The first dual winner of the Denman Chase has odds slashed for Cheltenham's biggest prize
“The dream is still alive.”
That’s what Colin Tizzard declared as Native River bolted up in testing conditions at Newbury to win this year’s Denman Chase, making it a first time that there’s been a dual winner of the event.
Despite a 330-day absence, it looked like the eight-year-old had never been away as Richard Johnson steered him well clear of Cloudy Dream in second and won by a considerable margin.
After 330 days off the track, Native River bolts up in the @Betfair Denman Chase @NewburyRacing and becomes the first dual winner of the race.
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) February 10, 2018
Results https://t.co/7iJOPsvjqx pic.twitter.com/AGATDgy3ee
The Gold Cup is where we will see the popular horse next month and he has every chance of capping off a remarkable story, especially if you listened to Tizzard’s exuberance after the race.
Widely available at 10/1 this morning, some bookies have gone as short as 4s, putting the horse second-favourite behind long time market leader Might Bite.
But you can still get a best price of 7/1 on Native River winning the biggest prize of the lot in March.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Might Bite is a best price of 4/1 for the most famous cup in British Racing, whilst Sizing John is a best price of 7/1.
Oddschecker Spokesman George Elek: “All eyes were on Native River after a 330-day layoff, but any fears punters may have had were put to rest with a fantastic display, showing plenty in the tank as he bolted clear of the rest after the final fence. His odds for the Gold Cup have been slashed to 7s after this and there will be many thinking that this eight-year-old is a real contender.”
