Daryl Jacob fears for British chances - but hopes Bristol De Mai can buck trend

With Grade 1 battle between Britain and Ireland about to resume at Haydock, Daryl Jacob has admitted it is "very difficult" for the home side to compete as he prepares to take on Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard with Bristol De Mai in Saturday's Betfair Chase.

A Plus Tard ran away with the race 12 months ago before triumphing at Cheltenham, helping Irish trainers to a haul of six of the seven open top-level chases run in Britain over two and a half miles or further. Irish horses also won the Champion Hurdle and Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham, where they landed 18 of the 28 races at the festival last March.

Bristol De Mai will be bidding for a fourth victory in the first Grade 1 event of the British season on Saturday but Jacob said: "The Irish form and the depth they have is incredibly strong.

"It's been going that way for the last five or six years and they're just getting stronger and stronger. It's very difficult for the British horses to compete. You saw at Cheltenham last year, they were having one-two-threes in nearly all the big races. They're very difficult to beat, they've just got incredible strength at the moment."

Daryl Jacob: 'It's very difficult for the British horses to compete against their horses'

Jacob, who was born in Ireland but has been based in Britain for nearly two decades and is retained by Bristol De Mai's owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, added: "England was very dominant for many years and the Irish struggled to have winners over here.

"It's like a big wheel. Please God the wheel will keep on turning and hopefully with a bit of luck we can get some good horses back over in this country."

Jacob has won three Betfair Chases on Bristol De Mai, although he pulled up the 11-year-old two out when well adrift of the 15-length winner last year.

"Last year was a write-off," the jockey said. "I knew the minute I walked out on to the track. They described the ground as good to soft but it was good to firm. When it's that sort of quick ground, he doesn't enjoy it.

"He then came out and ran probably two near career-bests in big handicaps, giving weight away. He's had a brilliant pre-season, he's been good and enthusiastic, his schooling's been good, his work has been good. This year with the rain they've had, and more coming hopefully, I'm very much looking forward to it."

Bristol De Mai has had a reputation as a doughty mudlark ever since he won the Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle on heavy ground at Chepstow in 2014 and took the Betfair by a remarkable 57 lengths in testing conditions in 2017.

Bristol De Mai won the race by 57 lengths in 2017Credit: Edward Whitaker

The five-time Grade 1 winner also came out on top in 2018 and 2020 and, speaking at an online press conference looking ahead to the £200,000 contest, Jacob said: "It will be a much different race this year.

"A Plus Tard absolutely bolted in but that was his favoured conditions. On good ground, he's a very good horse. If it's going to be softer this year, it's going to be a very different race.

"A Plus Tard's form is rock-solid, he's a very, very good horse. I don't know whether we can beat him but we're going to put in a much different performance to last year. It would be difficult to beat him but every horse can have an off day. And if he has an off day I can guarantee we'll be there to capitalise on it."

Open Grade 1 chases in Britain over 2m4f or further in 2021-22

Betfair Chase won by A Plus Tard (Ire)
King George VI Chase Tornado Flyer (Ire)
Ascot Chase Fakir D'Oudairies (Ire)
Ryanair Chase Allaho (Ire)
Cheltenham Gold Cup A Plus Tard (Ire)
Betway Bowl Clan Des Obeaux (GB)
Melling Chase Fakir D'Oudairies (Ire)

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