Grey Dawning 'ready as he can be' for Betfair Chase at Haydock Park

Grey Dawning is 'as ready as he can be' ahead of his bid for victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday. The Dan Skelton-trained Grey Dawning was among the 10 entries for Saturday's Grade One feature of the seven-race card at the Merseyside track.

The seven-year-old is currently sponsors Betfair's 13-8 favourite for the £200,000 extended 3m1f contest, with Bet365 offering the best price at 15-8. Grey Dawning won on this day at Haydock last year and ended up as a Grade One winner at the Cheltenham Festival. Having followed up his win on Merseyside with victory in the Grade Two Trustatrader Hampton Novices' Chase at Warwick, Skelton's rising start scored at the top level in the Grade One Turners Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March. He couldn't complete the Grade One novice chase double at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse the following month, when he finished third in the Grade One Close Brothers Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April.

Grey Dawning has not run since that Aintree outing and has been unable to make his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby or Carlisle due to unsuitable ground conditions. But his Warwickshire-based trainer insists he is now ready for his return in the Betfair Chase. Skelton said: “Grey Dawning has been for a racecourse gallop and he did very well. Obviously, the last two seasons he got beaten on his seasonal debut – over hurdles and in a novice chase. His record shows there is a bit of a patch first time out, but the reason for that is that we had been very easy on him in the early part of the season for those races. When they are novices, they are always going to improve.

“This is a totally different kettle of fish. He needs to be ready against more seasoned horses and dare I say it, better horses, first time up. That is why we have put an awful lot of effort into getting him as ready as we can. I fully believe he is as ready as he can be.”

Skelton believes Grey Dawning has all the attributes needing to run a big race on Saturday, despite it being his first run outside of novice company at the top level. He added: “He is proven around Haydock which is a big plus and he has stayed the trip already at Warwick. He is a Grade One winner and carries through top form from last year as a novice. I’ve never ducked the situation that he has got to come up now to their level, to Grade One level in open company. But I feel he can do it. I’ve always felt this horse will be a progressor all through his life. Touch wood, he’s done that for us but it will be a totally different test on Saturday.

“He is quite a light-framed horse and you’d call him a little tubular – not a deep-girthed old-fashioned National Hunt chaser at all. But he’s a real athlete and looks fantastic He never carries a lot of weight and when you see him on Saturday you’ll say he does look ready. You will find 95 per cent of really good Grade One horses are pretty straightforward. They have got the brain for it and that is what allows them to be so good. Grey Dawning is that and there aren’t many chinks in his armour. As to how good is he, we’ll find out on Saturday how good he is at this point in his life. He has always had the right attitude, you can see that in the way he sees out his gallops at home. He hasn’t really surprised us although you are always a bit surprised when they do win Grade Ones as not many horses are Grade One horses."

Grey Dawning is being aimed at a return to Cheltenham for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup in March in the new year. And if all goes well he could be a real challenger for the blue riband at Prestbury Park.

Skelton said: “We want to go down the Gold Cup route. That’s how you start out hoping and the racecourse will tell you whether that’s realistic or not. Protektorat won a Grade One as a novice at Aintree and Grey Dawning won his Grade One novice at Cheltenham. He was a bit over the top when he went to Aintree. He has been beaten before and is not one of those horses that only has ones next to his name. He can get beat and he can come back from it.

“While Saturday is very important, we are not going there apprehensive in any way. We are going there excited with a really good horse. He is as good as any staying chaser we’ve had at this stage of their life. Protektorat sets the bar quite high for us as a seasoned chaser but new blood and new legs puts pressure on the older horses. I’ve looked at all the different charts and I think Haydock will get more rain than expected ahead of Saturday. There is a cold week in prospect and I think it will ride quite dead and a bit tacky. But we were promised rain last week and it didn’t turn up! We’ll see.”

Skelton won the Betfair Chase with Protektorat two years ago and it is a race he would love to win again. He added: “It would be great to win the Betfair Chase again. The Kirkland family have been great supporters of ours and Richard (Kirkland) knows he has a great horse and he would love every second of it if we win on Saturday. At the same time, he is a very respectful owner and if we get beat we’ll come back for another day and give it another go. You just want to win those big ones and it’s lovely to have a proper contender.”

