John is in great shape ahead of the big race after the odds on him drifted way out. He started as antepost favourite but as punters lumped on course specialist Bristol De Mai, Sizing John went out from 6/4 to 3/1. There are several factors going against him: he prefers better ground as he moves so well and may not relish the sloppy conditions on Saturday, he may be rusty as he has not had a run since last season, and he may be worn out after winning all three Gold Cups last year. But then again, he won all three Gold Cups last year. All three of them. He flourished after stepping up in distance and finished the season as the biggest name around. If anyone has the legs and the class to overcome the aforementioned obstacles, it is Sizing John and those odds look great. He has beaten all of these horses before and can do so again.
Cue Card
Now 11 years of age, Cue Card has won this race in three of the last four years. If he makes it four on Saturday, he will equal the great Kauto Star's all-time record in the Betfair Chase. He is brilliant on his day and he too should enjoy the soft conditions, so he will be a real threat and also looks pretty good value at 10/3. There are question marks, however, over his ability to keep up with the younger runners, especially after he fell at Wetherby a fortnight ago.
The Rest
Outlander is a decent each-way shot at 10/1 as the heavier the ground gets, the better his chances of winning become. He warmed up with an excellent Grade 1 win at Down Royal this month and should be in contention at the end of the race. Tea For Two looks might interest some at 12/1, but is unlikely to trouble the frontrunners, while Traffic Fluide and Shantou Flyer look to be simply making up the numbers as it would be a huge upset if either of them won this race. Right now it is hard to look past Sizing John and Bristol De Mai.
