The favourites for this year’s Lancashire Chase
November 21st marks this year’s exciting Lancashire Chase, and, despite the event going ahead behind closed doors, due to restrictions surrounding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some of the country’s very best steeplechasers will still be heading to Haydock for the Grade 1 race.
With the meeting just around the corner, read on as we take a look at some of the horses leading the way in the bet exchange.
Lostintranslation – 2/1
Colin Tizzard-trained Lostintranslation is the favourite for this year’s Lancashire Chase, as he looks to defend his title. After winning the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree last April and the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase last November, the eight-year-old headed to Haydock as the joint-favourite and went on to beat his fellow market leader Bristol De Mai by a length-and-a-half. Lostintranslation underwent wind surgery after a disappointing display in the Boxing Day King George VI Chase but bounced back with an impressive third-place finish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup earlier this year, which was his last outing. After the Lancashire Chase, Lostintranslation could head back to Kempton for another attempt at the King George.
Bristol De Mai – 5/2
This year’s race is primed for another battle between Lostintranslation and Bristol De Mai. However, the Nigel Twiston-Davies grey gelding hasn’t won a race since his triumph in the Lancashire Chase back in 2018. Following that victory, Bristol De Mai fell in the King George VI Chase, before finishing third and fourth respectively in the Gold Cup and Mildmay Novices’ Chase. Two second-placed finishes followed in the Lancashire Chase and Cotswold Chase, but he was a disappointing ninth in this year’s Gold Cup, some 18 lengths off the pace set by the winner, Al Boum Photo.
Santini – 7/2
Since joining Nicky Henderson’s yard in 2017, Santini has won six of his 10 races – starting with back-to-back victories in a Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury and the Grade 2 Ballymore Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. After coming third in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle back at the Gloucestershire course, the eight-year-old won the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and the Grade 2 John Francome Novices’ Chase successively. After two more defeats, Santini won the Future Stars Intermediate Chase at Sandown before undergoing wind surgery. It’s been a pretty impressive year so far for the gelding, as he beat Bristol De Mai by over three lengths in the Cotswold Chase, before being beaten by just a neck in the Gold Cup by Al Boum Photo.
Clan Des Obeaux – 6/1
Two-time King George VI winner Clan Des Obeaux is somewhat of an outsider at 6/1 in this year’s Lancashire Chase. The eight-year-old won his first King George in 2018, beating Thistlecrack by just over a length, before a very comfortable 21-length victory over stablemate Cyraname in last year’s race. However, in his only race this year, which was the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Paul Nicholls-trained bay gelding was rather disappointing, with jockey Harry Cobden only able to guide him to an eighth-place finish – a whopping 17 lengths behind Al Boum Photo. The Lancashire Chase could be the perfect warm-up for Clan Des Obeaux, before he turns his attention to winning his third King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
