Six have been declared for Wetherby’s bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday, as connections bid to add their horses’ names to an illustrious roll of honour.
Hitman
Paul Nicholls first won the Charlie Hall in 1999 with See More Business, and he’s won it four times since, with See More Business again in 2000, Silviniaco Conti, Cyrname and Bravemansgame. Hitman is one of two for the yard here, and the ten-year-old looks to maintain a good record in the early part of the season.
He’s largely been a bridesmaid throughout his career, with 11 second-placed efforts from his 32 runs, but he ran an excellent race to win the Old Roan Chase last season. He was unable to back that up, however, and still has stamina to prove.
Twinjets
Paul Nicholls is also represented by Twinjets, and Harry Cobden is booked to reunite with his former boss. The Jet Away gelding signed off last season with a career-best performance in a Class 2 handicap at Ayr, taking his seasonal record to 11UP21.
If he’s able to continue his progression, then he won’t need to improve a whole lot to be competitive here, and he has won over this trip in the past.
Pic D’Orhy
Dan Skelton has already had success with Johnny de la Hey’s horses that moved to his yard from Paul Nicholls, and Pic D’Orhy has a strong chance to bolster that record.
He’s 9lb clear on ratings and was second in this race last season under a penalty, but he escapes one this time around, and a clear round of jumping should see him tough to beat.
Riskintheground
Dan Skelton has also declared Riskintheground, who’s made a habit of picking up some nice pots throughout his career. However, he was well beaten off his career-high mark of 147 last time out, and given he generally saves his best form for the summer, he’s likely one to rule out despite the ground being in his favour.
Handstands
Handstands looked to be well above average when taking his hurdling record to four from four in the 2024 Sidney Banks, beating Jango Baie, before blotting his copybook at Cheltenham.
He confirmed the belief that he was a classy individual when winning the Grade 1 Scilly Isles a year later, again beating Jango Baie, who went on to win the Arkle that season before finishing second in the Gold Cup last term. Since then, his form has been a mixed bag. He was second to Resplendent Grey on his seasonal debut last season, but blew up in the Betfair Chase.
Following wind surgery, he posted a creditable effort behind Protektorat at Windsor, but again blotted his copybook at Cheltenham. He’s undoubtedly got plenty of ability, but he’s perhaps too risky a proposition to get stuck into for now.
The Real Whacker
The 2023 Brown Advisory winner The Real Whacker failed to make the step up into open company a year later, but got back on track when causing something of a surprise in this race in 2024, beating Bravemansgame.
He has struggled to find form since, but equipped with blinkers, he took a Perth handicap off top weight last time out to return to the winner’s enclosure for the first time in two years.
Again, he’s not one to wholly trust, but if he can back that effort up, then he’s one to consider, particularly given his course form.
Commercial notice: This article on GG.co.uk contains affiliate links. The offers we promote come from operators that we trust and our experts have first-hand experience dealing with. If you open an account through one of these affiliate links then GG will earn revenue. However, we ensure that the money earned goes back into improving and enhancing our coverage of horse racing and other sports, as we look to provide an excellent service to our growing audience.