Alan Dudman's Big Race Verdict: Back Mouse for Dynamite Charlie Hall win

• Can Bravemansgame return to his best?

• Mouse Morris chaser to follow in the footsteps of stable success

• Alan Dudman this Saturday's Charlie Hall at Wetherby

• Place £10 bet on any sport on the Betfair Exchange to start your Free Bet Streak

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Paul Nicholls Superboost

Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls saddles the strong favourite Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby today (14:58), and the Betfair Sportsbook have super-boosted his price to win the race from 4/51.80 to 6/52.20.

Bravemansgame won this very race in 2022 and returned last year to finish a gallant second, so it appears he loves the course and has a very strong chance of regaining his crown this afternoon.

To take advantage of this super-boosted price just click on the odds in the below bet banner to go directly to the pre-loaded betslip.

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Watch Paul Nicholls talk to Betfair about his Saturday runners

🏇 Paul's Ditcheat Decs

A busy Saturday for the yard as the wraps are taken off Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall and 7 runners at a drying Ascot.

Plus, Paul's thoughts on City Of Troy as he bids to land the Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt at Del Mar!@PFNicholls @BetfairBarry pic.twitter.com/uFoXPR9BvA

-- Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) November 1, 2024

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Seven declared for Wetherby feature

The seven runners have scuppered the each-way ideas with one less place and my wish with Thunder Rock having a go at the bigger prize has not materialised; and as expected he goes over the smaller obstacles in the West Yorkshire Hurdle.

That's probably the right call with his jumping, but he will have his ground either way.

Now, not a lot has changed with the top two in the betting as former 2022 winner Bravemansgame at 11/82.38 plays Grey Dawning at 15/82.88.

The race needs Grey Dawning but Grey Dawning doesn't need faster ground. Wetherby has been somewhat of a battleground this week with Dan Skelton giving it out about the Sunday option at Carlisle if the ground is too quick in Yorkshire, while the clerk Jonjo Sanderson has come out all guns blazing saying he won't water to please trainers.

Bravemansgame will test the skills of Paul Nicholls - who said in his latest exclusive Betfair Ambassador blog: "It all went wrong for Bravemansgame last season when ground conditions were against him for every start.

"I also felt his breathing was becoming a bit of an issue so we decided to re-cauterise his palate in the summer. He's giving us all the right signals at home and seems right back to his best physically and mentally."

He's had a wind op, which given those quotes is not a negative, but asking to back him at 11/82.38 is not the way I would like to play this.

On ratings and past form of course he deserves respect, and even his second in the race last term entitles him to be up there, but the way his season went, I can't consider the price. We know he goes well fresh, so that's not the problem, but he has to prove all of those hard races haven't made their mark.

The dawning of a Gold Cup contender?

Grey Dawning's Turner's success at the Cheltenham festival last term saw the Timeform HQ nerve centre bump him up to 160p (up from 158) to lay claim as one of the best novice chasers for the Brits. Indeed, that rating confirmed his status.

He's unexposed in terms of a stayer too and rates as a 14/115.00 shot for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham on the Sportsbook for next March, but there are a couple of factors at play here.

In a long old season and with the Dan Skelton aims, the Gold Cup surely will be his number one target, and lest we not forget he has been beaten on his reappearance twice, although Skelton has said he is sharper and fitter this time around and he has been well found too on the Sportsbook from 5/23.50 into 15/82.88.

Conflated needs his jumping to stand up

With three "Unseated Rider" next to his name, Conflated has issues, but when he gets it right and jumps from the front like he did at Aintree when second to Jonbon, he's dangerous.

As part of the pace posse, he should be up there with French Dynamite and expect Bravemansgame to be on their tails in second or third.

Conflated is high-class and as a Grade 1 winner has been overlooked a little in the betting at 5/16.00, but if it's good ground, that would be a cause for concern as you have to go back a fair to even find a run without soft in the description, let alone a win.

Plus, Gordon Elliott's chaser is winless since 2022. This is very much a back on track race.

Can Mouse strike it lucky again?

I would love to see Bravemansgame find some of his old sparkle and repeat the feat of Wayward Lad, Ollie Magern and Barton Bank all regaining their Charlie Hall crowns, and he'll some some decent ground too which is wanted.

Grey Dawning will have to concede weight, something that Bravemansgame failed to do 12 months ago, but you have to start these top horses somewhere.

But for the now horse, French Dynamite is fit and already has a head-start with two runs this term including a win at Punchestown last time out over near-enough 3m and his jumping was spot on when it needed to be.

Conflated was an early departure in the Carvill's Hill Grade 3 and I liked the way Mark Walsh decided to take up the running on French Dynamite and allow him to stretch out. He got close on a couple of occasions with the jumping, but from five out, he applied pressure to Minella Indo and he stayed on strongly.

That was good to see in terms of the stamina, as a fair bit of his career has seen him over shorter.

It was also evident just how big how was in size compared to Minella Indo and Hewick in the race and I can see him skipping over the Wetherby fences like they are hurdles on Saturday.

He might not be the best long term horse in the race, but he goes on decent ground and the trainer won the race 12 months ago.

All power to the Mouse and while the 9/110.00 would have been lovely with three places, we have the two places to deal with and take our medicine.

The outsiders

The Real Whacker might be a previous winner of the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase in 2023, but he unseated last time on comeback and struggled at the top level all through last season.

He hasn't had a lot of fans on the Sportsbook either and has drifted from 12/113.00 to 14/115.00.

Hang In There will have his favoured ground and Emma Lavelle won't worry a dot about the quicker surface, but he wouldn't be up to the class of the top two in the market, nor Conflated.

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