Nicholls relishing Bravemansgame rematch with Ahoy Senor in bet365 Charlie Hall Chase
Ahoy Senor and Bravemansgame are on course to clash for a third time over fences in the £100,000 G2 bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday, October 29, highlight of Wetherby’s bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting.
The duo met twice as novices last season, with Bravemansgame coming out on top in the G1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park before Ahoy Senor dazzled on his final start of the campaign in Aintree’s G1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Ahoy Senor has notable course and distance form, having easily defeated subsequent Grand National scorer Noble Yeats in the G2 Towton Novices’ Chase at the track in February.
Bravemansgame’s trainer Paul Nicholls has sent out four winners of the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase and the Ditcheat handler is also responsible for Secret Investor, not seen out since winning the G2 Denman Chase at Newbury in February 2021.
Nicholls said: “Wetherby being a flat track will suit Bravemansgame, as he has shown at Kempton albeit the other way round. He is very good fresh, which is a big plus, and he looks in great order.
“Ahoy Senor is a high-class horse with good form from last season. We beat him once, he beat us once, so of course it is being billed as a bit of a rematch, but I would much rather take him on over three miles at Wetherby than over three and a quarter miles at Cheltenham, that is for sure.
“Secret Investor also has a good record fresh but it has been a long time since he beat Clan [Des Obeaux] in the Denman Chase. He is not getting any younger and I suspect the run will bring him on.”
The 10 entries also feature Eldorado Allen, who proved his stamina for three miles in the G2 Denman Chase in February and subsequently finished third behind Allaho in the G1 Ryanair Chase.
Trainer Joe Tizzard said: “This has been Eldorado Allen’s first objective for quite some time. He has had a good preparation and we are looking forward to getting him started.
“He enjoyed the step up to three miles in the Denman Chase at Newbury, which isn’t too dissimilar to Wetherby, and three miles on a flat track seems just about right for him.
“Looking at the entries, it is shaping up to be a good race and should tell us whether we can look at something like the King George.”
G3 Rowland Meyrick Chase scorer Good Boy Bobby has won all three of his chase starts at Wetherby and his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is the most successful handler in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase with six victories.
A strong line-up also features Dashel Drasher, winner of the G1 Ascot Chase last year, Scottish Grand National heroine Win My Wings and Sam Brown, who was an impressive handicap victor at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
bet365 Charlie Hall Chase – bet365 prices
6/4 Bravemansgame
2/1 Ahoy Senor
8/1 Eldorado Allen
8/1 Secret Investor
9/1 Win My Wings
10/1 Dashel Drasher
12/1 Good Boy Bobby
14/1 Sam Brown
33/1 Paint The Dream
33/1 Some Chaos
Each-way 1/5 1,2,3
Nicholls and Tizzard are likely to be represented in the G2 bet365 West Yorkshire Hurdle, with their respective entries Threeunderthrufive and Oscar Elite gearing up for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury next month.
Threeunderthrufive won four novice chases last season, including G2 events at Doncaster and Warwick, before finishing sixth in the G1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Nicholls said: “Threeunderthrufive will be running here on his merits, of course he will, but this should sharpen him up ahead of the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury.”
Oscar Elite has not raced over hurdles since the spring of 2021, when he finished second in the G1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and third in the G1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
Tizzard said: “Oscar Elite has a couple of entries at Wetherby and, having looked at the hurdle entries, I think that looks a tempting option.
“His main target is the Coral Gold Cup and we used this race as a prep for Newbury with Native River a few years ago.
“I think it is worth having a go at a much more valuable race rather than going for the novice chase on the Friday, although we will make a final decision with the owners later this week.”
Seven entries for the bet365 West Yorkshire Hurdle also include the first and second from last year in Indefatigable and Proschema, plus Sporting John, Thomas Darby and Wholestone.
The bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting begins on Friday, October 28, when the highlights are the Each Way Extra At bet365 Handicap Chase and Listed Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle.
The going at Wetherby is Good to Soft, Good in places, with further rain forecast on Friday and Saturday.
