KAUTO STAR SET FOR CHAMPION CHASE AT DOWN ROYAL

The 2009/10 National Hunt is already under-way, but we'll be kicking things up into high gear on November 7th when we see the running of the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal.Without a doubt, the headliner is the Gold Cup double-winner Kauto Star trained by Paul Nicholls. The prestigious runner isn't 100% confirmed for the race, with the Betfair Chase at Haydock considered to be another possibility. Kauto Star would be going for his second Champion Chase on the bounce, having won the event last year.There is also the possibility that Nicholls will run My Will in this race in place of Kauto Star. He was quoted by the Racing Post as saying, "?My Will has yet to run in it (the Champion Chase). I'm sure to have a runner this time, and we'll make a decision on that nearer to the race." He also went on to mention Kauto Star's possibility of opening the season at Haydock.There will definitely be plenty of quality on display at Down Royal that day with other names on the sheet being War of Attrition, Notre Pere, Newmill and Taranis.Other notable names for this Grade One race include Roll Along, who is now with Nigel Twiston-Davis, and The Listener; whose last victory came in February of 2008 in the Hennessy Gold Cup. Snowy Morning, out of Willie Mullins system, looks a solid tip for the race with Albertas Run and Money Trix also set to offer up some serious competition.The ante-post markets aren't quite ready to go yet, but we should expect prices on this any day now. Be sure to check out VCbet.com for all of your National Hunt action, both ante-post and traditional betting, and be sure to cash in on their myriad promotions and special offers. You can watch every race for a single £1 bet and check out the race replays 10 minutes after every race.