ROYALE CAN REIGN AGAIN IN BETFAIR CHASE

By Nick Robson

Royale Pagaille has every chance of adding his name to the list of multiple winners of the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

Four-times victor Kauto Star, hat-trick heroes Bristol De Mai and Cue Card and dual scorer Silviniaco Conti dominate the roll of honour and it is almost harder to find horses that have won the race just once since its inception in 2005.

Royale Pagaille is one of those having scored last year as a nine-year-old and while this Haydock specialist now qualifies for veterans races at 10, he is still relatively lightly raced.

He is extremely talented when he gets soft ground and his Haydock record reads five runs and four victories, with his only eclipse coming when second to A Plus Tard in this race three years ago.

He has also finished second in the King George to Bravemansgame and won two Peter Marsh Chases.

Since joining Williams, his sole defeat on ground described as soft or worse came when a respectable sixth in the Gold Cup in 2023 and with plenty of rain forecast, it looks likely he will get his favoured conditions.

While Royale Pagaille has a fine record fresh, the same cannot be said of the favourite Grey Dawning, who has been beaten first time out for the past two seasons, and Dan Skelton has made no secret of the fact he wanted to run at either Wetherby or Carlisle but the ground was too quick.

Skelton may have better luck in the £100,000 Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle.

He has three live chances in Aintree Festival winner Gwennie May Boy, last week’s impressive Cheltenham winner Doyen Quest and Catch Him Derry, who could be the one to concentrate on.

While he has been winning at a lower level, he has been given some canny rides so the handicapper has not been able to be too harsh on him.

His last win came at Newton Abbot on heavy ground and he has a couple of wins over three miles to his credit already. He is going the right way.

Others to note on the card are Roadlesstravelled in the Betfair Supports Safer Gambling Week Newton Novices’ Hurdle and Iroko in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase.

Rather than ride Bravemansgame, Harry Cobden heads to Ascot where he appears to have some outstanding chances headed by Pic D’Orhy, who defends his title in the Copybet 1965 Chase.

Having shown some brilliant form last season, when he also won the Ascot Chase and was second to Banbridge at Kempton, he attempted to win a second Melling Chase at Aintree but was never really travelling. He is a class above these rivals.

Nicholls and Cobden should also be celebrating after the Howden Ascot Hurdle, with Blueking d’Oroux set to repeat his win of last year.

He faces a tougher task than his stablemate against Triumph Hurdle third Salver but second-season hurdlers often struggle to find their groove, and this trip is perfect for Blueking d’Oroux.

Joe Tizzard’s Triple Trade is back down to a winnable mark and having finished third to Boothill in the Lay & Wheeler Hurst Park Handicap Chase 12 months ago, first-time cheekpieces can help him go two places better.

Richard Fahey’s Golden Strike is an interesting runner in the Win £1M With BetMGM’s Golden Goals Handicap at Newcastle, while Moonlit Potter takes the eye at Huntingdon in the Follow Us On X @betrhino Mares’ Handicap Chase.

There is a stunning card at Punchestown where Ballyburn makes his chasing debut in the Conway Piling Beginners Chase and Albert Bartlett winner Stellar Story embarks over fences in the Grade Two Florida Pearl Chase, but the highlight is the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle.

It sees the current champion State Man take on his stablemate Lossiemouth, who some bookmakers now make favourite to take his crown following Constitution Hill’s lacklustre gallop this week.

Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead should not be lightly dismissed either but State Man is perennially underrated and can notch up another win.

Saturday racing tips

ASCOT: 12.25 Western Knight, 12.55 Fortuna Ligna, 1.30 Pic D’Orhy, 2.05 Fortescue, 2.45 BLUEKING D’OROUX (NAP), 3.20 Triple Trade, 3.50 Spring Gale.

HAYDOCK: 12.08 Roadlesstravelled, 12.40 Home Free, 1.15 Knight Of Allen, 1.50 Iroko, 2.30 Catch Him Derry, 3.05 Royal Pagaille, 3.40 Dare To Shout.

HUNTINGDON: 12.15 Squiggles, 12.48 Emma Hamilton, 1.23 Horaces Pearl, 1.58 Moonlit Potter, 2.38 Magic Seven, 3.15 William Cody, 3.45 Risky Spin.

NEWCASTLE: 3.33 Rock Armour, 4.10 Golden Strike, 4.40 So Darn Hot, 5.10 Cemlyn, 5.40 Thunder Earthlight, 6.10 Far Across, 6.40 Deauville, 7.10 Lady Nunthorpe, 7.40 Barnaby.

PUNCHESTOWN: 11.30 Naturally Nimble, 12.00 Butch Cassidy, 12.30 Ballyburn, 1.00 Stellar Story, 1.35 Ballycoose, 2.10 State Man, 2.50 Farmix, 3.25 Jacob’s Ladder.

WOLVERHAMPTON: 4.25 Love Your Work, 4.55 King Of Speed, 5.25 Dark Lyric, 5.55 Frankies Dream, 6.25 Fiery Angel, 6.55 Yorkshire, 7.25 Commander Straker, 7.55 Percy Jones, 8.25 Glen Buck.

DOUBLE: Royal Pagaille and Blueking d’Oroux