A total of 16 horses – including five individual Grade 1 chase winners – have been entered for the first Grade 1 chase of the jump season – the £200,000 Betfair Chase.

Taking place over three miles, the Betfair Chase takes place at Haydock Park on Saturday November 22nd.

First run in 2005 and won a record four times by the great Kauto Star (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011), the Betfair Chase forms the first leg of The Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown, which is completed by the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup at The Cheltenham Festival in March.

The past three runnings have gone to Royale Pagaille (2023, 2024) and Protektorat (2022). Both horses are entered again in 2025.

Simon Tonge, General Manager at Haydock Park, said: “We’re really pleased to see a good number of entries for the Betfair Chase, with five Grade 1 chase winners among them.

“It's a great endorsement for what is a fantastic race and the first leg of The Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown. There are some worthy, popular and celebrated names on the Betfair Chase roll of honour and we’re all excited for this year’s race on November 22nd.”

Handstands

One horse with the Betfair Chase on his agenda is Handstands. Owned by Tim Radford, the six-year-old enjoyed an excellent first season over fences in 2024-25, with a pair of Grade 2 wins preceding a Grade 1 triumph in the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown Park in February.

On his seasonal reappearance Handstands was the three-quarter length runner-up to Resplendent Grey, to whom he was conceding 2lb, in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle on Sunday November 2nd.

Speaking after his second place at Carlisle, trainer Ben Pauling said: “He’s A1 and doesn’t know he’s had a race. He is supremely talented, and I have lost no faith in the horse.

“Funny, I look back at last season and the Rising Stars (at Wincanton) – he was cold and actually tipped up that day because he wasn’t committing to his fences.

“Then he came to Sandown and was electric. I just wonder, now I am starting to learn a bit more about him, maybe he just is a bit that way first time out? From being deliberate at his fences, not making a mistake, he must have lost 10 lengths. Another day, Handstands wings away, and they are not going to catch him.

“He is an exceptionally talented horse and was just a bit ring rusty today. He will sharpen up and it’s nothing to worry about. He has a Betfair Chase entry, and I think that race is tailor-made for him.

“It was only three weeks to the Betfair Chase last Saturday, which is short enough, but he hasn’t had a hard race and it should be grand. Ben (Jones, jockey) said as soon as he passed the line, he couldn’t pull him up down the hill.”

Betfair Chase (Grade 1) 3m 1f 125y

Haydock Park, Saturday November 22nd

Beauport (IRE) 9 11 10 Bryan & Philippa Burrough Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Ginny's Destiny (IRE) 9 11 10 Gordon & Su Hall Nicky Henderson

Grey Dawning (IRE) 8 11 10 Mr Robert Kirkland Dan Skelton

Haiti Couleurs (FR) 8 11 10 Conyers, McDermott and Prowting Rebecca Curtis

Handstands (IRE) 6 11 10 Mr T. P. Radford Ben Pauling

Hitman (FR) 9 11 10 Mason, Hogarth, Ferguson & Done Paul Nicholls

Intense Raffles (FR) 7 11 10 Mr Simon Munir-Mr Isaac Souede T. Gibney Ireland

Jordans (FR) 6 11 10 Cheeky Pups Syndicate Joseph Patrick O'Brien Ireland

Mr Vango (IRE) 9 11 10 Cracker and Smodge Partnership Sara Bradstock

Myretown (IRE) 8 11 10 Wymer & Russell Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore

Protektorat (FR) 10 11 10 Sir A Ferguson, G Mason, L Hales, The Late J Hales Dan Skelton

Resplendent Grey (IRE) 7 11 10 Mrs R. J. Skan Olly Murphy

Royale Pagaille (FR) 11 11 10 Mrs S. Ricci Venetia Williams

Spillane's Tower (IRE) 7 11 10 Mr John P. McManus James Joseph Mangan Ireland

Stellar Story (IRE) 8 11 10 Gigginstown House Stud Gordon Elliott Ireland

Marsh Wren 9 11 3 Far Bihoue Partnership Stuart Edmunds

16 entries

4 Irish-trained