Betfair Chase: The big questions | Can reigning champion A Plus Tard be beaten?

Is the Betfair Chase really a problem that needs fixing?

The Betfair Chase seems to attract more chat than most when it comes to high-profile small-field horse races. It’s far from being alone in the genre but here we have a race where the entry stage is now being debated.

Would switching from an early-closing race to the usual six-day entry make any difference to field sizes for the first Grade One of the English season? It would be marginal, at best, and there are positives to early-closing; most notably the ante-post interest. Having the startling current Cheltenham Gold Cup champion pointed at the race from a long way out has smothered that, to an extent, this year, but attracting the cream of the crop shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing.

And while the Betfair Chase isn’t for everyone, including Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott, it seems, with its early-season slot and usual very testing ground, it has a rich history of producing high drama.

In the very first edition some fences were omitted due to bad ground, but Kingscliff saw off a strong Irish challenge including Beef Or Salmon and the odds-on Kicking King, who bounced back from his Haydock disappointment the following month with his King George victory at Sandown.

Then the Kauto Star era spanned six years of the Betfair Chase did so much for its reputation.

He announced himself as a force in the staying chasing division on his first go in 2006, smashing Beef Or Salmon by 17 lengths. A year later he edged out Exotic Dancer in a thriller. One of his most famous performances in the race was his unseat at the last in ’08 when he was sent off 2/5, allowing 33/1 chance Snoopy Loopy his day in the sun.

He bounced back as a nine-year-old, somehow, holding off Imperial Commander by an on-the-bob nose. In 2010 Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse was allowed a clear shot at the race, with Kauto Star missing out. But in 2011 King Kauto was back, for the greatest Betfair Chase of them all, his eight-length win over the young pretender, Long Run, at the age of 11, when he had been written off by so many, bringing the house down.

It's been impossible to top that since, but we have had some exceptional winners. Silviniaco Conti and Cue Card shared the next five between them, the latter’s 2015 success, when he travelled with omnipotence, the highlight of the quintet.

A three-time winner, you’d have to call Cue Card a Haydock specialist, but even he has to give way to Bristol De Mai when looking up the dictionary definition of that, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ grey rattling off a hat-trick of his own, including a scarcely believable 57-length verdict over Cue Card himself in 2017.

Bristol had five years on Cue Card that day. On Saturday he’s the old stager, giving three years to new star A Plus Tard. The baton has already been passed. And while the Betfair Chase isn’t perfect, it is established as the first port of call in England for wannabe Gold Cup horses and it has regularly delivered as a high-class contest in its own right.

Field sizes are a big issue in racing and towards the top of the list for the new 10-strong BHA board, but fixing the Betfair Chase? It’s not even on the list. Unlike many things in racing, it ain’t broke. And this year’s renewal looks as intriguing as ever with the reliable Haydock rain throwing in a curious factor for hot favourite and reigning champion A Plus Tard.

Betfair Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Lancashire Chase)

• 3.00 Haydock - Saturday November 19
• 1. A Plus Tard - Rachael Blackmore
• 2. Bristol De Mai - Daryl Jacob
• 3. Eldorado Allen - Brendan Powell
• 4. Frodon - Bryony Frost
• 5. Protektorat - Harry Skelton
• Click here for full racecard & free video form

Could Haydock heavy stop the A Plus Tard train?

There is no disputing A Plus Tard’s brilliance. His 22-length win over Haydock specialist Royale Pagaille in this race last year signalled a new level for Henry de Bromhead’s star and he bettered it in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with an iconic win. He's still only eight and the best could, conceivably, still be to come, which is a scary prospect for his rivals.

You can see why he’s so short in the betting this Saturday, but he has been beaten at odds of 8/11 and 1/2 in the past, both times when the ground was softer than he’d like. After all, his Betfair Chase and Gold Cup wins came on Good to Soft ground which plays to his strengths. He’s a classy stayer, his speed is a weapon, and those attributes can be lessened in testing conditions.

One of those odds-on defeats was to Galvin in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last Christmas. The De Bromhead yard wasn’t firing at the time, though, so perhaps the ground, officially yielding but probably a bit softer than that, wasn’t the sole reason for his defeat? It’s my thinking that it would take a brave layer to use that piece of form against him with Saturday’s contest in mind.

Really testing ground can be a great leveller, but A Plus Tard has a lot to play with here on official ratings and the very best can cope, whatever the conditions. A dry Saturday can help soak up the week's rainfall, too, so perhaps it won't quite end up 'Haydock heavy' - Bristol De Mai style. A Plus Tard should be able to cope with soft ground, and this opposition, just fine. My feeling is he'll get the job done, if not in his most spectacular fashion.

Is Bristol De Mai still capable at the age of 11?

Conditions are turning more testing, with the falling of every raindrop music to Nigel Twiston-Davies' ears. But is his Bristol De Mai, considering his advancing years, still capable of producing one last hurrah at his favourite playground even with the mud flying? It’s dangerous to rule him out. After all, we’ve been here before with an 11-year-old. But, with all due respect to Bristol, he’s no Kauto Star.

There has been money for Bristol De Mai and he’s a general 6/1 now, which seems very short indeed. He hasn’t won for two years and he has had his conditions in that timeframe, running second in the Grand National Trial on Haydock heavy in February. That was a good run, but it wouldn’t be enough to beat an A Plus Tard a stone below his best.

Last seen pulling up in the Betway Bowl at Aintree, he’ll be much happier back in this race on softer ground than that he could cope with 12 months ago. A gallant performance looks likely. But beating A Plus Tard requires a huge leap of faith and I’d have him a good few points bigger in the market despite conditions turning in his favour and his great record around here.

How can Protektorat reverse Gold Cup form?

It’s brilliant that Dan Skelton has targeted this contest with Protektorat. In an era where finding easier options is commonplace, Skelton is never one to duck a challenge and taking on A Plus Tard again, who beat his horse by 17-and-a-half lengths at Cheltenham, is certainly that.

Protektorat didn’t look to truly stay the Gold Cup trip in March. He was gutsy to battle for third up the hill, but his mistake at the last was a tired one and pure heart ensured the bronze medal. A flatter track, and a slightly shorter trip, can help him close the gap if he’s at his very best.

You would expect him to be so. Skelton says on our Get Stuck In show that he’s fitter than he was first time out last year – and that was a pretty good performance off a big weight in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. He won't mind the softer ground, either.

The worry is that he compromises his chance of attaining the best prize money he can by trying to win the race. A Plus Tard strikes me as the sort of horse that could break an opponent with his high-cruising speed. And the way Skelton operates, you can see Protektorat going toe-to-toe with APT from a long way out.

In that scenario, who could be the one for the forecast?

Frodon is a remarkable horse but thriving at Haydock doesn’t look one of his strong suits. He was beaten 27 lengths by Lostintranslation in this race three years ago and the configuration of the track just seems to expose him. He’s a pace angle, though, and he could make the running here with Bristol De Mai sure to be keeping close tabs on him.

They could be sitting ducks to the big guns and the one I’ll be backing to chase home A Plus Tard is Eldorado Allen. I don’t buy that this horse has stamina limitations as he’s run two cracking races over three miles from just three goes; his victory over Royale Pagaille at Newbury in the Denman Chase the highlight, while his second in last month’s Charlie Hall, when trying to concede 3lb to the winner Bravemansgame, wasn’t too shabby either.

I’d imagine Brendan Powell will sit just off the pace here and with race fitness on his side he could travel into the race better than most. Beating a horse as good as A Plus Tard seems fanciful, but being best of the rest is not far fetched and that straight forecast looks the play.

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