The Drinks Are on Nicholls in Wincanton’s Badger Beer Chase
National Hunt fans will be in a state of ecstasy on Saturday, with many of the stars of the sport in early season action. Down Royal’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase may have attracted just four runners. Still, the line-up includes Gold Cup winner Minella Indo, Ryanair Chase winner Envoi Allen and shooting star Gerri Colombe, who is chasing a ninth win from ten career starts.
Knappers Hill gets the nap treatment at Wincanton on Saturday. ©GettyImages
Far away, in southern England, one of the most popular horses in training, Frodon, stars in Wincanton’s Badger Beer Chase. Bryony Frost will partner the 17-time winner. She has won this race three times in the past, including last year when Frodon registered his most recent success.
The bulk of the Wincanton card will be broadcast on ITV Racing. Its cameras also cover two races from Aintree. Amongst those is the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase. First staged in 1865, this two-mile-five-furlong handicap is contested over the famous Grand National fences.
Percussion Can Beat a Grand Drum in Sefton
In the Grand Sefton (2.45 pm), Percussion could give each-way players a big run for their money. The three-time winning chaser finished third in this contest last season. He returned to the Merseyside venue the following month to claim third place in the Becher Chase – a race also ran over the Grand National course.
Percussion’s rating has dropped a few pounds since. It means he is amongst the bottom weights in Saturday’s contest. But the forecast heavy going – in addition to course knowledge – could give him the edge over many of Saturday’s rivals.
Experiencing bottomless ground just once, Percussion duly won on the surface. A slugger with form over much further than Saturday’s ask, the horse racing betting sites offering 1/4 odds each-way terms in this contest should be wary of this 10/1 shot.
A Dozen for Nicholls Thanks to Threeunder?
The head cannot rule the heart in the Wincanton feature. Frodon, forcing the pace and holding on for a gallant victory, is always a wonderful sight. But, turning 12 next year, carrying top weight, and with a layoff to overcome, miserly 3/1 odds will only tempt his most loyal supporters.
So good to see this happening 👏
Popular racehorse and reigning Badger Beers champ Frodon visited Wincanton Primary School alongside Bryony Frost to inspire some youngsters 📚 pic.twitter.com/5XJ8mjoX3p
— The Jockey Club (@TheJockeyClub) October 24, 2023
Instead, his stablemate, Threeunderthrufive, looks the best bet in the 2.25 pm. Running off the same mark as he did when last in action – finishing fourth in the Scottish Grand National – Paul Nicholls’s charge had some tough asks last season. He has since had wind surgery, which can always promote improvement.
Now, with his sights set lower and stable jockey Harry Cobden taking over the reins from Adrian Heskin, Threeunderthrufive can take an overdue chase victory in open company. It would not be Nicholls’ first Badger Beer Chase success. The Somerset-based trainer has won this contest a remarkable eleven times.
With the Winning Feeling, Knappers Gets the Nap
Our nap selection may be considered unimaginative, but a winner is a winner, and Knappers Hill is a proven winner – taking ten of his 17-lifetime starts. Saturday’s assignment, Wincanton’s Boodles’ Rising Stars’ Novices’ Chase, due off at 1.50 pm, sees him face five rivals.
Three of these opponents were last-time-out winners. However, official figures give this seven-year-old a 13-pound advantage, and he jumped fluently on his chase debut four weeks ago. Of Knappers Hill’s rivals, Doyan Star and Givega are yet to jump a fence in public. Lady Adare and Opening Bid have been winning in a much lower class of race.