Entries for the Betfair Chase include one French-trained runner and Gabriel Leenders is looking forward to sending Gold Tweet for the Grade One contest. The Les Landes-based handler won the Cleeve Hurdle with Gold Tweet in 2023 and was also successful at Prestbury at the weekend with Sweet David sealing victory in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase. Gold Tweet has run over both hurdles and fences in his native France and is a best-priced 16-1 with Ladbrokes.

Leenders said: "Everything is very good with him, he's been prepared for this race and it is his target. We're really happy with him and looking forward to bringing him over, he's been in good form at home. All the lights are green now for the race."

Last year's winner Royale Pagaille, from the Venetia Williams' stable, is entered again and is a best-priced 7-1 with Ladbrokes. The 10-year-old grey, who was winning for a fourth time at Haydock as he beat Paul Nicholls' Bravemansgame last season, will be making his first start since falling in Cotswold Chase in January.

Bravemansgame is also entered again having, like last season, also been second on his seasonal return in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby last month. Bravemansgame is 10-1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes. In his Betfair Ditcheat Diary, Nicholls said: "I've confirmed Bravemansgame for the Betfair Chase. We always like to have a runner in that race. It looks like it's a mixed week weather-wise with a bit of cold and sleet and snow, not a lot of rain. But Saturday could be very wet. It'll be an interesting forecast for the weekend so we'll keep an eye on that. Let's hope there's some proper rain coming at last."

The Shark Hanlon-trained Hewick, who won the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day last year, is among the entries following his third at Punchestown and close second to Envoi Allen in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal so far this season. Hewick is a best-priced 8-1 with William Hill.

Other entries include Patrick Neville's The Real Whacker, who beat Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby last month, and Minella Drama – trained by Merseyside-born, Cheshire-based Donald McCain – who won the Old Roan Chase at Aintree on his most recent start. Gavin Cromwell's Limerick Lace is one of three Irish-trained entries with County Carlow handler Willie Mullins' Capodanno also supplemented to the nine-strong field today. Lucinda Russell's Ahoy Senor, who was third in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, completes the line-up.

The going at Haydock Park is currently good with some areas of good to soft in places in the back straight. The seven-race card at Haydock Park on Saturday sees the action start at 12.05pm with the opening contest, the Betfair Racing Podcast Newton Novices’ Hurdle. The finale, the Betfair ‘Free Racing Multiple Today’ Handicap Steeple Chase, is due off at 3.35pm. Gates open at 10.05am and tickets are priced from £28 for adults, if booked in advance. For more information and to buy tickets go online at https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock/events-tickets/betfair-chase/

Entries for the Betfair Chase (Grade One) 3m1f125y, Haydock Park Racecourse, Saturday, November 23 2024 (3.05pm)

(horse, age, weight, owner, trainer)

Ahoy Senor (IRE) 9-11-10 Wymer & Russell Lucinda Russell
Bravemansgame (FR) 9-11-10 Bryan Drew Paul Nicholls
Capodanno (FR) 8-11-10 Mr JP McManus Willie Mullins (Ireland) *
Gold Tweet (FR) 7-11-10 AGV Karwin Stud Gabriel Leenders (France)
Grey Dawning (IRE) 7-11-10 Mr Robert Kirkland Dan Skelton
Hewick (IRE) 9-11-10 Mr TJ McDonald John Joseph Hanlon (Ireland)
Limerick Lace (IRE) 7-11-3 Mr JP McManus Gavin Cromwell (Ireland)
Minella Drama (IRE) 9-11-10 Green Day Racing Donald McCain
Royale Pagaille (FR) 10-11-10 Mrs Susannah Ricci Venetia Williams
The Real Whacker (IRE) 8-11-10 Neville, Mann, Duffus, Dennis-Price Patrick Neville

10 five-day confirmations (3 Irish-trained, 1 French-trained)
* supplementary entry

Betfair spokesman Barry Orr said: “Ten entries going forward at the five-day stage is bucking Betfair Chase trends in terms of numbers, so that’s great to see. The all-conquering Skelton yard’s Grey Dawning is a very warm order at 13-8 from 15-8. Ahoy Senor, Bravemansgame and Hewick all have the benefit of a run, so the favourite will have to be on top of his game to land the 20th running of the iconic race.”

The Betfair Chase (Betfair odds): 13-8 Grey Dawning; 7-2 Ahoy Senor; 11-2 Royale Pagaille; 11-2 Hewick; 7-1 Bravemansgame; 10-1 Capodanno, The Real Whacker; 12-1 Gold Tweet; 20-1 Limerick Lace; 33-1 Minella Drama.