Graeme Rodway: Grey Dawning 'must be taken on' with rain forecast | Pros and cons for the main Betfair Chase contenders

Kauto Star, Cue Card and Bristol De Mai feature on the honour roll of the Betfair Chase at Haydock and the first Grade 1 of the new season in Britain takes place on Saturday (3.00). Here is a run through of the leading contenders for the £200,000 race . . .

Grey Dawning

Best Racing Post Rating 169 (Aintree Bowl, 2025)

Odds 11-8f

Pros Travelled strongly and looked the likeliest winner turning into the straight last season but was worn down by Royale Pagaille. Recorded an RPR of 168 and matched that when winning the Premier Chase at Kelso in March before recording his best RPR of 169 when second to Gaelic Warrior in the Bowl at Aintree the following month.

Cons More is required to land this prize, with the winner recording an RPR of 171+ in each of the last ten years. Grey Dawning has a 1-6 strike-rate in Grade 1s and is facing Royale Pagaille again at the latter's favourite track. He has been beaten on his first start of the season in each of the last three campaigns at odds of 10-11f, 85-40 and 15-8f.

Key quote Dan Skelton: "We've got him really prepared for it. We've had an awayday when he went with Panic Attack, and I couldn't have asked to have prepared better. It feels like there's a bit of unfinished business and we'll be going up there with no excuses."

Grey Dawning15:00 Haydock

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Jky: Tnr: Dan Skelton

Haiti Couleurs

Best Racing Post Rating 154 (Irish Grand National, 2025)

Odds 10-3

Pros Had an impressive first campaign over fences, winning the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in good style before landing the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. Unlike a few of his main rivals, Haiti Couleurs has the benefit of a recent run, having won over hurdles at Newbury this month. Britain's shortest-priced Gold Cup contender and would notably enhance those claims if landing a Grade 1 at the first attempt.

Rebecca Curtis with her stable star Haiti CouleursCredit: Edward Whitaker

Cons On peak RPRs, Haiti Couleurs needs to find more than a stone of improvement, although he is clearly climbing the ranks at a rapid rate, unlike some rivals who are a lot more exposed. His worst RPR by some way was recorded when beaten 60 lengths in the Prestige Novices' Hurdle on his only previous run at this track.

Key quote Rebecca Curtis: "I think it's a good opportunity to have a shot at a Grade 1 and it will give us a good pointer as to where we're at for the season with him, and where we're going after Christmas. It's really exciting to have a horse like him and he seems to keep improving, which is good. He's come on a bit for Newbury."

Haiti Couleurs15:00 Haydock

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Jky: Tnr: Rebecca Curtis

Royale Pagaille

Best Racing Post Rating 174 (Betfair Chase, 2023)

Odds 4-1

Pros Look no further if you are seeking a race or course specialist. Royale Pagaille has a superb record of five wins and a second from eight starts at the Merseyside track, including form figures of 211 in this contest. He also goes particularly well fresh, registering three wins and three seconds on his first start of the season for trainer Venetia Williams. Forecast midweek rain is a plus.

Royale Pagaille (right): beat Grey Dawning (left) in the Betfair Chase last seasonCredit: John Grossick Racing

Cons At some point age will catch up with Royale Pagaille, who turns 12 in six weeks. He was well beaten on his last two visits to Haydock last season, being pulled up when favourite for the Peter Marsh (a race he has won twice) and finishing sixth in the Grand National Trial.

Key quote Venetia Williams: "He's an absolute star and to come back and win a second Betfair Chase having looked beaten at the last showed what a wonderful horse he is. He's working with his usual enthusiasm and we'll give it another go in the same direction, with first stop Haydock at the end of November. Things didn't go his way after last year's Betfair but the ground is important to him – drier ground affects the speed of the race quite a lot and he's not a speed merchant by any means."

Royale Pagaille15:00 Haydock

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Jky: Tnr: Venetia Williams

Handstands

Best Racing Post Rating 161 (Scilly Isles Novices' Chase, 2025)

Odds 11-2

Pros Beat subsequent Arkle winner Jango Baie and Maghull Novices' Chase scorer Kalif Du Berlais when landing the Scilly Isles at Sandown last season. He recorded a winning RPR of 161 that day – a figure beaten only by L'Homme Presse (163, 2022) and Defi Du Seuil (163, 2019) in the last decade. Handstands has race-fitness on his side, having finished second to Resplendent Grey in a Listed chase at Carlisle last month.

Cons In a similar vein to Haiti Couleurs, Handstands needs to take a big step forward on this first crack at an open Grade 1. He will also need to strip fitter for his reappearance, in which he was very much the one to beat at the weights but had to settle for second, although it was a muddling affair at a stop-start gallop.

Key quote Ben Pauling: "I expect him to run very well. I have more faith in this horse than you could ever imagine. The two times he's gone to festivals [Cheltenham and Aintree] he hasn't performed, but he's been wrong both times. This is his best chance of a Grade 1 this season and we'll try to take it."

Handstands15:00 Haydock

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Jky: Tnr: Ben Pauling

Tipster view

By Graeme Rodway, deputy betting editor

The Betfair Chase simply isn't the race that it was and that is largely because trainers have become reluctant to run their best horses first time up on what is often testing ground at Haydock. 

And who can blame them? Last season Grey Dawning ran poorly in the King George after having a mightily hard race on soft ground here and there is every chance it's going to come up very deep again this year, if the forecast is right.

There is more than 10mm of rain due for the track during the week and 11mm on Saturday, according to some forecasts. If all that arrives then it's going to be another war of attrition.

Grey Dawning wants soft ground, but doesn't need it heavy and we know that Royale Pagaille does, while Haiti Couleurs also has no problem with testing conditions.

While I think Grey Dawning is a legitimate Gold Cup contender and that connections should have gone that way last season rather than waste their time going to Aintree – a track where he has never won – I simply couldn't have him on my mind at such a short price for Saturday given the rain that is due and he must be taken on. Maybe Royale Pagaille could win it again.

Royale Pagaille15:00 Haydock

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Jky: Tnr: Venetia Williams

Betfair Chase, 3.00 Haydock, Saturday
Betfair: 11-8 Grey Dawning, 10-3 Haiti Couleurs, 4 Royale Pagaille, 11-2 Handstands, 11 Stellar Story, 16 Hitman, 33 Marsh Wren.

Read more . . .

Dan Skelton has 'a bit of unfinished business' with last year's runner-up Grey Dawning in Saturday's Betfair Chase 

'I have more faith in him than you could ever imagine' - Ben Pauling expects big run from Handstands in Betfair Chase 

It was the stage where Kauto Star awed and Cue Card soared - so what do we need to make the Betfair Chase great again? 

'I don't see any reason why not to run' - Rebecca Curtis going for Grade 1 glory with Haiti Couleurs 

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