Cue Card (15/8 favourite with Betfair) and Coneygree (9/4) headline 22 entries for the £200,000 Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on day two of the Betfair Chase Weekend, Saturday, November 19.
Run over three miles, the Betfair Chase is the first leg of The Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown. Any horse who wins the Betfair Chase and then goes on to land the G1 32Red King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and the G1 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 17 will earn a bonus of £1 million.
Cue Card (Colin Tizzard) captured the Betfair Chase for the second time last year with an emphatic 11-length victory over Silviniaco Conti (Paul Nicholls, 6/1). He subsequently wore down Vautour to win the King George VI Chase and fell at the third last when challenging for the lead in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Cue Card is the market leader with Betfair, despite finishing only third to Irish Cavalier (Rebecca Curtis, 10/1) on his comeback in the G2 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on October 29. Wetherby runner-up Menorah (Philip Hobbs, 16/1) and the fourth home, Blaklion (Nigel Twiston-Davies, 20/1), winner of the G1 RSA Chase at Cheltenham, are also entered in the 2016 Betfair Chase.
The Betfair Chase is the likely starting point for 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Coneygree (Mark Bradstock). The nine-year-old became the first novice since Captain Christy in 1974 to win Jump racing's Blue Riband but missed most of last season through injury.
Seeyouatmidnight (Sandy Thomson, 10/1) has been given an entry following his impressive 12-length success over Bristol De Mai in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle on October 30.
Gordon Elliott accounts for three of the four Irish-trained entries, with his team headed by 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup third Don Poli (12/1). The Co Meath handler has also put in two other ex-Willie Mullins recruits in Outlander (20/1) and Roi Des Francs (33/1).
Progressive chaser Fine Rightly (Stuart Crawford IRE, 33/1) is a potential dark horse for top honours after a strong surge last season. The eight-year-old finished third to Carlingford Lough in the G1 Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown in January before winning a minor race at Down Royal and ending the 2015/2016 campaign with a facile 10-length victory in a G3 chase over three miles at Cork in March.
Crawford, who is based in Co Antrim, said: "Fine Rightly was meant to run this weekend at Down Royal but the ground is going to be too quick for him.
"He wants plenty of cut and so really the Betfair Chase looks the next logical target.
"He had a nice break over the summer and has done very well. He is pretty fit and more or less ready to go.
"He stepped up last season because I put him in a better type of race and hopefully he can continue to improve. With a bit of luck, I am hoping we can go close to winning a Grade One with him.
"He has always had plenty of ability, but the problem with him, especially in his younger days, was that he was too exuberant and because of that we were running him over shorter trips. He is settling much better now and looks better the further he goes, which is what his pedigree tells us.
"Haydock looks a good target because the track and ground will hopefully be in his favour. Although he won twice going right-handed in the spring, he is probably better going the other way. He will put up a good show if he gets his ground."
There has yet to be an Irish-trained winner of Betfair Chase.
Britain's champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls has six Betfair Chase triumphs to his name. Dual winner Silviniaco Conti and Scottish Grand National scorer Vicente (25/1) are among a five-strong team this time around.
Other high-profile entries include multiple G1 scorer God's Own (Tom George, 16/1), who is set tackle three miles for the first time this season, and More Of That (Jonjo O'Neill, 14/1), winner of the 2014 World Hurdle.
Betfair Chase - Betfair prices: 15/8 Cue Card; 9/4 Coneygree; 6/1 Silviniaco Conti; 10/1 Irish Cavalier, Seeyouatmidnight; 12/1 Don Poli; 14/1 More of That; 16/1 Gods Own, Le Mercurey, Menorah, Un Temps Pour Tout; 20/1 Blaklion, Dynaste, Holywell, Outlander, Vibrato Valtat; 25/1 Ballynagour, Saphir du Rheu, Vicente; 33/1 Fine Rightly, Roi des Francs; 50/1 Vezelay
Entries are also revealed today for the two main supporting races at Haydock Park on Saturday, November 19, the £100,000 Betfair Price Rush Hurdle over two miles and the £80,000 Betfair Exchange "Fixed Brush" Handicap Hurdle over just short of three miles.
Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours (Nicky Henderson, 6/4 favourite) features among 15 entries for the Betfair Price Rush Hurdle.
Irving (Paul Nicholls, 5/2) and Top Notch (Nicky Henderson, 6/1), first and second last year, are also engaged alongside the 2014 scorer The New One (Nigel Twiston-Davies, 4/1) and Irish challenger Sempre Medici (Willie Mullins IRE, 5/1).
Betfair Price Rush Hurdle - Betfair prices: 6/4 My Tent Or Yours; 5/2 Irving; 4/1 The New One; 5/1 Sempre Medici, Court Minstrel, Mister Miyagi; 6/1 Hargam, Top Notch; 13/2 North Hill Harvey; 8/1 Melodic Rendezvous, Zubayr; 10/1 Old Guard, Ch'Tibello; 12/1 Adrien du Pont; 14/1 Connetable
Unowhatimeanharry (Harry Fry, 6/1 favourite), who crowned an unbeaten campaign last season with victory in the G1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, is one of 51 entries for the Betfair Exchange "Fixed Brush" Handicap Hurdle.
Betfair Exchange "Fixed Brush" Handicap Hurdle - Betfair Prices: 6/1 Unowhatimeanharry; 8/1 If In Doubt; 12/1 Born Survivor; 14/1 Ibis du Rheu, El Bandit, For Good Measure; 16/1 Ubak, Whataknight, Two Taffs; 20/1 Noble Endeavor, Buywise, Mr Mix, Jury Duty, Fingal Bay; 25/1 Taglietelle, Holywell, Matorico, Yala Enki, Kruzhlinin, Sir Ivan, Ballybolley; 33/1 The Tourard Man, Caid du Berlais, Westren Warrior, Rathpatrick, Clondaw Kaempfer, Calett Mad, Clondaw Cian, Fountains Windfall, Theo's Charm, Minella Daddy, Affaire d'Honneur, El Terremoto, Board of Trade, Thomas Crapper, Cloudy Too, Killala Quay, Pearl Swan; 40/1 Moidore, Point The Way; 50/1 Fine Rightly, Donna's Diamond, Western Cape, Lord Wishes, Misty Lady, Fyrmyin, Allbarnone, Island Heights, Closing Ceremony, Lofgren; 66/1 Ghost River
