RSA Chase

This prestigious annual event unfolds each year at the Cheltenham Festival and is widely-regarded as a proving ground for Notable Runners with Gold Cup aspirations. The 3m110y chase traces its origins back to 1946 while the legendary Arkle won it in 1963 with Pat Taaffe up. Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman conquered this race the year before he went on to win steeplechasing's biggest prize.

Notable Runners

Time For Rupert– Connections have opted for the weaker RSA as he was being considered for a Gold Cup run. His past five races have all been at Cheltenham and he has three wins and a pair of place showings to his credit. He ran a very respectable second to Big Buck’s and Tidal Bay and is a justified favourite in this one.

Quel Esprit– His festival hopes were dashed in a falling effort last year so he’ll be looking for a bit more luck in this year’s iteration. Another falling effort at Leopardstown in February makes one question whether he’s got the tenacity to hold up, but he has always run well when he manages to stay on his feet.

Aiteen Thirtythree– A slightly more obscure Paul Nicholls runner, he is undefeated in his three-race campaign this year and it kicked off with a rousing score at Cheltenham, albeit over hurdles. He will likely go directly to the front but he’s shown the ability to sit just off the pace as well. Expect him to get Ruby in this one, and three successive scores at steadily-climbing weights shows that we haven’t seen the bottom yet.