2013 Old Roan Chase Betting Preview Pt 1

One of the first big handicap chases of the National Hunt season kicks off this Saturday as the Old Roan Chase is set to unfold over 2m4f at Aintree. Currently, there are twelve runners in the mix and it’s going to be interesting to see how this one shapes up. There are a lot of talented and very recognizable names pointed at this race - some of whom (like Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Astracad) have just raced last week and appear to be raring for more.

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Only a handful here have actually had an outing or two this season. Many are using this as a staging point for a Cheltenham campaign that will likely see a mere 3 or 4 runs during the season at maximum. Virtually every top National Hunt trainer, with the exception of Nicky Henderson, has an entry here and you get the feeling that it may help set the tone for the early portion of their seasons if they can get the score here on Saturday. 

Conquisto lines up for Steve Gollings yard and he’s been unraced since May but ended the season in fine form without finishing off the board once in a lengthy campaign that involved nine different races. Many of them, particularly towards the end of the season, were higher-priced handicaps that he tackled with Tom Scudamore up. He’s done well in each of those races and now he’s looking to move up to tangle alongside the top level contenders with an eye firmly-fixed on festival season. 

Expect him to move forward nicely here but he will be up against more seasoned company than he has dealt with in the past and you do have to wonder whether he will be able to acquit himself so well against quality graded company. 

Eleven-year-old veteran Oiseau De Nuit will line up for Colin Tizzard and he’s likely to get plenty of backing from the punters - especially since his score in the Grade 3 Red Rum Chase at Aintree last year will still be living long in the memory. While there is an additional half-mile to contend with here, it’s clear that connections think he’s more than capable of tackling the extra distance.