The Betfair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase and one of the highlights of the jumping season.
Run over the gruelling trip of three miles, one furlong and 125 yards, often in testing conditions, it’s a race that has delivered some wide-margin winners over the years.
We take a closer look at the Haydock Racecourse showpiece.
Betfair Chase date
The race is scheduled to take place each year towards the end of November. This year’s renewal will be staged on Saturday 25th November 2023.
Betfair Chase venue
The Betfair Chase is run at Haydock Racecourse. The dual-purpose track is located in Merseyside in the north west of England.
The current racecourse was opened in 1899 and, as well as the Grade 1 Betfair Chase, it is also home to the Group 1 Sprint Cup on the flat.
The venue was voted Racecourse of the Year in 1998 and 2000 and remains one of Britain's premier tracks.
Betfair Chase: How to watch
Like with all racing, the Betfair Chase is available on bet365's Sports Live Streaming platform.
In Britain, there is currently terrestrial coverage from ITV Racing, while Racing TV will also offer full live coverage of every race across the Merseyside meeting.
Betfair Chase history
The race is registered as the Lancashire Chase, but it takes the name of sponsors Betfair. The Grade 1 contest was first run at Manchester Racecourse in 1884 and it became the Betfair Chase in 2005.
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 the Betfair Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The great Kauto Star scooped the bonus when landing the Haydock race in November 2006 and then going onto land Cheltenham’s biggest prize in March 2007.
In 2017, the distance of the contest was increased from three miles to three miles, one-and-a-half furlongs to allow a longer run from the start to the first bend.
Betfair Chase most successful trainer
Paul Nicholls has won the Haydock prize on an unmatched six occasions. Kauto Star stuck won the race for times four the Ditcheat hander and Silviniaco Conti was a duel winner for Nicholls.
The leading jumps trainer hasn’t struck in the race since 2014, which was Silviniaco Conti’s second Betfair Chase success.
Kingscliff took the honours for Robert Alner in 2005, Snoopy Loopy scored for Peter Bowen in 2008 and Nigel Twiston-Davies struck with Imperial Commander in 2010.
That was one of four victories in the race for Twiston-Davies, who saddled the galloping grey Bristol De Mai to a hat-trick of Betfair Chase wins.
Colin Tizzard has also won the contest on four occasions, scoring three wins with Cue Card and a 2019 success with Lostintranslation.
Dan Skelton was the handler for last season’s winner Protektorat, while Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead landed his first and only Betfair Chase when A Plus Tard crossed the line in front in 2021.
Protektorat is 1/1 to triumph in the race again this year, Shishkin is a 10/3 chance and Gerri Colombe is 9/2.
Betfair Chase most successful jockey
Ruby Walsh leads the way with four Betfair Chase successes. Daryl Jacob and Paddy Brennan are next in line with three wins apiece and there are no other duel winners of the Haydock highlight.
Robert Walford, Sam Thomas, Seamus Durack, Joe Tizzard, Noel Fehily, Robbie Power, Rachael Blackmore and Harry Skelton are the other riders who have ridden the winner of the Betfair Chase.
Betfair Chase most successful horses
Kauto Star is one of the best National Hunt horses in history and Paul Nicholls’ charge won the race an unmatched four times.
Cue Card was another brilliant animal that struck three times in the Betfair Chase, but Bristol De Mai is arguably the most famous son of the race. Twiston-Davies’ charge carried the double green colours to three Betfair Chase successes when the bold jumping and ability to thrive in testing ground was a feature of the grey’s victories.
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2005 | Kingscliff | Robert Walford | Robert Alner |
| 2006 | Kauto Star | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2007 | Kauto Star | Sam Thomas | Paul Nicholls |
| 2008 | Snoopy Loopy | Seamus Durack | Peter Bowen |
| 2009 | Kauto Star | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2010 | Imperial Commander | Paddy Brennan | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2011 | Kauto Star | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2012 | Silviniaco Conti | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2013 | Cue Card | Joe Tizzard | Colin Tizzard |
| 2014 | Silviniaco Conti | Noel Fehily | Paul Nicholls |
| 2015 | Cue Card | Paddy Brennan | Colin Tizzard |
| 2016 | Cue Card | Paddy Brennan | Colin Tizzard |
| 2017 | Bristol De Mai | Daryl Jacob | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2018 | Bristol De Mai | Daryl Jacob | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2019 | Lostintranslation | Robbie Power | Colin Tizzard |
| 2020 | Bristol De Mai | Daryl Jacob | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2021 | A Plus Tard | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2022 | Protektorat | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
