Betfair Chase: The top five moments from the heroes of Haydock

Mike Norman
18 November 2014

The Greatest. Four-time Betfair Chase winner Kauto Star

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Saturday will see the 10th renewal of the prestigious Betfair Chase at Haydock so we asked our resident horse racing enthusiast Mike Norman to pick out his favourite moments from over the years at one of the highlights of the National Hunt calendar...

5. Kauto Star's demolition job - 2006

Undoubtedly one of the greatest steeplechasers in the modern era, Kauto Star won the first of his four Betfair Chases in scintillating fashion, thrashing Beef Or Salmon - who was filling the runner-up spot for the second successive year - by 17 lengths.

At the time of the renewal Kauto Star was merely a 'talking horse' in most quarters, a high class two-miler who had yet to prove he was equally as good at three miles.

He was sent off as the 11/10 favourite to silence the doubters, and what he would display during the six minutes of racing was to be the hallmark of his career - at his best, simply unbeatable.

He barely broke sweat as he put his rivals to the sword, coming home a huge distance clear of the remainder with jockey Ruby Walsh declaring, "That was every bit as easy as it looked. He is flipping special, isn't he?"

You were't wrong Ruby!

Kauto 2006.jpg

4. Kingscliff stuns odds-on backers - 2005

The inaugural running of the Betfair Chase took place on Saturday 19 November 2005 with that year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King expected to take the early-season prize.

The Tom Taaffe-trained seven-year-old went off a well fancied 4/5 favourite and looked to hold every chance two fences out, but Kingscliff, ridden by Robert Walford and trained by Robert Alner, jumped impeccably throughout to outstay Beef Or Salmon and the short-price market leader.

A former pointer, Kingscliff was well fancied to bag the £1m bonus put up by Betfair for also winning the King George Chase at Kempton and the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. But he flopped in both events and incredibly for a hugely talented eight-year-old would never visit the winner's enclosure again.

But Kingscliff had already had his day in the sun and will always be in the history books for being the very first winner of the Betfair Chase.

3. Silviniaco Conti, Nicholls' new champion - 2012

Just a year after Kauto Star had won the last of his four Betfair Chases team Ditcheat had a new rising star by the name of Silviniaco Conti, participating in the race for the first time at the age of six, just like his former stablemate.

Sent off as the 7/4 second favourite the race developed into a duel between Conti and the 11/8 favourite Long Run, but not for the first time Ruby Walsh was superb in the saddle, leading from the front and allowing his mount clear view of his fences in the murky conditions.

Long Run, just has he had the previous year, tried desperately to breach the narrow gap between himself and the leader, but the young pretender, prepared to perfection by his champion trainer, kept finding under pressure to win cosily, continuing Paul Nicholls' tremendous record in the race.

Silviniaco Conti is available to back at 4.57/2 to win Saturday's renewal.

silviniaco conti hadock betfair.jpg

2. Card just the Cue for father and son combination - 2013

In his only previous start at 3m Cue Card has finished well down the field behind Long Run in the King George, so in a high class renewal of the Betfair Chase the layers had something to go to war with over this 3m1f trip.

In a field that containd defending champion Silviniaco Conti, former Gold Cup winner Long Run, the defending Gold Cup champion Bob's Worth, David Pipe's high class chaser Dynaste, and a thorough stayer in Tidal Bay, Cue Card was expected to struggle, both in terms of seeing out the trip and with the opposition.

But Colin (trainer) and Joe Tizzard (jockey) had other ideas. Sent off as a relatively unfancied 9/1 shot Cue Card was always up with the pace in the testing conditions, leading from the fifth fence and jumping superbly, before having to be pushed out to record an impressive victory.

Not for the first time in a Betfair Chase the doubters had been proved wrong, and the relatively small stable of the Tizzard's had a star on their hands.

Cue Card can be backed at 4.1 to defend his crwon on Saturday.

1. Katuo Star's remarkable four-timer - 2011

A race anyone who witnessed it will never forget. Three-time Betfair Chase winner Kauto Star was now in his veteran stages and largely written off as a genuine contender for top honours. In the season that preceded this remarkable win he'd twice been put in his place by the new kid on the block, Long Run, and was expected to finished behind that rival once more.

Some had even questioned Paul Nicholls' decision to give the great Kauto another season. No-one wanted to see the legend of National Hunt racing plod around and finish down the field.

Not for the first time though Kauto silenced his doubters.

Sent off the joint third favourite (just two horses in the race were priced higher), Kauto Star made virtually all and was a few lengths up with two to jump. The reigning Gold Cup champion Long Run was in his slipstream, but every time he edged closer Kauto kept finding a bit mroe.

Just over a length advantage at the last fence turned into an eight-length victory at the line; a stunning performance from a remarkable horse - a horse of a lifetime, and one that any racing fan, Nicholls, Walsh, all connections, and not least Betfair, will ever forget.

Kauto Star final fence Betfair.jpg