RSA Novices’ Chase Betting Tips, Winners & History

Next Race: Wednesday, 17th March 2021

The next race is scheduled to run on 17th March 2021. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.

RSA Novices’ Chase Betting Tips

Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.

There are a number of contests over the four days of this meeting in which Irish supremo Willie Mullins boasts a formidable record, including this classy chase affair. Successful four times in the past, Mullins needs just one more win to be become the outright all-time leading trainer in the event. Mullins sends three to post this time around, in the shape of Allaho, Easy Game and Castlebawn West and so he will fancy his chances, even if, ultimately, we think he will have at least another year to wait before making the record his own.

The seven year olds have much the best recent record in the race having landed eight of the past 10 renewals. That record may well be improved in 2020, with half of the 10-runner field being seven years of age – including the well fancied Minella Indo, who we predict will do the business.

Those towards the head of the market have been favoured in recent years, with seven of the past eight winners returning a single figure SP. Three winning favourites in the past 10 years would have been enough to sneak supporters of the market leader into profit, to the tune of 0.63 units. Not the biggest sum but better than a kick in the teeth!

CHAMP (3/1)

Sir Tony McCoy entered the winner’s enclosure just the once in this race, when guiding Alberta’s Run, who would go on to win the Ryanair twice, to victory in 2008, and whilst McCoy of course won’t be winning the race this year, the horse named in his honour may well do, with the Nicky Henderson-trained, Champ, currently heading the betting.

Going in the green and gold silks of one of McCoy’s loyalist supporters, JP McManus, Champ will be making a second Cheltenham Festival appearance having run well to finish second in last season’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. That’s high-class form, and the early evidence would suggest that this sone of King’s Theatre will prove to be at least as effective over the larger obstacles.

Having won a Grade 2 chase on just his second start over fences, and already scored over this trip as a hurdler, he does have to bounce back from a fall last time out, but would otherwise look to have plenty in his favour. 3/1 is perhaps a little skinny in a really tight race but he has plenty of appeal for sure.

COPPERHEAD (7/2)

One who seems to be coming in for plenty of support headed into the race is the Colin Tizzard-trained, Copperhead. Tizzard is yet to land this prize, but will have high hopes of breaking his duck with this six year old son of Sulamani.

Copperhead did take a while to come to the boil last season, but having landed his final two starts over the smaller obstacles, hopes were understandably high headed into his debut season over fences. Whilst he hadn’t quite figured out how to jump properly on his chase debut at Chepstow, he has proven to be a quick learner - landing each of his three subsequent starts in good style.

It is the most recent of those victories which earmarks him as a leading contender here, as it takes a pretty good horse to slam a Grade 2 field by 17-lengths as he did in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot last time out. He’s the joint top-rated runner in the field on the back of that effort, and likely won’t be far away.

MINELLA INDO (7/2)

For fans of runners with previous winning form at the Cheltenham Festival, then the one to side with would look to be the Henry De Bromhead-trained Minella Indo. This one wasn’t at all fancied headed into last season’s Albert Bartlett Hurdle, but 50/1 or not, he stayed on best of all to pull two lengths clear at the line in what is invariably the most stamina-sapping novice event of the meeting.

That stamina will certainly stand this seven year old in good stead here, and whilst he has enjoyed a relatively low-key preparation, there was plenty to like about his first success over fences at Navan last time out.

He was made to work pretty hard for a 2/5 shot that day, but looked to be pulling away at the line, and the likelihood is that he will strip considerably fitter for his big target of the season. There are plenty of likeable sorts in here, but the proven stamina and festival form of this one just sees him top our list. At slightly longer odds than the market principle, he’s the one for us on a day where stamina will be much-needed.

ALLAHO (9/2)

The form of the Willie Mullins-trained Allaho ties in pretty closely with that of Minella Indo from their hurdling days, and on that evidence this six year old, who goes in the famous Cheveley Park Stud silks, would look to have a bit to find.

Nine lengths adrift of the De Bromhead runner in the Albert Bartlett here, he then closed that gap in the big Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, but still went down by two lengths at the line. That doesn’t bode overly well but there are some reasons to suggest he may have more to offer.

Overall, he will likely need to be a better chaser than he was a hurdler if he is to take this, but the early signs have been encouraging in that regard. Running an excellent race to be second to stablemate Easy Game on his chase debut in December, he then stepped up on that when sauntering fully 21-lengths clear at Fairyhouse last time out. Possessing plenty of stamina, and with further improvement likely, he is expected to be involved at the business end.