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The Betfair Chase: everything you need to know about this horserace and who will do battle in 2023
The Betfair Chase is a Grade One National Hunt steeplechase, run over 3 miles 1.5 furlongs with 19 fences, that is held at Haydock Park in Lancashire each November. It is a prestigious race and a real highlight of the National Hunt season.
When is the 2023 Betfair Chase?
The race gets underway at 3pm on Saturday 25 November – get your tickets here.
How to watch the race
If you’re looking forward to settling down the watch the race from home, then be sure to tune into ITV. Their coverage gets underway at 12.55pm on the main ITV channel.
What is the prize money for winning?
The winner of the 2023 Betfair Chase will take home £112,540.
Who are the runners in the 2023 race?
Horse: Bravemansgame | Jockey: Daryl Jacob
Trainer: Paul Nicholls
Protektorat | Jockey: Harry Skelton
Dan Skelton
Royale Pagaille | Jockey: Charlie Deutsch
Venetia Williams
Corach Rambler | Jockey: Derek Fox
Lucinda Russell
What are the betting odds for this year’s runners?
The following odds are correct at the time of publishing and may vary depending on who your bookmaker is.
Bravemansgame: 8/11
Protektorat: 9/4
Royale Pagaille: 9/1
Corach Rambler: 10/1
Get £10 in FREE bets
Want to place a bet on one of this year’s runners? Sign up to Betway and receive a £10 welcome bet.
How do I place a bet on the Betfair Chase?
Follow our complete guide on how best to bet to find out more.
Recent winners
2022: Protektorat
2021: A Plus Tard
2020: Bristol De Mai
2019: Lostintranslation
2018: Bristol De Mai
2017: Bristol De Mai
2016: Cue Card
2015: Cue Card
2014: Silviniaco Conti
2013: Cue Card
2012: Silviniaco Conti
2011: Kauto Star
Winning-most trainer, horse, jockey and owner
The all-time leading Betfair Chase trainer is Paul Nicholls, who has won it a total of six times to-date. Kauto Star is the most successful horse in the Betfair Chase. The gelding, who was trained by Paul Nicholls, won the race four times – 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011. The top all-time Betfair Chase jockey is Ruby Walsh, who won a total of four times – three times on Kauto Star (2006, 2009 and 2011) and once on Silvianaco Conti (2012).
The history of the Betfair Chase
The event was established in 2005, and it originally served as the first part of a bonus scheme called the Betfair Million. Its sponsor, Betfair, offered a sum of £1,000,000 to leading contenders for successful performances in two subsequent races.
The initial version of the Betfair Million was awarded if the winner of the Betfair Chase went on to win both the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Lexus Chase was included as an alternative second leg for the next two years, and Kauto Star won the prize by taking the original route in 2006–07. The format was changed in 2008–09, when the bonus became available to any first-three finisher achieving first or second at the Cheltenham Festival and then winning the Grand National. The Betfair Million was dropped the following year. The £1,000,000 bonus returned as the “Chase Triple Crown” in 2015 when Jockey Club Racecourses offered it to any horse winning the race, the King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup. Cue Card won the first two legs of the 2015–16 bonus but fell when in contention at Cheltenham. Since 2016 the Kauto Star Trophy has been awarded to the owner of a horse completing the Chase Triple Crown.
The Betfair Chase is familiarly known by its sponsored name, but its registered title is the Lancashire Chase. It is now the first Grade 1 event of the British National Hunt season. Prior to 2017 it was run over a distance of about 3 miles. The distance was increased to allow a longer run from the start to the first bend.
The original Lancashire Chase was first run at Manchester Racecourse in 1884.
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