DENMAN FAVOURED TO WIN 2009 AON CHASE AT NEWBURY

Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner Denman is set to make his first on-course appearance in nearly a year as he faces off against some of the top jumps horses in the country at the Aon Chase this Saturday. I'm confident that the sheer amount of quality horses on display means that Denman is a bit shorter than he really should be? This one is truly anyone's race. Snoopy Loopy, Imperial Commander, Exotic Dancer, Barbers Shop, Air Force One and Or Noir De Somoza are really considered all contenders to secure a Gold Cup victory this year should they choose to run in the prestigious race.Denman is currently a heavy 1.6 favourite on Betfair. Exotic Dancer slides in a ways back at 7 just ahead of Barbers Shop (8) and Albertas Run (9). Trabolgan, Joe Lively and Air Force One are all listed at 11. I think that they won't push Denman as hard as he can be pushed in this race as the Nicholls camp obviously has an eye firmly fixed on next month's race. I consider Denman a really outstanding horse, but I'm not sure whether they're going to push him as far as he can go in this one. Having not put in a convincing performance since he won the Gold Cup, there are more question marks over him than a 1.6 horse should have. I'm backing Denman, Exotic Dancer and Snoopy Loopy to make up your top 3.