15:00 Saturday

With the National Hunt season now in full swing, this weekend will see £100,000 Grade 2 Bet365 Charlie Hall Chase take the spotlight on Saturday as Wetherby hosts its main two-day programme of the season.

Despite the small number of just four runners, there’s serious depth to the field, with Bravemansgame and Ahoy Senor set to renew rivalry for the seventh time, in which the former will aim to make it 5-2 in their head-to-head battle and potentially follow-up last year’s success.

This is by no means a two-horse race though, with the Irish raider and potential improver Gentlemansgame, plus the Dan Skelton-trained Midnight River, both featuring in the final declarations for Saturday’s feature.

Let’s take a look at the final field with a runner guide plus a final analysis with a tip in the race. This race has often provided plenty of clues for the rest of the season and the major festivals.

Charlie Hall Chase 2023 Runners Guide

Ahoy Senor

  • Trainer: Lucinda Russell
  • Jockey: Derek Fox
  • Form: 5351F2
  • Odds: 10/3

 

Having made a striking impression in beating Bravemansgame for a second time in Merseyside when taking the Grade 1 Mildmay Novices' Chase April last year with the latter only fourth, Lucinda Russell’s charge was sent off as a hot favourite for last year’s renewal of this race but trailed home a disappointing last of five runners.

The eight-year-old did bounce back to something near his best in the second half of the season, though, by winning the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January before rounding off his campaign with a runner-up effort behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl back at his beloved Aintree.

He was in the process of running a big race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on his penultimate start, and his jumping was exemplary up until his departure. It would be fair to say his characteristic feature of making mistakes has plagued further top-class performances to some extent.

Still, he easily makes up for that trait with his natural class, in which he has two Grade 1 wins to his name, and when he is good, he is good. My only issue with him, however, is that he invariably needs his first run of the season (figures reading 2U5), so he might just need this reappearance.

Likely to adopt his usual trailblazing tactics, this top-class chaser still merits respect, and it’s difficult to see him not putting up a better show than 12 months ago. Barring accidents, he should be able to give the formidable defending champion more to think about, even if conditions deteriorate to some extent.

Bravemansgame

  • Trainer: Paul Nicholls
  • Jockey: Harry Cobden
  • Form: 141123
  • Odds: 8/11

 

Paul Nicholls confirmed earlier this week that his Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up will again start his campaign here, and it will take a good performance from anything else to see his colours lowered, given how impressive he was last year. He travelled smoothly, demonstrated his proficiency in the jumping department, and won by an easy three-and-a-half lengths.

He then followed up in the Grade 1 King George on Boxing Day, where again his strong-travelling style of racing and pinpoint accuracy jumping were evident as he managed to defeat Ahoy Senor for a second consecutive time. In the end, he won by an impressive 14 lengths after being left well clear at the final fence when his nearest pursuer and favourite, L’Homme Presse, unseated his rider when looking beaten.

Then followed a cracking display when second in the Blue Riband race at the Cheltenham Festival, the Gold Cup, behind Galopin Des Champs, where the trip probably stretched his stamina limitations, yet he still had six lengths to spare over the third, Conflated. He could only muster third in the Punchestown Gold Cup, but it was another fine effort, going down by only two-and-a-half lengths.

I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt that day as well, given neither himself nor Galopin Des Champs, who was a neck in front of him, brought their best form to the table due to having a long and gruelling season. The fact of the matter is that the season probably caught up with both of them, yet they still acquitted themselves very well in defeat behind surprise winner Fastorslow.

He is collectively high on reliability and conducts himself on the racetrack in the utmost professional manner, and this race is no doubt being used as a stepping stone towards bigger targets during the season, but we know he has a good record when fresh. There appear to be very few chinks in his armour, and with plenty of pace sure to be on the offering, coupled with bringing the strongest form lines into the race, he is the one to beat.

Gentlemansgame

  • Trainer: Mouse Morris
  • Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe
  • Form: 71312
  • Odds: 5/1

 

The only Irish representative, who might be light on chase experience after just two starts, is held in high regard, and his participation alone does spice up the race. He made the frame three times at the highest level over the smaller obstacles, including when third in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown, which is a high-quality piece of form.

In his sole start over fences last season, he beat a field littered with experienced rivals, where he scored by nine lengths from I Am Maximus, and the runner-up advertised the strength of that form by claiming the Irish National just a few months later. He reappeared in the PWC Champion Chase on testing ground and ran a tremendous race to take second.

He was not only running over a trip short of his best, but he was conceding race fitness to the winner and defending champion Easy Game, who is rated 158. He has quite a few pounds to find with the top two in the betting but is comparatively less exposed than all of his rivals this weekend over fences, and the return to three miles on soft ground should suit.

Midnight River

  • Trainer: Dan Skelton
  • Jockey: Harry Skelton
  • Form: 313101
  • Odds: 12/1

 

Dan Skelton’s charge finds himself on a career-high mark but progressed nicely as a second-season novice chaser last season, winning at Stratford before taking a valuable handicap at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and then rounding off his campaign with further success at Aintree in April.

He will unfortunately be unfavourable by the weights, plus his rating against superior rivals makes his task even more difficult than it already is. He does, however, have a good record when fresh, but his connections have had a slow start to the season, with just five wins since the season started.

While he is progressing at a rate of knots, I have serious reservations about him being able to produce a new personal best against horses of this calibre first-time out, and his previous win here saw him only scramble home by a whisker from Pay The Piper, who has subsequently let the form down with a heavy defeat at Kelso in an easier race.

Charlie Hall Chase 2023 Tips & Prediction

Just a quartet of runners for this year’s renewal of this Grade 2 race, but it should once again be a great spectacle as Bravemansgame and Ahoy Senor lock horns once more. Surprisingly, the only runner with a heavy-ground win is Gentlemansgame, though that win did come on his hurdles debut in a maiden. He is the most interesting participant after just two chase starts, with fitness assured.

However, he has quite a bit to find on ratings with the main two, while Midnight River might be out of his depth at this level. Ahoy Senor ended last season on a high with a second to Shishkin at Aintree but was majorly disappointing in this race last year when BRAVEMANSGAME won in great style, and it is hard to see him turning the tables around, especially when he has often needed his first run of the season.

He has beaten Paul Nicholls’ charge twice in the past, but both those wins have come at Aintree, and elsewhere, the Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up has had the upper hand four times. With the ground set to be very soft, at least, though far from an original choice, it is hard to oppose last year’s winner.

The King George winner can become the first back-to-back winner of the race since See More Business did it twice in 1999 and 2000 for the Ditcheat handler.