Normally staged at Huntingdon racecourse over 2m 4½f the Peterborough Chase is a Grade Two chase run in December each year. The contest often attracts some decent names from the jumping world, with horses like Edredon Bleu, Best Mate, Racing Demon and Monet’s Garden all recent previous winners of the valuable race.
**Note**: The 2020 renewal was called off on Sunday 6th December at Huntingdon and will now be staged at Cheltenham on Friday 11th Deember 2020.
The event has also been a fair guide for that season’s Ryanair Chase, run at the Cheltenham Festival, with seven winners going onto finish 7th or better in that contest – including last year’s winner – Josses Hill, who ended up 5th in the Ryanair Chase.
Trainer Henrietta Knight, who is now retired, has dominated the race in recent times with a staggering 8 victories since 1998, while Nicky Henderson landed the spoils four times back in the nineties, and more recently in 2013 with Riverside Theatre, in 2016 with Josses Hill and in 2017 & 2019 with Top Notch.
Here at RACING AHEAD we look back at recent winners and highlights the key trends ahead of the 2020 renewal – this year run on Sunday 6th December.
Recent Peterborough Chase Winners
2019 – Top Notch (15/8 fav)
2018 – Charbel (13/8 fav)
2017 – Top Notch (4/9 fav)
2016 – Josses Hill (7/4 fav)
2015 – Al Ferof (9/4)
2014 – Wishfull Thinking (13/2)
2013 – Riverside Theatre (9/4 fav)
2012 – Menorah (7/2)
2011 – Gauvain (15/2)
2010 – Tartak (11/4)
2009 – Deep Purple (12/1)
2008 – Monet’s Garden (5/1)
2007 – Racing Demon (1/4 fav)
2006 – Racing Demon (13/8 jfav)
2005 – Impek (5/1)
2004 – Le Roi Miguel (15/8 fav)
2003 – Jair du Cochet (10/3)
2002 – Best Mate (8/15 fav)
Note: 2012 renewal was staged at Kempton
Peterborough Chase Betting Trends
16/18 – Had won a race at Grade 2 or higher before
16/18 – Came from the first three in the betting
16/18 – Had won (fences) over at least 2m4f before
15/18 – Aged 9 or younger
15/18 – Had raced within the last 8 weeks
15/18 – Priced 5/1 or shorter in the betting
15/18 – Officially rated 155 or higher
14/18 – Winners that went onto run at that season’s Cheltenham Festival
14/18 – Placed fifth or better last time out
14/18 – Either Irish (7) or French (6) bred
13/18 – Had won at least 4 times over fences before
13/18 – Placed favourites
12/18 – Had between 1-2 previous runs already that season
9/18 – Aged 6 or 7 years-old
9/18 – Winning favourites (1 joint)
8/18 – Former Grade 1 chase winners
8/18 – Went onto finish 7th or better (no winners) in that season’s Ryanair Chase
7/18 – Won last time out
4/18 – Trained by Nicky Henderson
3/18 – Ran at Aintree in the Old Roan Chase last time out
2/18 – Trained by Philip Hobbs
1/18 – Went onto win at that season’s Cheltenham Festival (2002 Best Mate, Gold Cup)
The average winning SP in the last 18 years is 10/3
Note: The 2010 renewal was staged at Newbury
RACING AHEAD VERDICT: Cancelled on Sunday, as this Grade 2 is normally run at Huntingdon. It’s a race that Top Notch has won twice recently (2017 and 2019) so he’s sure to be popular again, but the switch to Cheltenham might not be in his favour – he’s run here five times now and is still looking for his first win. He also has to give 6lbs away to most of the others and 3lbs away to another Henderson horse – MISTER FISHER. This 6 year-old was pulled up in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last time out but the reports show he lost a shoe that day in the race. He can also be expected to have come on for that as it was his first run back since March, while if the ground dries out a bit more that will also be in his favour. Add in that he’s won over fences here in the past and was a decent fourth to Samcro in the Marsh Novices’ Chase here at the Festival then we know he does handle the course. Recent winner Newbury, Clondaw Castle is a horse on the up and was also runner-up in the Old Roan Chase this season – he can go well too, but the track would be a tiny worry as he’s run here three times and been well beaten each time. Any rain would help Kalashnikov, but you feel he’s got something to prove at the moment, so the dangers to the pick can come from the Paul Nicholls-trained Dolos, who should be a lot better for a recent fourth here back in October and the Venetia Williams runner – Fanion D’Estruval, who ran a blinder to be second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup here at the last meeting.
